Shadows of Conflict
by tracefan
Summary: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. When a group of Pokemon unseal a malevolent ghost, they unwittingly become the pawns in its game. A game that twists what was once good intentions, and tests the hearts of innocents caught up in it all. Everyone has a darkness within; but who is capable of overcoming it before it consumes them? Revamp of Dark Eons/The Darkness Within
1. Fragmented Beginning

The labyrinthine caverns of the Sinnoh mountains were renowned as an archaeologist's wet dream. Even after centuries, or even longer, the caves continued to hold incredible secrets and mysteries that few could possibly imagine, and even fewer could resist. Carvings depicting great Pokemon, confusing inscriptions written in an unknown language, or faded to nearly nothing taunted the brilliant minds of the people sent to explore and unearth these secrets.

And yet, time after time, more relics were discovered. More strange artifacts and runes were found and brought above ground once more. And sometimes, entire new caves and passageways were discovered, and the ones lucky enough to find these places would fall over themselves in a mad scramble to call all their treasure-hunting friends or scientific contacts to examine the discovery and hopefully uncover the next chapter of the lost Sinnoh lore.

However, this site was different. It was not merely a chamber that had been lost over centuries only to be discovered again. It had existed, been discovered and thoroughly explored, and then removed of all its ancient history, and then been re-sealed, condemned by humans for being a treacherous, unstable passageway that had claimed the lives of numerous miners and scientists. Such things were expected in that line of work, and few questioned the reasons for the passageway's sealing.

Yet some could sense it. The powerful and unmistakable aura brimming within the chamber, a shard of darkness so great that no light could snuff it out. Even the Pokemon that could not sense it directly still became anxious and apprehensive when they drew nearer to the pit leading into the condemned chamber, and so it didn't take long for the passageway to be completely abandoned, and the subject of many urban legends, both among humans and Pokemon.

Footsteps echoed softly in the empty passageway, and flashes of orange danced along the jagged rock walls, becoming brighter and more concentrated as the source of sound and light drew nearer. The trio of Pokemon ignored the massive sign warning of the hazard, the lettering faded with dust and bits of rock, but otherwise undisturbed.

"This must be it," one of the Pokemon murmured, peering into the gloom. He was a short bipedal Pokemon with blue fur and a canine face, his red eyes masked in black fur that matched the color of his drooping ears. One paw was ablaze, but with an odd blue glow that didn't match the orange flames of the quadruped Pokemon beside him, which had a sleek body with blue fur along its back and an otherwise tan body. Its head and lower back were both burning with orange flames, casting the illuminating glow around them.

"Sweet!" the Quilava chirped, bouncing her weight from paw to paw before shooting a glance to the third Pokemon, another biped rivaling the Riolu in height, with black fur and a crown of red feathers adorning her head. Sharp red eyes peered into the dark passageway, unhindered by the pitch blackness, and vicious claws glinted in the firelight. An elegant blue scarf was draped around the Weavile's neck, the ends trailing down to knee-level, adding more color to her profile.

"Lin?" the Riolu prompted, seeming a bit confused about the prolonged silence. "Going to say something?"

"No," the Weavile replied curtly, stepping past the Quilava and beginning the walk down the passageway, the scarf trailing behind her as if blown by a gentle wind. The other Pokemon exchanged glances before following in equal silence, which was broken only by the scuffing of their feet against the worn rock and the crackling of the Quilava's flames.

At the far end of the passageway was the large hole that had once served as a entrance shaft to the chamber below. There had once been a trapdoor placed here, with desperate warnings not to attempt to breach the locks placed upon it, but the warnings had been ignored, and the locks had been shattered years ago by thieves, unwilling to believe that there was nothing left to find down below, and the shaft now lay open, like a gaping maw.

"Ugh...it's so much colder here now," the Riolu whispered, teeth chattering.

"Need to cuddle, Force?" the Quilava giggled teasingly, moving closer to him. The Riolu flinched as she brushed against his leg, and immediately backed off several paces.

"No, I'll manage," he said nervously.

Lin gave them both an exasperated look. "Could we keep focused for just a little longer? Cecilia, stop teasing the kid. Now step up here and blow a bit of fire down into the hole, I can't tell how deep the drop is."

"Fiiine," the Quilava huffed, and stepped up to the mine shaft, inhaling and expelling a tongue of orange flame from her mouth into the pit below, illuminating the chamber for several seconds before the stream of fire dissolved.

"You didn't do it long enough," Force complained, straining to see over the quadruped's shoulder.

"That's what she said," the fire type retorted.

Lin snapped her claws loudly. Nothing had to be said; the annoyed glare she fixed them with was more than enough to silence the argument.

"Wait here," she ordered, and dropped into the chamber below. She stuck her landing gracefully. Now that she was down here, her eyesight was able to pierce the inky blackness with only a few moments needed to adjust.

The chamber was impressively ornate, with numerous carvings displayed along the walls, many of them too worn or crumbling to get an accurate reading on them, but that wasn't what she was here for. She and the others had traveled to numerous digging sites in the past few weeks, and this one was even more noticeably stripped of its artifacts than the others. Everything even remotely valuable or glittering had been taken, and all that remained now was the immovable carvings and rock.

Still...there was a lingering sense of unease here. Lin was not one to be dissuaded by the thought of haunted ruins, but all her instincts were screaming for her to leave, and she usually trusted her instincts above all else. Ignoring her better judgment for once, she took some tentative steps forwards, tensing when she heard something crunch under her feet.

Stepping back and inspecting the ground revealed the now-broken skeleton of a small Pokemon, but her honed observations confirmed to her that it died by non-violent means, so it was probably a Pokemon that had fallen down here and had ultimately starved to death. A quick scan of the surrounding area indicated that it had not been the only victim claimed by the chamber in such a way. In one corner, she could even see the partially decomposed body of a human, and made a mental note to not get too close to that one.

"Everything okay, Lin?" Cecilia's voice called down, making Lin jump slightly, for a moment having forgotten her objective.

"Yes, I'm fine, Cece," the Weavile replied. "I don't see anything of value yet. Is Kaito sure what we're looking for is down here?"

"All the signs point to it," Cecilia chirped.

"Don't you feel the vibes? Follow them," Force suggested nervously. "It probably looks ordinary, if no one's taken it yet."

Lin frowned to herself and returned her attention to the task at hand. With the chamber stripped as it was, it was unlikely she'd be able to deduce the chamber's true original purpose. Many of the other sites within Mt. Coronet had paid homage to some of the legendaries, or had aspects of the ancient lore carved into the walls. Yet this one was far more peculiar, not only did it seem to have no other entrances or exits, but there weren't even markings in the wall to suggest torches had been placed there. No pedestals, either, so a holding place for a sacred artifact was also unlikely.

Then there was the matter of the ominous feeling in her chest. Had there been more remains of unfortunate Pokemon here, she would have pegged this as an execution chamber. Nothing else should fill her of all Pokemon with such apprehension.

Lin took a deep breath to steady her nerves and began to walk along the chamber's perimeter, taking note of whenever her anxiety flared up again. Then, she repeated the stroll in the opposite direction and forming a tighter circle. When her instincts screamed at her to turn back, she pressed forward instead, thrusting her claws out despite the empty air in front of her. Her claws hit empty air, but her foot struck something with a metallic clang, the reverberation stinging her sensitive hearing. It was only by chance that she managed to recover her footing, yet as she glared at the ground, she saw nothing that could have possibly tripped her up, least of all something metallic.

"Uh...Lin, what was that?" Cecilia called down nervously. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Stay there," Lin called back. "Neither of you can climb back up on your own. I need to check something."

The Weavile narrowed her eyes, cautiously prodding the space before her again with her claws, circling around that spot to be sure it wasn't just something placed at an angle her eyes had overlooked. Her claws still connected with something solid, but she could not see it, no matter how much she tried. For all she could tell, there was something invisible laying there.

"Cece, spit some fire again for a few seconds. I need a bit of light."

Lin waited for a moment for Cecilia to process the request and soon the chamber was bathed in a fiery orange glow. Lin's expression slowly curled into a smirk. The light revealed nothing, but prodding the empty space again caused a subtle rippling effect.

"Is that all it is?" Lin mused to herself. She focused for a moment, and purple flames formed around her claws. She didn't even need to strike; the presence of the ghostly flames dispelled the rippling effect with ease, and exposed a odd stone fragment impedded in the ground. As she watched, the purple fire produced by her claws began to flow towards the stone, as if a breeze was blowing, but her scarf remained inert.

"Interesting..."

Several minutes later, Lin clamored back into the passageway, using her sharp claws to anchor her grip until she could pull herself up. Force offered a paw to help her to her feet, which she accepted with a curt nod. Once standing, she nonchalantly brushed the dirt and dust from her scarf, as Cecilia inspected the stone she had brought back with her.

"Is this it?" Cecilia wondered, her blue eyes narrowed with skepticism. It looked ordinary at a glance, but closer inspection revealed it to be made of a strange silver-grey stone that seemed far more durable than it appeared. Despite this, there were several runes carved into its surface.

"Force, aura check," Lin ordered. The Riolu focused, the blue glow returning to his paw and his eyes took on a similar glow. The rock fragment shimmered with a matching aura, which then darkened rapidly to a pure, malevolent black coloration. The Riolu recoiled as if he had been stabbed, the glowing fading from his body entirely, and Lin had to seize his wrist to keep him from stumbling into the hole.

"Is...that a good sign?" Cecilia wondered nervously. The rock had stopped glowing as well, and sat before them innocently, but the sense of unease they felt did not fade with the glowing.

The Weavile frowned slightly. "Yes...a very good sign."

There was a brief flash, bright enough to distract them from the stone, and to focus on the fourth Pokemon that had appeared in their midst, a feminine humanoid with green, shoulder-length hair, a pair of pink horns set like hair-clips on its head, shockingly bright pink eyes, and seemingly clad in a white skirt. The Kirlia immediately wrapped her arms around Force and pulled him into a deep kiss, which he returned after a moment's surprise.

Lin and Cecilia blinked at the lovers with mild bewilderment, although Cecilia seemed far more entertained than she had any right to be. Lin cleared her throat loudly, prompting the two to break their embrace, both now sporting matching blushes.

"Any reason you chose to join us, Iris?" Lin asked.

"I felt something wrong...I had to check on Force," the Kirlia explained sheepishly.

The other three exchanged glances. At least, all three of them would have, if Force wasn't instead looking fondly at Iris.

"That was...really prompt, even for an emotional bond," Cecilia giggled. She winked at the Riolu. "She's a keeper, Force."

Lin snapped her claws, her gaze on Iris. "I think we're about done here, Iris. Could you teleport us to the entrance? You can take Force a few hours early if you do."

The Kirlia giggled and did a slight twirl. "Sure thing! Ready?"

Lin picked up the stone fragment and gave a silent nod. Cecilia and Force both confirmed they too were ready to leave the caves, and the Kirlia closed her eyes, her body glowing with a faint pink light, which slowly extended outwards to encompass the other three Pokemon. The light intensified until it was bright enough to force their eyes closed for a moment.

When the light faded, the sounds of bird Pokemon could clearly be heard and natural light poured through the cave entrance-way that they found themselves presently next to. Lin slipped away from the other Pokemon and gazed cautiously outside, scanning the path leading away from the mountain. This particular entrance was in close proximity to one of the frequently-traveled human cities in Sinnoh, and they had more than one close call with fledgling Pokemon trainers coming across them when they were leaving a venue.

"All clear," she said finally.

"Sweet!" Cecilia chirped, joining the Weavile at the cave entrance and inhaling deeply, savoring the fresh air. Force and Iris hung back, more sensitive to the brisk air that was normal for the region, but had been steadily growing worse as the harsh winter months approached.

"So am I off-duty now?" Force wondered, glancing between Lin and Cecilia awkwardly. Lin cast a glance in his direction, and then nodded. Iris brightened and with another little twirl and flash of light, the two of them vanished, leaving Lin and Cecilia alone.

"They're adorable," the Quilava giggled. Lin allowed herself a brief smirk and began to walk down the incline leading away from the mountain cave. Cecilia fell into step behind her, the crackling of her flames the only sound either of them made until reaching the bottom, where the rock and dirt gave way to a sea of grass and flowers until a worn stretch of road intersected it, guiding travelers to the human city ahead.

As of now, the road was completely empty, and even other Pokemon in the area only appeared for brief glimpses of movement, all of them busying themselves with gathering tasks of some sort. Lin paused to examine the sky, comparing it to the clouds that always seemed to form at the peak of Mt. Coronet, and taking into account the direction and speed of the wind.

"So the storm's going to be really bad, huh?" Cecilia asked, before Lin had even said anything. The Quilava sat down beside the Weavile, licking a paw and brushing it lazily over her blue fur, somehow grooming her flames into a tidier arrangement. Seeing Lin's surprised glance, Cecilia elaborated, "That's what all the human news reports have been saying. One of Sinnoh's worst winters and all that."

"How do you even hear the human weather reports?" Lin wondered, raising an eyebrow at her friend. When Cecilia started to smirk, the Weavile waved a paw hastily. "Never mind, I think I heard this story already."

"No, you didn't," Cecilia replied promptly.

Lin shook her head firmly. "Another time, maybe. The weather is starting to take a turn for the worse, and I want to show Kaito our find," she said, holding up the stone fragment for closer inspection now that she had natural lighting. She turned it over slowly, and absently traced one of the runes with a claw. "Something about it unnerves me. I don't want to hold onto it for longer than I need to."

"Yeah, it's creepy," Cecilia agreed. She leaned back onto her hind paws and gazed around restlessly. "So...meet up at the Chateau in a few hours?"

"You're going to wait until dark?" Lin asked incredulously. "With an incoming winter storm, what could possibly be-"

"I've been cooped up in the caves all day. I need to burn off some energy," Cecilia retorted, betraying a rare moment of irritation, but her expression softened immediately afterwards and she grinned before adding, "Literally."

"No need to get all fired up," Lin replied. "I'll see you around, Cece."

With a final nod, Lin departed, the ends of her scarf trailing behind her, already picking up the beginnings of the frigid winds that were making their way across Sinnoh. Snow would follow soon enough, and the entire area would become covered in a beautiful blanket of white, from the depths of the forest to the tops of the mountains, and even over the streets of the human cities. Beautiful, clean, and pure.

Lin winced and relaxed her paw, so that the jagged stone fragment no longer was in danger of piercing her skin. It may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that the odd black aura that Force had managed to expose from the stone had reappeared, but when she had looked again, it looked exactly the same as before. Completely ordinary, just a stone clutched in her paw.

But then, why did she still feel so uneasy?


	2. The Demon Unsealed

Dust.

It clung to every surface of the dark house. The floor was coated with a thin layer, and every piece of furniture shared the same fate. The windows were grimy with the stuff, so even the heavy drapes had been pulled open, no natural light would penetrate the darkness that lay within, like mold to a damp rock.

How disgusting.

The pure-white fairy Pokemon scowled to himself as he floated through the air, disdainfully examining the dusty surfaces of each object he passed. The only light came from the glowing sphere he had conjured around his egg-shaped body. Although he had a pair of wings, they fluttered pointlessly, unneeded to keep him airborne. At least that spared him the agony of having to touch the layer of filth with his feet, or something equally horrifying. Even if this old mansion was haunted, he'd have expected something, specter or human, to at least grab a damp cloth every so often. Most ghosts he had come into contact with hated disgusting living conditions as much as the living did.

Then again, quite a few ghosts didn't give a damn. Funnily enough, this was also something he could say about some of the living.

The Togetic made his way to the staircase, noting with some disappointment that the atmosphere of a 'haunted' mansion was lacking something without the eerie creaking of old floorboards or the groaning of broken-down staircases beneath the weight of a person. Maybe the ability to fly wasn't as wonderful a skill if it took away from such mundane activities as walking.

Such thoughts vanished when he remembered the inch of dust coating the steps. Atmosphere was overrated, anyhow.

The second floor of the house fared little better than the rest. Dust still clung to all the surfaces, and Kaito didn't even want to consider what sort of grime had been driven into the carpets over the years of abandonment. The air smelled musty, almost like a slowing decaying tomb.

Fitting really, if any of the stories about the mansion were remotely true. Supposedly there were ghosts living here, remnants of the lost souls of the family that had perished here. Other said the walls whispered secrets, and that the eyes of paintings moved to follow unsuspecting people wandering the dark halls. And some people said it was just an abandoned house that had absolutely nothing weird or ominous about it.

Kaito smirked briefly at the thought. Urban legends were so fascinating. In a region as rich with lore and mystery as Sinnoh, the stubborn belief that anything with dozens of stories and rumors about it could not have some grain of truth within was prepostrous. It was only by pursuing these rumors, and searching endlessly for records of lore or history that he had formed an understanding of what had to be done next.

The Old Chateau had stood within the Eterna Forest for decades, undisturbed save for the few brave Pokemon trainers or children roped into tests of courage. Everyone had come out alive; there was nothing grisly about the rumors. It was just a vibe given off from within, the sense of fear permeating their souls, and the power of their imagination doing the rest.

That was where the real connections had started clicking. It was what brought him here. To this dark hallway on the second floor of the mansion. Dusty pictures hung on the wall, each one spared a single glance before moving on. He paused at the first of a series of doors placed along the hallway, considering them in silence. He had already explored the side rooms of the first floor and found nothing of note, just the basic rooms of a large house. The doors here gave him a different feeling, something more personalized. Perhaps the bedrooms of the previous occupants.

Reluctantly, Kaito touched the nearest door with his paw, but cringed at the thought of stroking the aged wood. Instead, he expanded his personal energy field, giving the door a slight telekinetic 'push', the door creaking as it moved, the sound exceptionally loud in contrast to the otherwise silent house.

Despite having been at ease for the majority of his time here, Kaito froze in place, straining to hear some distant sound or sense movement from within the house, something that would have reacted to the creaking door and gone to investigate. Seconds ticked away, and the Togetic relaxed, slipping past the ajar door.

Certainly, this new room had been a bedroom, perhaps that of a child. The shelves were filled with books and toys, appropriate for a young child, but certainly not a teenager. The blankets of the bed were twisted and partially hanging off the mattress, the white long since faded to a disgusting yellow shade, and the musty smell of age clung to the air. The drapes of this room were tattered, having become the meal of insects and other small creatures.

A few papers and drawings were scattered around the room, and while Kaito was eager to find some confirmation of his theories, what little he could see of them without closer inspection reassured him that they were all made by the sloppy hand of an imaginative child, and so he decided not to linger in the musty room any longer. The smell was more than he could endure, and why let his own imagination touch upon the horrors of the room's sanitation?

The next room down the hall was a standard bathroom. Faded white paint decorated the walls, and a dusty mirror stood above a sink. A shower stall was in one corner, and a toilet in the other. Kaito had no qualms about abandoning further inspection of the room's condition in favor of moving on. Bathrooms rarely contained nuggets of information, not counting the public stalls where the users scrawled their words of wisdom.

The third door led into another bedroom, much larger and more spacious than the previous one. The much larger bed here had been designed for two, and the bedding was much more orderly than the first room. Another door to the side of the room stood open, displaying various articles of dated clothing.

Kaito sighed wearily. This search thus far had netted him nothing but disappointment and disgust. The place should have been haunted at the very least, to throw something of interest at him. Ghosts were excellent sources of information and gossip, and contrary to the belief of humans, rarely sought to inflict pain upon the living. That wasn't to say that none of them were more malicious, but Kaito had the fortune of being able to sense that type of malevolence long before he would be in any danger from it.

Kaito returned to the hallway, but paused, gazing down what was left of the hall. There was space to walk down that way, but no doorway, not even a closet door. A little space at the end of a hall would be fine, particularly if someone was moving furniture to and from the room, but this was excessive. Not long enough to be another room, but too long to be pointless. And then there was this unsettling feeling...

Kaito cast his gaze slowly along the walls of the dead end, hoping to detect some irregularity or hint. Then he spotted the dangling cord near the ceiling. A child would never be able to reach it, but it would be within reach of a human adult. In his case, he could easily fly up that high. Feeling a sense of triumph and eagerness, he examined the cord for a moment, and then cautiously tugged on it.

Upon doing so, the part of the ceiling the cord was attached to moved downwards with an ear-splitting screech of a rusty hinge grinding against the other components. Kaito furrowed his brow, but pulled again, forcing the hatch steadily downwards, until at last, with one final groan of metal against metal, the panel came free, and a collapsible staircase unfolded, extending to the ground and leading into absolute blackness above.

The Togetic floated cautiously higher, approaching the entrance-way to the room above. Anxiety, or maybe excitement, bubbled in his stomach. It was dampened only by the tendrils of unease worming their way around his chest. Yet this was a good sign; it was evidence of what the rumors and stories had said about the house, and the mysterious ruins beneath the mountain. If either site produced results, they would finally be closer to their objective.

He peered his head into the attic, unsurprised to see the floor here covered in the same filthy layer of dust and grime as the rest of the house, and he could see the slant of the mansion's roof at the ceiling. Boxes were stacked haphazardly around the small room here, some sealed shut with heavy tape, while others lay open or discarded. Such a strange collection of objects, ranging from clothing to tools, to random cosmetic decorations that Kaito had never seen before anywhere, but also seemed completely useless for any conceivable application.

As he moved around one of the towers of boxes, he heard a crackling fuzzy sound, faint at first, but growing louder as he approached the back of the room. There was also a faint flickering of white light, at first undetected from behind the boxes, but the source became clearer soon enough.

An old television sat on the floor, its face crackling with static, occasionally displaying a clearer image before becoming scrambled again. The Togetic knew nothing about most electronics, but he somehow doubted that such a device had remained active for so long and still functioned. Functioned in the loosest sense of the word, anyway.

Ignoring the device for now, Kaito's gaze swept the other objects kept here. The feeling of unease and dread was slowly intensifying as his eyes moved further and further to the right side of the room.

"So this is where you've been," a voice stated unexpectedly. Kaito whirled around with a yell, a blob of purple energy growing between his paws before his mind could register the source. His heart was pounding so intensely in his chest that he for a moment thought he was about to drop dead on the spot, and his Shadow Ball fizzled out of existence, the exertion of preparing an attack overwhelming him, and even the light from his body flickered out now that he no longer had the energy to maintain it.

"Damn it, Lin!" Kaito hissed, clutching his chest with one paw, trying to will his heart to slow down. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Hmm...I forgot about your...condition. My apologies, I should have called to you sooner," Lin lamented, coming into his line of sight. "But I had started to feel foolish after doing that for the entire first floor."

Kaito grimaced, noting that the layer of dust underfoot was greatly muffling the Weavile's footsteps. No wonder he hadn't heard her come inside or make it this far into the house without him noticing. As usual, she wore a blue scarf draped around her neck and trailing down towards her feet. It was downright miraculous she never tripped on it, and even odder since she was an Ice-Type and therefore shouldn't need a scarf at all.

"You going to be okay?" Lin asked finally, a trace of concern in her voice. Kaito nodded, massaging his chest, but managing to resume his normal flight abilities. "Good. Find anything in here?"

"Not yet," Kaito admitted. He glanced at her thoughtfully. "You're back sooner than expected."

Lin smirked slightly. "Iris saved us a couple hours on the return trip."

Kaito blinked. "Hours? Did you take your time coming here, then?" he asked. Unless he had spent far longer exploring the house than he thought, Lin should have arrived before he did.

The Weavile gave a shrug. "Cece needed to burn off energy, and I let Force off early as thanks to Iris. I had time to kill, so I hunted in the forest, washed up, and then came here. I know how you get about that sort of thing, but lo and behold, I took two steps into the house regretted spending the time at all."

Kaito glanced at the dusty floor, imagining how the foyer probably looked now that Lin had supposedly walked through it checking for him. "But they'll be here soon?"

"They'd better," Lin replied. She gazed around the attic uneasily. "It does have the same vibe here, doesn't it?"

"As the Coronet chamber?" Kaito wondered. As Lin nodded, he felt another burst of excitement welling up within him. "How'd that go? Did you find it?"

"This," Lin stated, holding up a small stone fragment. Kaito's expression fell. "I know it looks like nothing, but it had some sort of barrier around it that kept me from seeing it until I nearly tripped over it. And Force-"

"Lin, you up here?" Cecilia's voice called from below, startling Kaito, thankfully not as badly as the first scare he had received, and distracting Lin from her explanation. Moments later, the blazing weasel Pokemon came rushing up the steps, shedding some much needed light over the contents of the attic. "Sorry, did I scare you, Kaito?" the Quilava asked sheepishly.

"I'm fine," Kaito replied testily. "So who else is showing up, just for the sake of clarity? I don't think I can take any more surprise arrivals. Sorin's a definite no?"

"Yeah, I can't picture him riding the winds from Johto in the middle of December," Cecilia said, looking amused. "Why are we meeting here anyway? Cuz other than the whole privacy thing, this place gives me the creeps. It's even worse than that passageway."

Lin gave a slight nod in agreement, looking around anxiously. Kaito blinked at both of them. Were they really detecting something amiss that he hadn't noticed yet? Or had he chalked up all his anxious feelings thus far to being a side effect of a dark, spooky location?

"Hm, let me see that stone," Kaito said, reaching over and plucking the fragment from Lin's paw. She cast a frown in his direction, but made no protest. The Togetic peered closer at the stone, leaning closer to Cecilia's flames to better see the engravings upon its surface.

"What is all this stuff anyway?" Cecilia wondered, abruptly wandering away to inspect the nearest set of boxes. Both Lin and Kaito looked over at the Quilava incredulously, Kaito's expression leaning further towards annoyance. As if aware of their eyes, Cecilia looked back at them. "What?"

"Never mind," the Togetic muttered, closing his eyes briefly. With a little focus, his body once again began to emit its own lighting, and he turned his attention back to the odd stone.

"Ooh, what's this?" Cecilia asked excitedly from the corner of the room. No one responded, not even to glance in her direction. "Ahem. HEY GUYS! I found something weird! Maybe you should come look at it!"

"In a moment," Kaito said distractedly. He narrowed his eyes at the bottommost runes on the stone. There was something unspeakably ominous about those markings, but it seemed incomplete, like part of it had been broken off, but something about it drew him to the fragment.

"Kaito...seriously...look at this," Lin said quietly, having joined Cecilia at the end of the room. Kaito stifled his annoyance and floated over to where they were standing. Actually, they had sort of backed away from whatever they had been looking at, and Lin was looking like she had discovered a nest of Ariados.

Sitting before them, half-concealed beneath a thick waterproof cloth, was a stone statue. Even in the relatively non-existant lighting provided by Cecilia's distant flames, it matched the color and texture of the stone he now held in his paw. A strange fissure had formed near the top of the statue, and a number of runes were crudely carved along the circular base, leading to a chunk that was outright missing, the shape of the missing portion perfectly matching the stone Lin had handed to him.

To make the connection even more obvious, the fragment had began to vibrate in his paw, as if it was struggling to be free, and rejoin the larger stone. Kaito's paw began to shake, whether of its own volition or that of the quivering fragment, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that something would happen when the two stones were made one again.

"What is it?" Lin asked, sounding even more concerned than ever.

"What we've been seeking," Kaito whispered, barely able to contain his excitement. "The broken pieces of the Keystone. The stone that keeps the seal intact."

"Okay, I know this is supposed to be dramatic and triumphant and all that, but you're really jittery right now and it's distracting," Lin remarked.

Kaito blinked down at himself, then scowled. Without a word, he rotated the stone base around and pressed the fragment into the missing section. It took several attempts to keep himself steady, but the piece clicked into place eventually.

And nothing happened.

Kaito stared at the Keystone expectantly. Seconds ticked by, each feeling like an eternity. Everyone was silent, and even Cecilia's flames seemed to burn in absolute silence.

"What'd I miss?" Force's voice wondered, as he and Iris made their way into the attic space. No one answered, as no one seemed sure what to say to this question. "Am I the only one who feels sick right now?"

"Usually the female says that line," Cecilia chirped.

At that moment, the Keystone's runes lit up, the intensity of the light cutting through the murky blackness of the attic. Kaito yelped in shock and backed away from the stone, just in time, as purple flames erupted from the fissure at the top, incinerating the tarp that had been covering it, until all that remained of it was bits of ash. The flames expanded outwards, becoming a circular shape, like the face of a clock, supported by the Keystone base. Within the purple flames, several small spheres of green and yellow light formed, spiraling around the perimeter of the fire, revolving faster and faster until they blurred.

In the center of the revolving flames, a jagged green grin formed, and just above it, a pair of eyes, green like the mouth. In the center of each eye, an eerie spiral appeared, like the pupil of the phantasmal eyes. Each spiral glowed yellow, and Iris gasped audibly, staggering backwards, her innocent eyes wide with terror and her body trembling. Force immediately held her close to him, his eyes narrowed at the phantom before them.

The ghost's yellow eyes flitted around the room, the purple flames settling down into a gaseous fog, and the spheres of light spiraling slowly, so they could be distinguished as spheres of light rather than a solid ring.

The Spiritomb finally focused its eyes upon Kaito, who felt a coldness seep into his body beneath its gaze. The ghost's attention moved next to Lin, then to Cecilia, and lastly to the couple furthest away from it.

"Such an interesting collection here. Not at all what I'd have expected to awaken to," the Spiritomb whispered. The words were spoken with cool amusement, brimming with maliciousness, but not threatening.

"I'm not sure this was a good idea," Lin said quietly.

"Oh?" the Spiritomb chuckled, its gaze falling upon Lin again. She gazed back at it defiantly. "You unsealed me purposefully?"

"Yes," Kaito replied, drawing the ghost's attention. "If you are the one the stories speak of, we have need of your power."

"Forgive me, but I'm a bit...out of the loop, shall we say?" the Spiritomb mused. "Time is meaningless in the Void. It will take me time to adjust to this world again. What do the stories say?"

The Togetic paused before answering. "Your power is to expose and purge the darkness of a person's heart, created to cleanse the world of evil."

"Is that all?" the Spiritomb asked with a chuckle, the sound causing Kaito to feel cold again, and Cecilia inched closer to Lin, a low growl escaping the Quilava's throat.

Kaito frowned. "There's more, but how about you fill us in on those details? You have a name, right?"

The Spiritomb seemed momentarily taken aback, but then smiled, the ends of its jagged mouth curving. "I am Diablos. If that's all you need to be convinced of my identity, then let's press on. I'm afraid in my current state, my power will only be of so much use."

"Your current state?" Kaito repeated.

"I am currently unable to even move my Keystone," Diablos whispered. "It would be slow work to identify those with potent inner darkness in such a state. They would have to come here. What Pokemon live closest to this location?"

There was a long pause. Kaito just shook his head. He hadn't paid the local Pokemon even the slightest bit of attention when he had come to the mansion, and even if he had, the rumors of the mansion being haunted were so widespread that none of the local Pokemon would even consider coming by.

"Well, there's that Eevee family past the forest," Cecilia mused. All eyes turned to her, but then she furrowed her brow. "Wait, they're relocating for the winter. Got to shelter the new kit and all."

"New kit?" Lin repeated, looking at Cecilia oddly.

"Yeah!" Cecilia chirped enthusiastically. "Cute little guy. He hatched near the end of October."

"Why do you know this much?" Force asked, in a tone that suggested he probably knew the answer already, but was praying that he was wrong.

"I did some kitsitting for a week in September," Cecilia said indignantly. "Rio's heat was late, and Shadow was always hanging around them, so-"

Lin snapped her claws loudly. "Don't get started now. Just don't."

"They named one of their kits Shadow?" Diablos murmured. His yellow eyes gleamed. "Interesting. But no matter...with winter serving as an obstacle, our progress will be limited until afterwards. But...there is another option..."

The Spiritomb's eyes fell upon Force, who tensed.

"You there...Riolu have aura abilities, don't they?"

"Yeah, why?" Force growled.

"Good. That will do. Approach me if you would. Don't be afraid, I cannot harm you."

Slowly, Force set Iris into a sitting position and walked cautiously closer to the ghost. Iris vainly attempted to grab onto his wrist and stop him, but the Riolu was already out of her reach.

"Look at me," Diablos whispered.

"I am," Force retorted. The Spiritomb merely chuckled, and after a short pause, their eyes met.

"Open your heart and your mind. Relax, this won't hurt you. I need just a glimpse...yes, very good. Show me your dreams."

By this point, everyone else in the room had tensed, unsure exactly whether to allow this interaction or not. Iris had bitten her lip, but she wasn't reacting any worse than that, so no one made any move.

"Show me the desires..." Diablos murmured. "Your hopes...your wishes...yes, that will do."

The Spiritomb's eyes blinked and Force flinched, as if snapping out of a trance.

"I will need to make use of your aura abilities, Force," Diablos murmured. "But right now, they're not strong enough. Therefore..." the Spiritomb paused and one of the green and yellow spheres of light emerged from the mist of its main body. "I will grant you a fragment of my power. If you accept it, you aura abilities will be amplified, and I will be able to use them. I trust this is an acceptable arrangement?"

No one spoke. They didn't have to exchange looks to know, but it was clear that they all were thinking the same question in their minds.

Was this an acceptable arrangement? Was any of this acceptable? Or had they lost control of the situation already?


	3. Arc 1: Emerging Shadows

**Arc 1 - Emerging Shadows**

Of all the ways to wake up on a fine spring morning, a gentle nibble or licking at your ear by a loved one is probably one of the better ways to go about it.

Unfortunately, if your loved one is a younger brother who has no understanding of gentle, nor of 'nibble', it's bound to be a hell of a lot more painful.

This is how Shadow found himself with a searing pain in his left ear and a perpetual scowl on his face that morning. To add insult to injury, his younger brother was as happy as a well-rested kit could be, whereas Shadow had sported shadows under his eyes for the past several nights. Sleep did not come easily to him, and when he did finally succumb to unconsciousness, the rest was short-lived, either by his brother remembering he became hungry at random times when the moon was out, or by the dreams that tormented him every so often.

The Eevee scratched another line into the tree bark, diagonally intersecting the four he had made the previous mornings. This was Day Five. The milestone filled him with a heavy heart. Until now, he had stubbornly refused to abandon hope that their parents would catch up to them. He had made countless excuses in his mind, that maybe one of them had injured their legs and were making slower progress. Each night before going to sleep, he had stared at the horizon, hoping to see the silhouettes of a Jolteon and a Vaporeon coming over the hill towards them. Each night had been restless, plagued with fears and worry. Each morning had arrived with nothing resolved or changed, except for the intensifying fear nesting in the pit of his stomach. Still he had not given up hope, and had done everything he could to distract his brother from wondering the same things he was wondering about the delay of their parents' arrival.

"Shade-oh!"

The Eevee flinched, breaking free of his troubled thoughts and refocusing on his brother, who was staring at him expectantly. The mispronunciation of his name was deliberate, too, just to get a reaction out of him. Even without their parents refereeing their arguments, the little twerp still knew how to push his buttons.

"What, Leaf?"

"I'm hungry!" both Eevee said in unison, Shadow adopting an exaggerated whine to his words. Oblivious to the mocking, his brother's tail wagged, his innocent eyes widening cutely. It was the same look the rascally little Eevee would use to sway their mother to his side of the arguments, often accompanied by an innocent cuddling against her yellow fur. Even at such a young age, Leaf had mastered how to manipulate the parents.

Shadow shivered involuntarily, his eyes beginning to sting. Taking over as Leaf's caretaker had been rough enough the past five days. Why hadn't the parents arrived here yet? This was their emergency meeting spot. They had gone over this routine twice a year, even before Leaf was born. They had told him to take Leaf here! They had told him to keep him safe, and that they'd follow soon, but yet...

"Shade-oh?" Leaf whined again, his brown eyes looking up at Shadow pleadingly. "Food?"

"I know," Shadow said, turning his face away so that he could wipe his stinging eyes without Leaf noticing. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. Even if it was the time to worry about it, Leaf wouldn't be satisfied until he had eaten, so there would be constant interruptions to his thoughts. He needed to stay strong right now for his brother's sake. Until they could figure out what to do. And if the worst really had happened...no, he couldn't let himself think things like that. It was stressful enough to be hiding his own uncertainty. Leaf wouldn't be able to understand. He was still too young.

Shadow gazed around the area carefully. The spring was still young, so it had been challenging to collect a supply of fruit or even nuts from the budding bushes, and the next best place to hunt for food would be the forest itself. However, his parents had warned him that the forest was a dangerous location, and only to be used as a last resort, just like this emergency meeting spot. It was the home to many different species of Bug and Poison Pokemon, and they were known to be fiercely protective of their territory. They had gotten by here for the past five days, but this spot would never be able to serve as a long-term living area.

The older Eevee circled around one of the trees, hoping to catch sight of a few stray fruits that other wild Pokemon had missed or dropped. Even some of the tree nuts would do in a pinch. Yet all he could find were twigs and grass. Up ahead, however, he could hear the cooing of a small bird Pokemon that was probably seeking its own meal. Shadow smiled to himself, bringing his body lower to the ground and moving forward cautiously, until he could see the shape of his intended prey just up ahead. It didn't take long for him to realize that Leaf was following close behind him, watching everything he did. That could pose a problem as well. If Shadow had to resort to hunting or fishing, Leaf's persistent presence would interfere. He had already startled one of the Starly that Shadow had gone after the previous night.

"Leaf, you're going to have to stay there for a second, okay?" Shadow said, frowning a little at his younger brother.

"What? Why?" Leaf asked, his eyes widening apprehensively. "Don't leave me alone, Shadow!"

"I'm not, I just need to go over there and-"

"Please don't leave me alone! I'll be good!" Leaf whimpered. Oh, this was not going well at all. The young Eevee was becoming visibly agitated and louder, the noise alone forcing Shadow to abandon any hopes of hunting in the area. Unless they stumbled upon some fruits or edible plants, the forest was the only hope for getting food this morning. Shadow would have cursed his luck if he wasn't dead set on not teaching Leaf those particular words. His dad had given him a painful swat with his tail once for being too free with his words when a fishing attempt failed, and that memory was more than enough to dissuade him from cursing aloud.

"Fine," Shadow conceded. "Come with me, but stay close and keep quiet."

"Okay," Leaf sniffled, cuddling against his older brother. Shadow rolled his eyes, but stroked a paw along the younger Eevee's back, wondering how long it would be before the younger Pokemon remembered being hungry.

Five minutes later, they set off towards the entrance of the forest, taking care to keep off the worn dirt path leading between the trees. Shadow had heard more than enough cautionary tales about traveling Pokemon trainers, and just as many stories saying that Eevee were considered absurdly valuable to those trainers, but somehow they almost never stumbled upon the many clans dedicated almost exclusively to the Eevee line, of which there were at least three within Sinnoh alone. Shadow had no idea WHERE the clans would have been located, but his mother evidently had been born in one, so he had to take her word on that.

It seemed that the moment the Eevee brothers stepped within the trees, time had ceased to have a meaning. The leaves overhead were so thick that the sun seemed to have been blotted out, and only scarce rays of light shining overhead every so often gave any indication that it was daytime.

The sudden darkness made Shadow feel a little uneasy, and if the way Leaf was practically treading on his tail was any indication, the younger Eevee felt the exact same way. Every so often, Shadow caught a glimpse of an insect Pokemon flitting through the thicker grass, or the crack of a twig beneath a larger Pokemon's feet, but he never saw the Pokemon that made the sound, nor could he get a good look at the Bug-Types.

Once or twice, he had to urge Leaf off the path so that they wouldn't be seen by something up ahead, and at least one of those times, he even saw a human passing through. He completely changed direction after that close encounter.

Eventually, the two of them came across a half-empty bush of berries, and without taking time to consider what type they were, or even what flavor, Shadow plucked several of them and pushed them towards Leaf. The young Eevee happily pounced upon the fruits, devouring them with surprising speed, as Shadow watched the bits of fruit fly in all directions with a hint of disgust on his face. When Leaf had eaten his fill, Shadow took a couple of the berries for himself, taking the time to eat neatly if only to set a better example for the little one, but his efforts went unnoticed, as Leaf was too busy staring at something just out of sight behind a cluster of trees.

"What are you even looking at?" Shadow finally demanded, walking around to get a better viewing angle. He ended up coming face-to-face with a yellow cocoon shell with small black eyes and a single downward-pointed stinger of some sort in front of its chest. Other than the stinger, it had no other limbs to speak of.

"What is it?" Leaf wondered curiously.

"It's a Kakuna, I think," Shadow said slowly. He really had no idea if it was a Kakuna, but Leaf didn't have to know that.

"Can I play with it?"

"No," Shadow said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Just leave it alone, Leaf."

"Can I ask it if it wants to play?" the little Eevee insisted, moving closer to the yellow cocoon. "Hi Kakuna!"

Shadow groaned. This was going to badly, he just knew it. "Leaf, I swear to...look, we need to go now. It doesn't want to play."

"You didn't even ask it!" Leaf protested indignantly.

"I'm going to leave without you," the older Eevee attempted, unable to keep the desperation from his voice. He even started to take half-hearted steps away from his brother, but of all the times the clingy little guy chose not to go into a distance-induced panic attack, it was the time that actually mattered.

"My name's Leaf," the Eevee chirped to its new 'friend', his tail wagging happily. Throwing caution to the wind, Shadow rushed over and clamped his teeth on his brother's tail, attempting to drag him away from the cocoon. He probably should have realized how many ways that particular method could go south. His brother shrieked in pain, raising a din loud enough to raise the dead. And then he immediately burst into tears, his legs lashing out and striking Shadow in the face hard enough to disconnect him from his tail.

"Ugh..." Shadow groaned, pressing a paw to his nose and sniffing, relieved to see no blood on his paw when he withdrew it. Leaf had curled into a ball now, crying loud enough to give the older Eevee a headache, and probably attracting every living creature in the area to the scene.

And that's when he heard the buzzing. The angry buzzing that filled his heart with dread. The buzzing of the very large yellow and black-striped hornet that hovered menacingly beside the immobile cocoon Leaf was sobbing in front of.

The buzzing of an adult Beedrill that did not like having a pair of Eevee harassing one of its Kakuna kin.

Shadow broke his no-swearing rule on the spot. It summed up their situation nicely.


	4. Impossible Challenge

Shadow eyed the Beedrill apprehensively. It had four notable legs, the two front ones replaced with deadly sharp stingers, and another stinger was located at the base of its abdomen. Its semi-transparent and veined wings vibrated with the ominous buzzing that many young Pokemon were taught to fear above all other things. The hornet's red eyes glared at the two Eevee, but Leaf was still oblivious to the danger.

Shadow shuddered, keeping half his attention on his brother. While Shadow himself had only basic battle training, Leaf had none at all. Their parents had started to talk about giving him some practice with some early survival and defense tactics when the weather warmed up more, but they hadn't gotten the chance to follow up on that conversation.

If either of the Eevee were going to be attacked, Shadow knew he was the only one that could fight back. And if those stingers pierced even half as well as they looked like they would, Leaf probably wouldn't survive the attack at all. He was too young, and too small.

The Beedrill's buzzing rose in volume, beginning to sound like there was an entire swarm of the things and not just one. Shadow wanted to retreat in haste, in the hopes that the Beedrill was giving a very threatening warning and wouldn't attack if he backed off, but he didn't dare leave Leaf where he was. The Beedrill could turn its stingers upon the younger Eevee next, and Shadow couldn't allow that. He had to keep the Beedrill focused on him instead; it was the only way to keep Leaf safe.

Fear gripped the Eevee's heart and his throat tightened. His mouth felt dry, like he hadn't had water for weeks, and when he tried to get Leaf's attention, only a weak rasp came out, lost amid the din of the hornet's vibrating wings. What he was about to do was nothing short of suicidal, but he had no other options.

Shadow shifted his stance, lowering his body closer to the ground, his eyes locking with the Beedrill's own, and he growled the best he could, showing the hornet his sharper teeth. It was purely bravado, but it got the intended result. The Beedrill lunged in his direction and swiped its foreleg at Shadow. It was so fast that Shadow saw nothing more than a yellow and black blur moving towards him, but he had known it was coming, so he had already thrown himself sideways. His paws scrambled to find a solid grip on the grass so that he could pivot, but the grass was still damp with dew, and he lost a second in turning.

The Beedrill buzzed angrily and lunged again, this time coming around towards Shadow's side. The Eevee pounced forward into the charge, getting under the Beedrill's leg and plowing headfirst into the insect's abdomen. The hornet was knocked backwards by the collison, but recovered quickly. Too quickly. Shadow barely had time to get his bearings after landing before the hornet had struck again, its stinger grazing his shoulder as it passed.

Shadow cried out in surprise and pain, staring at his injury in bewilderment. The wound was shallow, but it burned like fire within his skin. To think it hurt this badly from a glancing blow...there was no telling if a direct hit would kill him immediately or just make him wish for death as his body succumbed to agonizing pain.

Perhaps hearing his brother's cry, Leaf sat up, looking around in alarm. Shadow saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to yell a warning, or maybe even an order to get away from the scene. Before he could even finish forming the words, the Beedrill slammed its body into his side, and he went sprawling across the grass, the wind knocked out of him. Leaf whimpered and ran nearer to his older brother, but that would put him directly into the danger zone.

"Get away, Leaf!" Shadow shouted, and rolled back to his feet, his eyes searching the sky frantically for any sign of the hornet.

The angry buzzing seemed to echo among the closely knit trees, making it impossible to determine where the source was, or even what direction it was coming from. Panic was starting to overtake Shadow's mind, creating a haze of emotion that blocked out any thought of strategy. Everywhere he turned offered nothing but a blur of color and confusion, and the only thing that remained undistorted to his vision was the young Eevee huddling nearby.

"Leaf, you need to go! Leave the forest, I'll catch-"

A blur of yellow. Shadow screamed in agitation and fear, throwing himself onto his stomach, pulling his tail closer to his body. He felt the Beedrill's stinger graze his lower back, and the burning pain erupted from the thin line the hornet's weapons carved into his fur.

Blackness surrounded Shadow's vision, and the sounds of the forest faded away to a muffled buzzing sound in his brain. The pain remained with him, but instead of burning within his shoulder and back, he felt the burning within his chest and throat. He gasped desperately, his lungs pleading for air, but each time he inhaled, the pain in his chest escalated, and it felt like his heart was being crushed from within.

Yellow blur...

Those eyes...

 _"Take Leaf and go! Keep him safe! We'll catch up!"_

His eyes searched the blackness desperately, looking for Leaf. He had to protect Leaf! He had to keep him safe no matter what...

The buzzing grew louder, the sound approaching like a distant storm. Quiet rumbling that penetrated Shadow's brain, dispelling the blackness that had settled over his vision. He had his face planted in the green grass, but managed to force his head up. His brother was in front of him, tears running down his cheeks, his entire body shaking with fear and anxiety. From the corner of his eye, Shadow could see the yellow hornet approaching, but it moved so slowly, like the entire world had slowed to a halt. Its stingers were pointed towards the younger Eevee in front of him.

 _Keep him safe._

Shadow's body ached, and every muscle voiced its protest, but the Eevee paid that no notice. He had one thing he had to do, and his will paid no heed to his body's opinion. Shadow put every bit of his energy into his legs, and propelled himself forward, pushing Leaf backwards, away from the incoming Beedrill's flight path. His eyes flicked to the side, watching the glint of silver approaching, so slowly, but sure to intercept him.

"I'm sorry...this is all I can do..." Shadow whimpered. His eyes burned with stinging tears and he closed them, bracing himself for the impact, and the pain that would follow. He hoped it would be quick, and that spilling his blood would satisfy the Beedrill into sparing his brother.

The strike never came. Long seconds dragged by, but still nothing happened. The buzzing in the air was louder, and he could feel the wind of vibrating wings directly beside him, where death had been scheduled to arrive moments earlier.

"Shadow! Wake up!" Leaf's voice pleaded, but it was so distant-sounding, like a voice from a dream. Tiny teeth dug into his ear and tugged, and the older Eevee whined in protest and pain. Another tug on his ear and Shadow opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry, but he could see the brown shape of his brother on one side. There was still the buzzing of Beedrill wings directly to his other side, and he craned his head up to look at the source, unsure why it was there, and why he didn't have a poisonous stinger imbedded in his side.

It may have been his imagination, produced by pain and tear-streaked vision, but the Beedrill seemed smaller than before, and was gazing down at him with something that he could have sworn was concern. He didn't know how to read insect facial expressions.

Something landed on the grass in front of Shadow's muzzle, drawing his attention to it instead of the Beedrill. A familiar sweet scent greeted him, and he recognized the pinkish color as one of the berries he and Leaf had eaten before. Shadow stared at it with slightly crossed eyes for a moment, then leaned forward and nibbled the fruit. The sweet juices soothed his dry throat, and within seconds, his vision began to clear up, bringing the world into sharper focus.

"Thanks Bee-Bee!" Leaf chirped happily. The Beedrill buzzed its wings and then its presence vanished, leaving the forest feeling eerily silent, and Shadow infinitely confused. "You okay, Shade-oh?"

"I don't know," the older Eevee replied, wincing a little as he sat up. "What...what happened?"

"Come look!" Leaf said excitedly, dashing over to the spot where they had seen the Kakuna that had started the whole mess. Utterly confused, Shadow followed, taking care not to agitate his injuries. When he caught up to the excited Eevee, he found him standing beside the Kakuna, but the cocoon had been ripped open, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell, the casing of what had held the Pokemon inside.

Shadow just looked at the cocoon's remains blankly. Leaf was smiling brightly at him, as if he fully expected the shell to be a clear explanation.

"What am I looking at?" Shadow blurted out finally.

"Bee-Bee's shell!"

"Who's Bee-" Shadow began, but then it clicked. The Beedrill that had been next to him when death passed over him, the Beedrill that had dropped a curing berry in front of him. That Beedrill had been the Kakuna that Leaf had insisted on trying to play with. It had matured from the cocoon phase in time to call off the aggressive Beedrill that would have skewered him.

Leaf was smiling happily, and his tail wagged as he watched Shadow's face. The older Eevee was stunned, completely shocked into silence. Shock slowly melted away and glorious relief swept over him instead. He wrapped his forepaws around his younger brother and hugged him close, unable to keep the flood of tears back any longer.

* * *

They did not linger in the forest after that. Shadow was still wary of the other creatures in the forest that may have overheard the fight with the Beedrill, and he was in no state to try to fight anything else right now.

Of course, that'd imply he was ever in a state to fight. His stomach churned at the thought. There had been just one hostile Pokemon facing him, and he never had a chance to beat it. He had gotten crushed utterly, and had given in easily to panic and fear. Luck, and only luck, had enabled him to survive at all, and whatever basic training he had was nowhere near enough to take care of himself, or protect Leaf.

Leaf was sadly no better off. He didn't know the first thing about battling, so he would be dead weight in a real fight. The combination was not encouraging. Back home, they had relied on their parents for protection, and had never had any real problems. Their parents had been capable battlers, maybe not amazing, but Shadow didn't really have a standard to compare them to.

So what were they to do? If something had happened...and their parents weren't going to show up here, then the burden was entirely on Shadow. He would need to practice. He would need to improve his own fighting capabilities, and teach Leaf how to hold his own as well.

Why hadn't the parents come? Part of Shadow wanted to head back home, and see with his own eyes what had transpired. But even just entertaining the thought made his blood run cold. There was the chance he'd find nothing at all, and be even more lost and confused. And he also knew there was the chance he'd find the answer in a form he did not want to envision, much less expose Leaf to such a sight.

No...he'd have to either wait here, and cling to the final rays of hope that the parents had simply been delayed...or he could assume the worst and face the great unknown of the real world. He didn't know which prospect was more terrifying.

"Shadow?" Leaf said quietly, startling the Eevee from his thoughts.

"Yeah, Leaf?" Shadow asked, pausing to look back at his brother, who had stopped walking.

"I'm sorry I caused you trouble," the Eevee mumbled, and sniffled. Shadow blinked, noticing the dampness around the younger Eevee's eyes.

Shadow hesitated, unsure how to respond at first. While Leaf had caused a big issue today, the sheer sincerity of the young kit's guilt was off-putting. He was looking so miserable right now that Shadow feared the slightest breeze would cause him to burst into inconsolable tears.

Shadow sat down and beckoned Leaf close. Once Leaf had sat down beside his brother, Shadow placed his tail around him comfortingly, and silently stroked his back. "It's okay, Leaf," he said, feeling a little awkward to be using the same method his dad had used a few times when he himself was a kit. They would sit down together and look over the river beside their clearing, and just watch the sun dip below the horizon. Or rise, depending on the time of day.

Leaf was quiet for a long time, which Shadow took as a sign that the comfort was working. He took a deep breath, and gazed up at the sky. Their trip to the forest had consumed almost the entire day, although finding their way through the maze of trees and plants may have contributed to the time, and at least Shadow had the foresight to have Leaf eat a few more of the berries before they left.

They couldn't stay out here, though. The area was ill-suited to feeding them for long, and the forest was too dangerous and hostile to risk frequent trips. They would need to travel again, but that could end up being just as dangerous as the forest, if not worse. No, they would need to stay a little longer, maybe get some form of battle practice in before venturing out further.

"You're not mad?" Leaf asked finally. He looked up into Shadow's eyes, his brown eyes shimmering with tears, but his body much more relaxed.

"No, I'm not mad. Not at you," Shadow said seriously.

"Who are you mad at?" Leaf wondered. Shadow bit his lip, unsure how to respond to that at first. He stared at the horizon for a few moments, the sky in the distance a brilliant orange as the sun descended further, like a giant laying down to sleep.

"I'm mad at myself," he answered after a pause, looking back at Leaf. "I'm not a very good brother. I'm trying too hard to be a parent." He winced internally, hoping that Leaf wouldn't be reminded to ask about the parents' whereabouts. The young Eevee had obsessed over the parents' absence for the first two days of their time away, and only just recently had dropped the subject.

"You're a good brother," Leaf protested. Shadow managed a weak smile, even as the Eevee nuzzled him.

"A good brother can keep you safe," Shadow said quietly. "I need to be able to look out for you, but not control you. I'm not good enough to do that yet."

"You look out for me lots!" Leaf argued firmly.

"I'm not strong enough to-"

"You don't need to be!" Leaf insisted, his eyes firm and serious. "I can help! I can become tough too, and help you take care of me!"

Shadow couldn't resist a smile at that. It was just too cute for words, and for whatever reason, it did make him feel better to hear it.

"Okay, I'll take you up on that," Shadow said with a playful grin. "But don't go trying to grow up too fast, all right?"

"Fine, but then you need to let me help take care of you sometimes!" Leaf giggled, his tail wagging. It didn't make much sense, but Shadow didn't care. It was better to see Leaf happy and energetic than sad or nervous.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see, Leaf," Shadow said, rubbing his brother's head playfully. The younger Eevee giggled again and swatted at the offending paw, only for Shadow to move it out of reach and come back to scratch gently at his ears, at the spot he had learned was a major ticklish point. Leaf giggled hysterically, at first trying to bat the paw away, but eventually reduced to rolling on the grass playfully, just enjoying the attention.

Their game went on for another minute or two, only to stop as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. Leaf cuddled close to his brother, a little breathless yet from their playing.

"I love you, Shadow," the little Eevee murmured. The words made Shadow feel warmer than a day of sunbathing during the summer, a warmth that flowed through his entire body and made his throat tighten, but in a good way. It was the same feeling he had felt long ago, when the young Eevee had broken free of his egg, and had been introduced to the family for the first time.

"Love you too, Leaf," Shadow said quietly. Leaf giggled, but then stopped abruptly, as did Shadow, as an odd white light struck his eyes, forcing him to squint against the blinding glare.

"You're glowing," Leaf remarked. Shadow raised a paw to his face for inspection, only for the white glare to intensify, as if the light was emanating from his paws themselves. The warmth of his body continued to spread and envelop him from the inside out, and Leaf made a sound of excited admiration before the bright light disappeared, leaving Shadow feeling a bit disoriented.

"What was-" Shadow paused abruptly. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded...different. Slightly deeper, but not ridiculously so. A subtle pitch difference, but noticeable all the same. Leaf was staring at him with his mouth hanging open slightly, and Shadow was tempted to tell him to close his mouth, but when he playfully stepped nearer with the intent of touching his paw to Leaf's chin, he stumbled and fell over. His legs hadn't responded correctly for some reason. But when he looked down to see if they had gotten entangled in something, he could only stare.

Black fur now covered his legs, and from a cursory inspection, the same fur color covered his entire body. It was becoming clearer to him now: the body warmth, the brilliant white light...that could only have meant one thing.

Wait, why did he have a forked tail?

Shadow blinked oddly at the appendage. Sure enough, he had a longer, skinnier tail instead of the bushy Eevee tail, but it ended in a fork, like an Espeon's. But it was nighttime, wasn't it? Shouldn't he be an Umbreon?

Closer inspection at his legs also revealed the absence of the Dark-Type's trademark rings. Yet...the black fur.

Oh, this was giving him a massive headache. As he touched his forehead gingerly with one paw, he felt an odd sensation on two levels. His paw felt the hard surface of some sort of smooth stone embedded in his forehead, and his brain reacted unfavorably to the touch. It felt like something had struck his brain directly for a split second, and his headache exploded in intensity.

"A-are you okay, Shadow?" Leaf asked nervously.

Shadow looked up, tears of pain forming in his eyes, and his gaze met Leaf's. Then the world spun and blackness consumed his vision.


	5. Mental Boundary

The blackness around Shadow soon brightened, unveiling a sprawling meadow, with lush green grass spreading out infinitely in every direction. He blinked, utterly perplexed by the shift in scenery. He didn't know where exactly he was, but could tell immediately that it was not where he had been moments ago, and there was no sign of Leaf.

Shadow's first assumption was that he was within a dream, but if that was the case, his mind had adapted to evolving alarmingly quickly, because when he glanced down at his body again, he could see that he still had black fur, and a quick flick of his tail confirmed it was thin and forked, like an Espeon's tail. No, not 'like' an Espeon's tail; he was an Espeon, so it was an Espeon's tail. He just had black fur for some reason.

The much more pressing concern was figuring out where he was now, and maybe even how he had gotten here, so that he could find his way back.

As he took a few cautious steps forward, he discovered that his body felt weightless, unhindered by the awkwardness of his new body, yet not so weightless that he was actually floating. It was the strangest feeling, and one he couldn't really describe to himself even if he tried.

Adding to the strangeness of his location was the realization in the back of his mind that there was no weather to speak of. His awareness of such a mundane detail confused him, as if a part of his mind was constantly analyzing the weather and was conscious of the fact there simply WASN'T weather. No wind currents, no precipitation, and the light illuminating the area was not produced by a visible sun. It was as eerie as it was fascinating.

Perplexed by the bizarre environment, Shadow continued to walk forward, constantly looking around and surveying the landscape. The grass seemed to extend on forever, but there were details dotted about that at least reassured him that he wasn't in one of those nightmares where absolutely no progress could be made, no matter how much one ran. By squinting ahead, he could make out what looked like a tranquil lake, surrounded by mist and flowers. Some other shapes were moving around ahead, so Shadow quickened his pace.

As the newly-evolved Espeon drew nearer to the lake shore, he could begin to make out the shapes as being other Eevee. There were three of them in total, all looking to be roughly about Leaf's age. As he came nearer, it became easier to identify two of them as being male, and the third as a female, and at this distance, they definitely seemed to be about Leaf's age, if a day.

More telling was that one of the males was split off from the other two, observing them in passive silence. None of them had seemed to notice Shadow's presence yet, even though black fur should definitely stand out in such an open and lush environment.

However, as he came within earshot of the two sitting together, they broke off their conversation abruptly, the female Eevee shrinking back and looking in Shadow's direction with a mixture of confusion and fear. The male Eevee seemed slightly amused by the reaction and turned to face Shadow with far more confidence. Actually, it was something other than confidence, a demeanor that the Espeon couldn't immediately put his paw on.

"Now -that's- a nice look," the Eevee remarked, looking Shadow up and down. Shadow blinked at the Eevee as it came nearer and walked in a slow circle around him, examining his figure. There was an odd glint in the Eevee's eye, a shrewd and calculating look that surpassed curiosity and interest. Something about it was unnerving, but at least it wasn't threatening.

"How did you even get in here?" the female Eevee asked nervously.

"He's an Espeon, Nettles," the male counterpart replied, completing his circle and smirking. "Freshly evolved, so I bet that psychic power's unstable. But hey, I don't want him waltzing in here whenever he wants, either."

"I don't even know where 'here' is," Shadow replied, glancing between the two Eevee, and sparing the third one a glance. "Or who you three are."

"Oh...I'm Nettles," the female said sheepishly. "Um...and that one over there is Briar, and this is-"

"Devine," interrupted the male, his female counterpart falling silent with an embarrassed squeak. "Of course, we know who you are, Shadow. Nettles practically worships you, being Leaf's big brother and all that."

"Devine!" Nettle whined, then looked towards Shadow pleadingly. "I'm so sorry about the forest. We didn't mean to-"

"I meant to," Devine interrupted, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "Leaf's a kit. Kits do whatever they want. Actions have consequences, and if he can't handle that, then he's not maturing properly."

"I really don't want to argue about this in front of Shadow, Devine," Nettles whispered, casting glances between the Eevee and Shadow.

"Fine, I'll kick him out. Ooh, but I've got to thank you for the inspiration, Shadow," Devine said, grinning.

"What?" Shadow wondered, becoming more and more convinced that he was having a bizarre dream with every word either Eevee spoke. His headache definitely wasn't improving, that was for sure. Devine's grin widened and his body glowed white, his shape growing larger and shifting, until the light faded to reveal a feline with lavender fur covering its body. It had large puffed ears, a thin tail that split into two prongs at the end, and a blue-grey gemstone on its forehead.

The lavender Espeon opened his eyes, which were a distinct shade of golden-brown, and looked himself over.

"Well darn, I had hoped to get the same fur color he did," Devine lamented, turning to gaze at his reflection in the lake. "Hmm, didn't even get the silver gem and eyes. But I love the look all the same."

"...you evolved yourself on a whim?" Nettles asked incredulously. "Do you even know what that could do?"

"No, I don't," Devine replied, without even a hint of concern. "But too late now, isn't it?" The new Espeon turned his gaze to Shadow, who just stared back, dumbfounded. "Yeah, it was cool seeing you in person, but...I just don't want you in here."

The Espeon's gemstone glowed brightly, so brightly that Shadow was forced to shut his eyes. An instant later, he felt his legs give out, his body feeling so much heavier than it was moments ago. The grass cushioned his fall, but the pain in his head came back full force.

"Shadow? Shadow!" Leaf's voice called, becoming increasingly more desperate with each rendition of his name.

"Ow, headache!" Shadow protested, grasping his head with his forepaws in a desperate attempt to dull the pounding in his brain. As he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the same area he had been when he evolved, his brother staring at him anxiously.

"Can you move?" Leaf wondered.

"Do I have to?" Shadow muttered. Really, he couldn't imagine any benefit to forcing himself to get up and then immediately fall over his newly evolved legs again while his brain was having a tantrum and hurling itself against his skull.

Leaf was silent for an uncomfortably long time. Just as Shadow was becoming concerned that the Eevee had wandered off or something, he felt Leaf's body snuggle up against his side, and resting his head on Shadow's leg.

"Night, Shadow!" Leaf murmured. And then he was asleep, leaving Shadow painfully aware of how loud the young Eevee's breathing was, and how uncomfortable his current laying position was now that he had an Eevee leaning against his body.

"If my leg falls asleep before I do..." Shadow muttered, but perhaps Arceus was listening, because he never finished that thought before unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

The sound of Leaf's cry jolted Shadow from sleep, his silver eyes darting about frantically. For a moment, he caught sight of a semi-transparent barrier of some sort, but at soon as he became aware of it, it faded away as if it never existed. Locating Leaf took no time at all, as the young Eevee was giving him the evil eye from around the same spot the barrier had possibly existed a mere moment ago, his fur disheveled, as if he had been rolling around in his sleep.

"What's wrong?" Shadow wondered, noting with a sigh that it just barely around dawn, marking yet another night of unsatisfying rest.

"You pushed me out!" Leaf grumbled.

Shadow gave the Eevee a blank look, waiting for him to explain what that even meant, but Leaf either didn't notice Shadow's confusion, or was too irritable to elaborate. The latter seemed more likely - Leaf was stubborn and unhelpful when he was cranky.

"Sorry?" Shadow said finally, hoping that would placate the Eevee enough for them to go back to the sleep Shadow desperately craved. He could probably doze off again himself, but Leaf was also a spiteful little guy when he was cranky, and would probably just tackle Shadow the moment he closed his eyes.

"For?" Leaf prompted. Shadow groaned internally. Their parents had been teaching Leaf how sincere apologies acknowledged the wrongdoing, and would prompt the kits to elaborate if they only said the word 'sorry'. This was a great lesson, but it wasn't doing Shadow any favors when he actually had no idea what he did to upset Leaf, and was too tired to actually care.

"Do I look like a mind-reader?" Shadow muttered under his breath. It took him a second or two for his brain to register what he had just said, but he stopped that line of thought before giving it further consideration. He had no idea how to use his psychic abilities yet, and had by now worked out that he had somehow broken into Leaf's mind immediately after evolving. Even then, the thought of forcing his way into his brother's personal thoughts made him feel mildly ill.

Sighing, Shadow sat up and stepped towards Leaf, only to immediately stumble, still unused to the longer stride his Espeon legs took, and not having the balancing worked out. Leaf flinched and backed away a little, watching Shadow's unstable steps with a bit of concern.

"Is it really hard to walk?" Leaf asked, his focus on Shadow's apology temporarily forgotten.

"Just...needs practice," Shadow responded with gritted teeth. "Help me for a second, please."

"What should I do?" Leaf wondered, biting his lip uncertainly. Shadow tried to gesture him closer with one forepaw, only to promptly topple over. Judging by the way Leaf's body was shaking, he was desperately trying not to laugh.

"Get the giggles out now," Shadow said, resigned to it. "I laughed when you first learned how to walk. Heh...the way you clung to Dad's tail after losing your balance..."

"That was fun, though," Leaf said, his eyes glazing a little at the memory, but then he blinked and looked around. "Where is Dad? And Mom?"

Shadow cringed. Now he gone ahead and reminded the little guy about the absence of their parents. He had even had the dream again last night, still as haunting as the other nights, and even more disheartening now, the sixth day since they had left home. Being awakened by Leaf's cry this morning had chilled his blood more than anything ever had, fading only when he had seen Leaf alive and well.

Shadow struggled to swallow, but it felt like there was a lump in his throat. He couldn't tell Leaf what he feared had happened, and he didn't want to have to answer questions about what he had seen. Or the Pokemon he had met and talked to. The burden of that knowledge would be too much for Leaf now.

But how long could he dance around the issue? Leaf was young, but he wasn't stupid. He'd know that Shadow was hiding something,and one way or another, he would insist that Shadow answer his questions. When push came to shove, Leaf would always win on sheer persistence.

"Shadow?" Leaf prompted nervously. "Are you cold?"

"What?" Shadow sat up again, vaguely aware that he was shivering, and his breath kept catching in his throat, as if he was holding back sobs. "Just a little, I guess. My fur's a lot shorter than before..."

He trailed off awkwardly, thinking of something he could say to change the subject for now. He didn't want to outright lie to Leaf about the situation, but he wasn't ready to confront the subject with his brother. But no matter how much his mind wandered, it always drifted back to the dreams.

The eyes. Those eerie yellow eyes that had seemed to stare into his soul. How many nights had they returned in his dreams? An ever-present nightmare, like a predator standing over its prey, delighting in the game it was playing. It could strike and kill him at any moment, but was taking its time, letting the prey think it could get away, only to take that hope away. Neither Leaf nor he could hope to fight against an enemy like that. Not if their parents, fully-evolved Eons, had lost...or worse.

Was it following them now? Was it nearby?

"Shadow?" Leaf pressed, now sounding genuinely scared, moving closer to Shadow and nuzzling him. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," the Espeon managed to choke out. "Hey, do you want to try to learn how to battle today?"

Leaf brightened a little. "Really?"

Shadow managed a chuckle, but he felt none of the playful joy he was trying to spread. "Yeah. I've got to re-learn my stuff from the ground up, so might as well give you a chance to learn, right?"

Leaf giggled teasingly. "So you're going to teach me how to trip over my feet?"


	6. Basic Training

Food had been the first priority. Although Shadow would have dearly loved to have gotten another few hours of sleep, he also knew that dozing off now was nigh-impossible, and after so many nights of restless slumber, he had gotten gradually adjusted to not being fully awake. Leaf hadn't helped that issue, but there was no point in dwelling on it.

Shadow explained the necessity of getting food to Leaf as they walked together, the Eevee serving as an effective crutch in helping the newly evolved Espeon adjust to the early differences of his new form. Shadow was pleased to find that his mind was rapidly adjusting to the difference in his strides, so before they even reached their destination, he no longer needed Leaf to support his normal walking. This was definitely not going to account for other leg-related movements, such as running or jumping, but if he could get comfortable with simple walking, then the other steps would also transition smoothly.

The real problem Shadow expected to have was that he didn't really know how he was going to go about teaching Leaf basic battle. He had brought it up because it was necessary, and he was desperate to avoid discussing the more sensitive matter of their parents. If Leaf didn't learn some form of basic survival tactics, even something as simple as how to run away from danger and hide, then Leaf would always be, through no fault of his own, a liability.

Shadow kept his eyes peeled, observing every Pokemon that he glimpsed. Many of them were relatively harmless species, like Starly and Bidoof. He did notice that even the timid species did a double take on seeing them, however, and some of their gazes lingered on him far longer than they ever did when he was still an Eevee.

Leaf was oblivious to the looks, and he smiled at all the Pokemon that looked his way, his tail wagging happily. Shadow smiled a little, in spite of himself. The little one had probably been looking forward to learning basic battling ever since the winter had ended. He had always been fascinated by the parents' playful spars during the winter days, when really there wasn't much else to do in the winter den except for talk, sleep, and occasionally spar. As tough as winter had been for the easily bored younger Eevee, Shadow had experienced two winters previously, and the parents had openly explained to him that evolved Pokemon had far more restless energy than even a kit.

Shadow winced. This time it wasn't the thoughts of his parents that produced it, but rather an odd surge within his head, at the spot he knew the Espeon gemstone was located. He at first was going to touch it with his paw as an instinctive response to a sensation, but he quickly reminded himself not to. Last time he had so much as tapped the gem, his headache had exploded with intensity, and he didn't want to unbalance himself again.

"Where are we going? To hunt something?" Leaf wondered loudly. Shadow noticed that several of the closest Pokemon abruptly found a reason not to stand around. Fortunately, that hadn't been his plan, so he was much more amused by Leaf's tactless volume than annoyed by it.

"No, I'll teach you hunting another time. I'd be no good at catching anything right now," Shadow admitted. Did Espeon even hunt? He had never really gone too in-depth with his parents about evolution options, or the pros and cons of each. His dad had done most of the hunting end of things, since he was superb at fishing and was surprisingly nimble on-land despite a Vaporeon's natural bulk. Their mother had been better at catching things like Starly, with her electricity and speed, but she usually watched over the kits to make sure they didn't get into too much mischief. She was also really good at finding berries and edible plants, but that didn't seem specifically related to her evolution as much as a personal skill.

Other than that, Shadow had only a passing understanding of each of the evolutions. Flareon for fire, Espeon for psychic abilities, Umbreon for...he wasn't even sure what Umbreon had in their favor, but did know they were supposed to be masterful hunters. Then there were Leafeon and their plant expertise, and Glaceon for ice. There was another evolution, but his parents had only heard of it existing. They were supposed to be ridiculously rare, and even clans had precious few of them.

Leaf started to shoot Shadow slightly concerned looks as the two of them approached the forest, but the Espeon simply nodded and gave his younger brother a nudge when he started to hesitate.

"Are we going back in there?" Leaf asked, when Shadow had nudged him for the third time.

"I saw some berry bushes nearer to this entrance yesterday," Shadow explained. He took one deep breath before leading the Eevee past the first trees. Like the last time they were here, the trees kept most light from passing through, making everything seem much darker than the time of day would suggest. Unlike their first visit, there weren't any rays of light passing down from above, for the sun had been just peeking over the horizon when they came in.

Leaf pressed closer to Shadow as they walked, the darkness more unnerving to him than the first time, but Shadow was surprised to find that he had no trouble whatsoever seeing despite the dim lighting. He could tell it was dark, but his eyes penetrated the darkness with ease, showing him every detail along the way. There were Pokemon nesting in the trees, as it was too early in the morning for many of them to be alert, and too late in the day for the nocturnal Pokemon to still be up and about.

Shadow nudged Leaf carefully at a branched path, directing him without words to change direction. His brother did so without a sound, and Shadow noticed that his brother was being uncharacteristically quiet and serious, in sharp contrast to his excited nature as they had walked to the forest. Was it because of the incident yesterday, or was something dwelling on his mind? Before Shadow could decide whether to ask Leaf what was up, they arrived at berry bush.

Quick inspection of the berries told Shadow that other Pokemon had taken some of its stock since the previous night, but there was more than enough to satisfy their appetite this morning.

Once they had eaten their fill, Shadow began to guide Leaf back in the direction they had come from, but sudden movement caught his eye, and he instinctively darted in front of his brother, and curled his tail around Leaf. Not exactly the most effective shield, now that his tail was so thin, but it definitely caught Leaf's attention and he squealed in surprise and alarm, turning his head frantically to see the source of Shadow's unease.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the shape moving between the trees in their direction, dimly aware of buzzing echoing throughout the tightly woven plant-life. It was neither as loud nor as threatening as the Beedrill's wings from the other day, and not even that unusual to hear with so many insect Pokemon making their home within the forest, but the shape of the Pokemon reminded him unpleasantly of the hornet Pokemon.

Leaf's squeal had drawn the insect Pokemon's attention, and it moved nearer, either oblivious or indifferent to Shadow. Then again, how easy was it to see a completely black Pokemon in this lighting? Yet as the Pokemon drew closer, the buzzing grew louder and more distinct, and Shadow tensed, his stomach sinking as he saw the familiar stingers.

"Hi Bee-Bee!" Leaf chirped, no longer anxious, but instead delighted. Shadow blinked.

"...seriously? The same one? How can you even tell?" he asked.

"She's talking to me," Leaf explained. This only confused Shadow more.

"I can't hear anything. Just the buzzing."

"Uh...yeah, she's buzzing to talk to me," Leaf said, looking at his brother oddly. "Maybe she's just talking too fast for you?"

"What's she saying?"

"Hi Leaf, nice to see you again," the Eevee replied promptly. Shadow looked at the Beedrill. Then at Leaf. Then at the Beedrill again, which by now was hovering passively in front of them, its wings buzzing in what he could only assume was a cheerful manner, since it wasn't remotely aggressive.

"I'm not getting this at all."

"Well, it probably sounds to you more like 'HiLeafisthatyourbrotheragain? IsheanUmbreonnow?" Leaf suggested, abruptly speaking so fast that it took all of Shadow's focus to decipher fragments of the individual words, and none of them lingered in his brain long enough to figure out the full sentence.

"...don't speak that fast, you're giving me a headache."

"Sorry. How are you doing, Bee-Bee?" Leaf asked. The Beedrill proceeded to gesture with its foreleg stingers, darting from side to side, producing a constant buzzing noise. Shadow strained his ears, but never heard anything that resembled spoken words. However, Leaf smiled and nodded, as if the Beedrill was making perfect sense. "Cool! Have you learned how to battle as a Beedrill yet? Shadow's going to teach me today."

Again, the Beedrill made odd gestures and buzzing sounds, causing Shadow to just give up on trying to understand the conversation. It was beyond frustrating, and the buzzing was just inconsistent enough to be almost impossible to dismiss as white noise.

"Shadow, do we need a partner?"

"What?" the Espeon asked, furrowing his brow.

"Bee-Bee wants to know if we need a partner to help us practice. She's got a brother who wants to become a Kakuna, but needs more battle practice. Ooh, can we help him? Pleeeease?"

Shadow sighed. Whenever Leaf got an idea into his head, he was impossible to talk down from it. Still...it wasn't the worst idea in the world, and if one of the forest Beedrill were willing to help them out, then maybe they could avoid a hostile situation from developing in the future.

"Okay, but a little later," he said finally. "I still need to give you the basics. You can...spar with her brother...afterwards."

Bee-Bee made another series of buzzing and gestures, and even Shadow could tell that she was delighted by his answer. Leaf brightened and turned to Shadow expectantly. The Espeon glanced around blankly.

"I don't have a clue what she's saying, Leaf," he reminded his brother seriously.

"She said that'll work out great, and if we want, she can lead us to a good sparring spot for us to practice until she brings her brother by," Leaf answered, his tail wagging. "Sound good?"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them found themselves in a grassy area deeper within the forest. It was a dead-end path from the looks of it, so it didn't get much traffic, and there wasn't really anything particularly interesting about the spot. Just a lot of grass, surrounded by trees on all sides. No berry bushes, no fruits in the trees, and no source of water. The only notable feature was a single large boulder in the center of the clearing.

Shadow could see why this was a good sparring location. Open enough for maneuvering, private enough to remain undisturbed for a good period of time, and the boulder could be used for cover or target practice. All in all, it was a much better spot than anything he would have chosen outside the forest.

Naturally, the very first thing Leaf did was climb on top of the boulder. He then promptly slipped off due to how slick the mossy surface was. The grass may have cushioned his fall, but this only encouraged him to repeat the routine several times. Climb, slip, fall. Climb, slip, fall.

It wasn't until Shadow insisted on getting started that the Eevee focused on their reason for being here. Bee-Bee had lingered for only a few minutes before leaving again, and that suited Shadow fine. Without the Beedrill's buzzing in the background, he could focus on what he needed to show and tell Leaf about basic battling.

The first thing on his agenda was to show Leaf a simple tackle. This wasn't difficult for the Eevee to grasp; He already knew how to tackle and pounce on things just from the little games they had played during the winter and early spring, and Shadow resigned himself to being Leaf's target for a few practice pounces.

"That was good. Get off now," Shadow said, as Leaf once again demonstrated his aptitude for throwing his smaller body against the Espeon with enough force to knock him over. Leaf had been quick to catch onto the fact he had more power behind his tackles with a bit of a running start, and Shadow had been similarly quick to learn that an Espeon's thinner fur made for an inferior defense against impacts. He would definitely be feeling those aches tomorrow.

"Now what?" Leaf asked eagerly, his eyes fixed upon Shadow. Never before had the little guy been so focused and attentive. It was almost unnerving.

"Well, so far you've been tackling me while I just stood here. Now I want you to try again, this time with me dodging. If you miss me or if I dodge, try to turn around quickly so that you can see what I'm doing at all times," Shadow said. "After missing an attack, the opponent often has a chance to counterattack, and you need to be ready to dodge in that case, which is easier if you can see it coming. For right now, I will not actually be attacking back. Not until you're better at recovering from a miss. Okay?"

"Got it!" the Eevee chirped.

At Shadow's signal, Leaf charged forward and pounced at Shadow. The Espeon's tail twitched, and he side-stepped nimbly, watching as Leaf hit the spot he had been standing at a moment before. The Eevee grunted on impact, and it was clear that he had still anticipated connecting with Shadow, which threw off his balance when he landed. When Leaf did succeed in regaining his footing, Shadow gave a slight nod of encouragement and signaled for him to try again.

Each time that Leaf attempted to pounce, Shadow moved to the side, and each time they went through the steps, Leaf visibly improved his form. One time, he even tried to adjust his pounce to hit Shadow after he moved, which actually would have worked...but Shadow picked up on the Eevee's intention at the last second and ducked his body down low, causing the Eevee to tumble across the grass instead.

Throughout the training, Shadow gradually became more aware of certain sensations within his body. Similar to the strange awareness of the weather, or lack thereof, he also was oddly aware of tiny shifts in the air currents, and so long as he didn't stop to think about it, his body would sometimes react instinctively, such as when Leaf had tried to change his pouncing tactics. It had happened so quickly that Shadow hadn't initially realized what he had done, but after three or four repetitions of the same scenario, he realized it wasn't a coincidence. The last attempt almost succeeded, and it was only Shadow spontaneously rolling his body to the left that enabled him to dodge Leaf's tackle.

"I think you've gotten the hang of it," Shadow said finally. Leaf was panting heavily, but his eyes shone with excitement and eagerness. "Take a moment to get your breath back. We'll move on to me trying to tackle you, and you need to try to dodge me."

"Okay!" Leaf said, and he flopped down on the grass, resting his head on his forepaws. Shadow chuckled a little to himself and looked around the clearing. They had brought a few berries along, in case they got hungry, but also because if Leaf was going to practice against a Weedle, Shadow wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any problems involving the venomous stinger even the younger poison bugs wielded.

Once Leaf had sufficiently recovered, they began again. This time, Shadow took the offensive. Fortunately, the earlier practice with dodging had given him more confidence in using his evolved legs, but he still took it slow. Leaf dodged the first few tackles easily, so Shadow gradually picked up speed, and even started to adjust his direction to keep Leaf on his toes. Leaf eventually messed up his timing, and the Espeon knocked the smaller Eevee over, but hopped off quickly, smiling at him.

"You're doing really good. I didn't think you'd catch on so quickly," Shadow said, rubbing Leaf's ears fondly.

"Thanks!" Leaf chirped, again taking a few moments to get his breath back. Just as Shadow was about to suggest another round, the sound of buzzing drew their attention to Bee-Bee's return. Clinging to the Beedrill's abdomen with a dozen or so suction-like legs was a limb-less brown worm Pokemon with a prominent nose, a stinger on its forehead and a smaller one at the end of its tail.

"Hello again," Shadow said. The Weedle dropped to the ground and looked at the two of them curiously. Bee-Bee made a gesture with her stingers, her wings vibrating loudly.

"Yup, we're ready!" Leaf replied, glancing at Shadow for confirmation. Feeling the start of his headache returning, Shadow simply nodded and moved to the far side of the clearing, giving Leaf and the Weedle more space.

"Be careful of the stinger, Leaf. Don't tackle that," Shadow warned.

"But it's shiny!" Leaf complained. Shadow genuinely couldn't tell if Leaf was being sarcastic or not. To the Espeon's relief, Bee-Bee moved to the opposite side of the clearing, so he didn't have to endure the buzzing of her wings so close to his sensitive ears.

The two Pokemon watched each other in silence for a few seconds. Leaf crouched his body down low, his tail wagging playfully. After a long pause, he darted forward and swiped his paw playfully at the Weedle. The worm reared its body backwards with surprising agility and then lashed its upper body down, slamming its head against Leaf's forehead.

"Ow!" Leaf complained, retreating a pace and rubbing the spot the Weedle had struck. The Weedle made an odd chittering sound that sounded suspiciously triumphant. Leaf growled and swiped a paw at the bug again, this time managing to hit it and knock it off balance. The Eevee then pounced on the Weedle, using both of his forepaws to pin the bug against the grass, but seemed to be taking care not to use too much pressure.

Bee-Bee made a gesture with a foreleg stinger, and Leaf immediately backed off, allowing the Weedle to get back up. The two Pokemon stared each other down again, and this time the Weedle darted forward, jabbing at Leaf with its forehead stinger. The Eevee squeaked and jumped over the Weedle, pivoting to face it, but stumbled a bit on the landing, giving the Weedle enough time to switch direction as well.

"Careful, Leaf," Shadow reminded him. Leaf was clearly enjoying the battle as if it were a game, but it was important to remember that even if the battle wasn't serious, there was still some real danger involved.

Leaf made a few tentative steps closer to the Weedle, his eyes focused on the Bug-Type's stinger, and he raised a paw, ready to swat at the bug again. The Weedle made a forward movement, but immediately drew back, baiting out Leaf's response. Shadow winced a little as Leaf jumped to the side, falling for the feint entirely, and the Weedle pounced, its stinger poking Leaf in the shoulder.

"Ow!" the Eevee wailed, looking at his injured shoulder. Although Shadow felt a momentary surge of aggression towards the Weedle, he could see that the stinger hadn't drawn blood at all, and probably hadn't used any poison. Bee-Bee gestured again, and the Weedle made its little chittering sound. This time, Shadow was able to get the gist of the Beedrill's motion. It was a point scored by both sides so far.

"You okay, Leaf?" Shadow asked seriously.

"Uh-huh," Leaf said, sniffling. He gave the Weedle a bit of a glare, but his tail still wagged playfully.

Both Pokemon stared each other down again, and both moved at the same time. Leaf moved to the side, and then ran forward, while the Weedle attempted another feint. However, because Leaf had already shifted his positioning, the feint accomplished nothing, and the Weedle was forced to rear its head up defensively, displaying its stinger towards the advancing Eevee.

Seeing the danger, Leaf skidded to a halt, but instead of trying to retreat, he instead thrust his forepaw into the Weedle's face. The worm recoiled from the blow, shaking its head, and in that moment, Leaf pounced. His head plowed into the Weedle's exposed belly, and both of them tumbled across the grass.

"Gotcha!" Leaf squealed, pinning the Weedle down with his forepaws. The Weedle squirmed vainly for a few seconds, but then went limp, accepting the loss. Bee-Bee made another gesture, and Leaf backed off, looking over at Shadow for his reaction. The Eevee's eyes were shining with pride and happiness, and although a Weedle was difficult to really label as a challenging opponent, Shadow knew that the win meant a lot to the little guy.

So he smiled back. Their eyes met, and Leaf's body relaxed.

"Good one, little Weedle!" Leaf chirped, turning to his opponent and offering his paw to shake. The Weedle chittered in response and nudged the Eevee's paw with its head. Leaf giggled quietly. "That was fun! We should do this again sometime!"

Shadow chuckled, but a sudden ray of white light drew his attention. The Weedle was glowing brightly, its body becoming enveloped in light. Leaf squealed in excitement, his eyes watching as the worm-like body shifted shape and expanded. To Shadow's surprise, the glowing light intensified. It was coming not just from the Weedle's body, but from Leaf's as well.

Shadow raised a paw to shield his eyes from the glowing, and when the light finally faded, he blinked at the other Pokemon. Where the Weedle once stood was now the same yellow-gold cocoon that Bee-Bee had been in when Leaf had first seen her. Where an Eevee had been moments before sat a different Pokemon, tan fur replacing the brown, except for the paws. Its tail and ears were now shaped like leaves, and a slender green sprout sat on its forehead, although it immediately drooped downwards, partially obscuring the view of the distinct brown eyes that Shadow immediately recognized as his brother's.

Leaf blinked and brushed the drooping sprout from his face, pausing to stare at the tan fur now covering his forelegs. "What the...?"

Confusion slowly gave way to excitement as the newly-evolved Leafeon looked himself over, admiring everything from the odd green sprouts growing from his legs, to his leaf-like tail. He then bounded over to Bee-Bee to show off his new body, squealing with gleeful enthusiasm. This was followed up by him doing the exact same thing in front of the newly-evolved Kakuna.

Shadow could only stare at his brother in numb shock. Both of them had evolved in such a short span of time. How could that even be possible? And now that they both had evolved...what would they do now?


	7. Emotional Conflicts

The sun was at its highest point in the sky by the time Shadow and Leaf emerged from the forest. While Leaf had initially been eager to resume training immediately, they only managed for a few minutes before the newly evolved Leafeon became curiously fatigued. Shadow at first thought Leaf just needed to catch his breath, so when they tried again after a short rest, Leaf's mood plummeted, and he insisted that he was too tired to continue.

So that put an end to their training for the day. Bee-Bee had directed them towards the exit before gathering up her freshly-evolved sibling, leaving Shadow alone to guide the increasingly moody Leafeon out of the forest.

Now that they were out of the dark forest, Leaf's spirits seemed to climb a little bit. However, Shadow still practically needed to drag him away from the forest path.

"Seriously, Leaf, it's not much further," Shadow said, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. Leaf had been ridiculously uncooperative ever since they started to leave the forest, and Shadow had to endure the constant complaining about how long they had been walking, and how dark the forest was, and how tired the Leafeon was, and how much longer did they have to go?

"That's what you said before! Let me sleep!" Leaf whined, now refusing to even operate his legs of his own free will. Shadow growled in annoyance. Even at his worst, Leaf was never THIS bad, and the fact Shadow was so susceptible to headaches lately only made the situation more frustrating. And boy did he have a doozy of a headache now.

"Ugh, fine!" Shadow growled, stepping to the side and allowing Leaf to fall into the grass. Unfazed by the rough landing, the Leafeon stretched out comfortably, practically basking in the sunlight, and then he was asleep. Shadow glared at the sleeping Leafeon for a good five minutes, silently willing himself not to just tackle Leaf out of spite. Every morning for the past several nights, Leaf had made things difficult for him, waking him up at obscene times of day for food or attention, but the moment HE got tired, suddenly the world needed to stop moving just so he could nap. To hell with safety and convenience, Leaf needed his sleep.

Seething, Shadow lay down away from Leaf, keeping the dozing grass Eon within sight, but putting plenty of distance between them. Maybe this was a good chance to catch up on his own sleep. He just needed to relax, and maybe purge some of the negativity welling up inside him.

His head throbbed painfully, and Shadow cringed. It felt like something was slowly tightening around his head, the pressure starting off almost unnoticeable, but gradually getting stronger and stronger. Was this a normal headache? Or was it related to his evolution? He had never gotten headaches this badly or frequently when he was an Eevee, nor had he heard anyone in his family complaining of such pain. The only thing that had drastically changed in his life...okay, the most drastic thing that changed that actually might be related to the headaches was his evolution.

This was even more problematic the more he thought about it. He didn't have anyone older or more experienced to turn to with questions like this. He didn't even have a peer that might be able to shed some insight into his problem, or give him advice on how to use his evolution's abilities. He was in the dark on the matter, but simultaneously had to serve as Leaf's guide to his evolution and natural growing process.

This was too much for him to take in all at once. Sleep offered him no comfort, not with his memories corrupting his dreams and forcing him awake again. His body shivered involuntarily, and he soon noticed the faint tickle in the back of his mind, the odd awareness that something was changing in his surroundings, but an inability to understand what the change was, or why it was happening. Or even why he knew about it.

The Espeon groaned and clutched his head. Why didn't his life make sense anymore? Why did everything have to pile up on him at once. Struggling with his own evolution was more than enough stress for him to put up with, and now having to put up with Leaf's evolution as well? And the growing unease about staying in their current location? Leaf had thrown such a fit about walking out of the forest because he was tired. What were the odds he'd be content traveling further than that, with no set destination, for days at a time?

Shadow flinched. If by some chance the parents had survived the incident and made their way here...what would they think if their kits weren't waiting for them? What if Shadow had somehow made a mistake in where they were supposed to meet up? What if right now the parents were searching desperately for them, just like he had been waiting desperately for them to arrive? What if the parents were starting to assume that their kits hadn't survived, or that a Pokemon trainer had captured them?

Shadow's chest tightened with emotion, and tears seeped from his eyes, try as he might to contain them. Between the aching in his head and the constricting feeling in his heart, he had no change of stopping the flow of sadness.

Life was so unfair.

* * *

Shadow awoke abruptly, his eyes darting about. He had no idea why, but his heart was pounding in his chest. The sun had continued its natural arc in the sky, and as far as he could tell, at least a few hours had gone by, but the unease he felt was not the same as he normally experienced after one of his nightmares. It was something far worse, something more immediately urgent. His head throbbed painfully, but that was just something he was growing accustomed to. It wasn't what was troubling him now.

Across the way, he could see that Leaf was still sound asleep, the sprouts along his body looking more vibrant than they had before, which Shadow had to admit was interesting, but another tingle along his spine forced him to refocus. At that moment, he wished for nothing more than the ability to understand the odd signs his body kept giving him. Something was different. Something close...

For a moment, Shadow registered the fact that by allowing his mind to drift around aimlessly, he would get little flashes of insight about the warning signals. Nothing concrete, just momentary flickers, a random hunch, but it didn't feel wrong, just...unclear.

Something moving...not a deadly enemy, but something to be wary of. Something to fear.

 _We're in the open!_

Shadow sat upright with this realization. Whatever was nearby was coming too close. It would see them for sure if they didn't move out of the open immediately.

Shadow could already feel the mild aches in his body from his tackling practice with Leaf, but he ignored such minor issues in favor of getting his tail over to where Leaf was sleeping, and hastily prodding Leaf.

"Leaf. Leaf. Wake up. Seriously!" Shadow urged, clenching his teeth at the last word. Leaf stirred, but whined quietly and covered his eyes with a forepaw, denying the sun's rays from forcing him awake. "Leaf! We need to move!" Shadow snapped, losing patience entirely. His heart was pounding harder than ever, and imagination or not, he could almost hear the footsteps of the unknown threat approaching, growing louder with each passing second. Moving leisurely, oblivious to them for now, but not for much longer.

"Five more minutes," Leaf mumbled.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Shadow snarled, his tone easily communicating that he'd love to be saying a different word. His silver eyes darted about anxiously, unsure exactly what he was anticipating, but definitely uninterested in sticking around. Even so, there was no way in hell he'd leave Leaf here, no matter how poorly behaved the little guy was sometimes. He had to keep his brother safe at all costs.

Once again throwing caution to the wind, Shadow clamped his teeth on the leafy end of Leaf's ear. Despite its appearance, it was definitely fleshy and resisted his bite like a normal ear would, and for a moment he felt a thrill of satisfaction in hearing Leaf's wail of pain. That moment did not last long. Leaf was on his feet in an instant, his brown eyes burning with pain and rage. Before Shadow could do anything to react, he sank his teeth into Shadow's shoulder in furious retaliation. The Leafeon's teeth were much sharper than they had been as an Eevee, and Shadow had not been prepared for the attack.

Pain seared through his shoulder, the bite even managing to draw a bit of blood from the wound, but before Leaf could bite him again, Shadow felt the pressure that had been building in his skull finally hit its breaking point. An odd sensation flowed through Shadow's body, and Leaf was abruptly shoved backwards with incredible force. Shadow could only stare at his brother's body in shock, but the Leafeon recovered quickly, getting to his feet and shaking his head as if in a daze.

"What was THAT?" the Leafeon wondered, amazement somehow overriding his anger at being bitten awake. Before Shadow could even think of how to answer that, the alarm bells that had been ringing in his mind reached full volume.

"Oh my god! Is...is that a shiny?!"

Shadow and Leaf both turned in surprise towards the unfamiliar voice, and Shadow's heart sank. Standing a mere thirty feet away from them was a human youth, almost definitely male, with some sort of bag draped over his shoulder. A pair of red-and-white spheres were hanging in plain sight at his waist. Shadow knew what the youth was, although he had never seen a Pokemon trainer before, at least never this close. And the youth was staring directly at him.

"And a wild Leafeon? This has to be a dream," the youth was saying, taking notice of Leaf. Excitement radiated from the human's flushed cheeks, and he grasped one of the spheres, tossing it in their general direction.

The ball expanded in mid-air, more than tripling in size, and then opened, a beam of white light escaping and striking the ground a short distance in front of them. The light expanded, forming the silhouette of a creature, and then the light faded, revealing the Pokemon's true appearance.

A short, bipedal Pokemon stood there, with long, curled up ears that each ended with a tuft of cream-colored fur. The same kind of fluff covered its lower body. The rest of its body was covered in dark brown fur. Upon emerging, it uncurled its ears and looked around, its eyes lighting up with determined curiosity. Although Shadow found it difficult to determine the Pokemon's gender by glance alone, it seemed very cutesy and feminine.

"Laura, hit the black one with Fake Out," the trainer commanded, the voice drawing Shadow's gaze towards him. The Buneary darted forward, and Shadow forced his attention back to it, readying himself to dodge the tackle or blow that he was positive was coming. The Buneary suddenly clapped its paws together, bafflingly out of range of actually hitting Shadow, but a wave of air expanded from the contact point, pushing Shadow backwards with impressive force.

"Shadow!" Leaf shouted as the Espeon hit the ground on his back, wincing from the impact, and although Shadow couldn't see Leaf, he knew the young Leafeon was running over to him.

"Stay back, Leaf!" Shadow ordered, rolling back to his feet and shaking his head to clear the momentary fog in his brain. "Get yourself out of here and hide!"

"But..."

"That's an order, Leaf!" Shadow snapped, using every ounce of his no-nonsense tone to compel the Leafeon into obedience. If Leaf didn't listen, then everything here was going to get much worse. "Use the forest, or bushes, whatever you need to do, just get out of sight. Now!"

Leaf clearly hesitated, but then spun around and bolted into the underbrush. They were close enough to the forest boundaries that Shadow was confident the grass Eon would be able to blend in there. The forest was dangerous, but so long as Leaf was safe, then Shadow could focus everything on his fighting. The first chance he'd get, he'd flee as well, but he couldn't run while Leaf was too close, because the human would certainly chase after him, and might stumble upon Leaf anyway. That left it up to him. He'd stall this fight out to ensure his brother's escape.

"It's okay, don't worry about the Leafeon!" the human trainer called out, and Shadow saw that the Buneary had hesitated, staring in the direction Leaf had run. "Don't give the Espeon time to attack. Use Agility!"

The Buneary chirped in acknowledgement and darted towards Shadow. In the time it took for him to blink, the Buneary was suddenly several paces to the left of where it was before. And then behind him. He didn't see the bunny's paw being pulled back, but the back part of his brain was warning him, and it was almost as if he could visualize the punch.

Trusting entirely in his odd instinct, Shadow hurled his body to the side, sticking the landing less gracefully than he would have liked, but even with the training this morning, he still hadn't fully adjusted to his larger body. As he looked back, he saw the Buneary's paw strike the spot he had occupied a moment before.

Shadow charged the surprised Pokemon and slammed his head into its stomach. It squealed in pain and flew backwards, hitting the ground with a satisfying thumping sound. However, it somersaulted backwards, using the momentum from the hit to put itself back on its feet.

"Nice one, Laura! Use Quick Attack to get close, then hit it with Endeavor," the trainer commanded enthusiastically. Shadow gritted his teeth. While in theory, humans calling commands should forewarn him what was coming, but it was nearly impossible to focus on the Pokemon in front of him and still process what the human was saying in time to react. The Buneary raced towards him, her arms pointing behind her as she ran, and like before, a split second later she was several paces to the other side. Trying to keep his eyes on her only earned him a splitting headache and a strong need to shut his eyes and refocus.

Praying that the tactic was identical to the last one, Shadow lunged his body sideways, only to find the Buneary blocking his path. Her paw lashed out and struck his left thigh, and Shadow's weight gave out from under him.

The headache pounding in his skull again reached its breaking point and just as the Buneary was preparing another punch, a warm sensation pulsed from Shadow's body, relieving the pressure in his head. The Buneary squealed in surprise as she was hurled away from Shadow by an invisible force, and she hit the ground in front of her trainer, her eyes glazed and unfocused.

"You did enough, Laura, good job," her trainer said. The human picked up the second Pokeball at his waist and tossed it forward, another burst of white light emerging from its depths and forming into a smaller feline Pokemon with blue-grey fur covering most of its body. Its back side was entirely black, and a yellow star-like shape decorated the end of its tail. Its eyes and inside of its ears were both electric yellow, and it let out a cute, confident cry on being released.

"You okay, Laura?" the Shinx asked, taking notice of the barely conscious Buneary. When she only made a vague mumble in reply, the electric Pokemon fixed Shadow with a glare and growled, sparks of electricity hopping from its fur.

"Don't overdo it, Sparky," the trainer said quickly. "I want to capture him. Just make sure he doesn't run. Use Thunder Wave!"

"You better apologize to Laura when Marcus lets you out of the ball," the Shinx said seriously, and circular waves of electric current expanded from its body. Shadow cringed away from the currents as they struck him, covering his body like a spider's web. It didn't hurt, but he could feel his muscles locking up and refusing to move. His body felt sluggish and heavy, and with the wind knocked out of him from the Buneary's kick, he was rendered completely helpless.

"Damn it..." Shadow growled, trying to will his legs to move, but they only made half-hearted attempts to break free before collapsing again. Another sensation of warmth flowed through Shadow's body, and a brief yellow aura surrounded the Shinx. Sparky glanced at the glow nonchalantly, as if he had been expecting to see it, and seemed similarly smug when nothing visibly happened.

"Electric-type!" the Shinx said brightly. This was utter nonsense to Shadow, but all he could think about now was getting away. His mind was practically screaming to him about nearby danger, but his body refused to respond.

The human trainer opened the bag he had slung over his back, and within a moment of searching, he withdrew another one of the small red and white spheres.

"Awesome! Go, Pokeball!"

Shadow saw the Pokeball leave the youth's hand. Saw it flying towards him in a simple overhand arc, watched it spin lazily at it descended. All of it was in slow motion, and still his body would not react. Yet Shadow felt an odd sense of peace regardless. He had failed to get away. But he had kept Leaf safe. He had gotten Leaf to run for freedom, and hopefully...he would grow stronger on his own.

It still hurt to imagine how Leaf would feel about Shadow disappearing from his life. The young kid had already lost his parents and didn't even know it yet. And now his brother, too?

Pain in Shadow's chest began to overwhelm his senses, and his eyes began to tear up again. Keeping Leaf safe had been all that had mattered to him, but sometimes, safety wasn't enough. Leaf would be safe, but alone in a hostile, unfamiliar world. Was that really much better off?

The Pokeball descended upon Shadow's body, casting a dark shadow over the grass as it came down. Shadow closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact.

"Oof!"

The cry was forced from Shadow's lungs as something slammed into him with enough force to send him tumbling across the grass. He was still locked in place and unable to look back at what had hit him, but he distinctly heard the Pokeball landing in the grass with a hollow clicking sound.

"What the-?" he heard the human trainer say, and the rest of the sentence was cut off by the Shinx's growl. The growl then segued into pained yips. Alarmed and more than a little confused, Shadow struggled harder than ever against his protesting muscles, managing to prop himself up into a sitting position that enabled him to see the trainer and his Pokemon.

His jaw dropped.

Leaf was clawing at the Shinx's face, twisting his own body out of the way of the Shinx's half-blinded retaliation only to throw himself right back into the fray, delivering vicious bites to the electric type's legs and ears. Stray bolts of electricity littered the ground beneath them, charring the strands of grass under their feet. Yet Leaf continued to strike at his opponent until the Shinx collapsed on the ground, all but whimpering.

The human trainer was just staring, dumbfounded, at the fallen Shinx and the hyper-aggressive Leafeon. And in that time, the recovering Buneary hissed in anger and lunged herself at Leaf, her paw taking on a fiery red glow.

"Laura, don't!" the human attempted to say, but it was too late. Leaf ducked under the punch and slammed his head against the Buneary's stomach, forcing her backwards a pace. "Laura, get back! Back!" her trainer yelled, sounding panicked.

And Shadow could see why. Instead of the playful, innocent shine to his eyes that Leaf normally had, even during their earlier training, the Leafeon's gaze was vicious and focused. He was breathing harder and whenever he growled, his jaw was set in a way where one of his fangs was visible.

Laura ignored her trainer's warning, lunging at Leaf again, swinging her paws violently. It was at this point that Shadow realized the Buneary was drawing Leaf's attention away from the fallen Shinx, protecting him from any further attacks. It was so reminiscent of how he had baited the Beedrill's aggression to steer it away from his helpless brother the other day.

Leaf ducked under the Buneary's swing and pounced at her, scratching at her back and then leaping away when she tried to dislodge him. The moment after he landed, he pounced again, this time sinking his teeth into her left ear. She swung at him with a squeal of pain, but hit nothing but air.

"Laura, use Charm!" the trainer urged.

"I'm not going to act cutesy towards him!" the Buneary snapped. Her paw blazed with fiery energy again. "Why aren't you scared of fire?!" she demanded.

"Fear would hold me back," Leaf replied. Shadow flinched. Leaf's tone was way too casual for the situation. It wasn't cocky, there was no boasting in the Leafeon's words, but yet the way he said that gave the Espeon an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was so unlike Leaf, just like the way he was fighting seemed...off. It was too aggressive, it was almost...feral.

Was all this a side effect of Leaf's evolution? Shadow had been under the impression that rushing evolution at a young age could screw up the natural growth cycle of a Pokemon, though his mom had never gone into detail about what this could mean. Maybe she hadn't even known the details.

"Sparky, come back!" the trainer said, holding up a Pokeball. A beam of red light lanced out and touched the Shinx, absorbing its shape into the beam and returning to the Pokeball. The trainer hastily grabbed the other ball and pointed it towards the Buneary. "Laura, return!"

The beam fired towards the bunny Pokemon, but either she had interpreted the statement as a command, or she was deadset on continuing the fight, because she lunged at Leaf again, the recalling beam hitting the grass harmlessly. With impressive speed and force, she slammed her body against Leaf, knocking him backwards. He growled and touched a paw to his nose, inspecting it afterwards.

"Laura!" the human shouted again, and this time the Buneary hesitated, and the recalling beam drew her back into the confines of the ball. Leaf turned to face the trainer, and Shadow couldn't see his brother's expression. "Okay...okay...I'm going," the human said, raising his hands up to show that he had nothing in them. He began to back away from the area.

Once the human had left, Leaf turned back to Shadow, and their eyes met. Shadow flinched, blinking his eyes several times to try to refocus them. For a moment, it had seemed like Leaf's eyes had been a distinct shade of golden-brown. But after peering at Leaf's face again, he saw that they were a light shade of brown.

"You okay, Shadow?" Leaf wondered. His leaf-like tail was swishing happily, with no trace of the aggressiveness he had displayed earlier. His ears drooped a bit, before Shadow even replied. "I'm sorry...I know you said to run and hide, but I couldn't leave you behind. You were teaching me how to battle, and what good is knowing how to fight if I can't use it to help you out? You'd do anything to protect me...and I don't want to be a burden to you anymore! I want to be able to protect you, too! So please don't be mad..."

"Leaf..." Shadow began, but words failed him. Leaf was sniffling a little, focusing on the grass in front of him. "I'm...not mad at you."

"Really?" Leaf asked, still not making eye contact. Shadow groaned a little and stretched his legs, relieved that his body seemed to be regaining its mobility.

"Really. Thank you for helping," Shadow said quietly.

Leaf smiled weakly, but then brightened. "You're welcome! So...how'd I do? Did I battle good?"

Shadow didn't answer right away. He was replaying the fight over in his head, recalling how fluidly the Leafeon had moved, and how it contrasted with the sheer viciousness of his style. Whether the feral style was a result of his evolution or his emotional determination to protect his older brother didn't feel important right now.

It was a bit scary, though. Not only did the style go against everything Shadow would have expected from someone as gentle and playful as Leaf.

It also meant Leaf fought better than he did.


	8. Instability and Revelation

Today was looking grim. The entire sky was covered by moody gray clouds, so that not even a scarce ray of sunlight could grace the ground with its warmth and light. The past several days had been prone to scattered rain showers, but the reassurance that it wasn't snow was nothing more than hollow words.

Leaf had been predictably grumpy. The incident with the Pokemon trainer had convinced Shadow that they had to move on to a different territory, and the Leafeon had resisted the suggestion stubbornly. However, Shadow's insistence won out in the end, and the two had set off.

Shadow's primary concern was not only an area where their basic needs could be attended to, but he also wanted a route that would have minimal hazards along the way. They were still ill-equipped for difficult battling, and the black-furred Espeon was at a loss about how to approach this problem.

It had rained that first day of traveling, the rainwater soaking into their fur, the icy droplets chilling them to the bone. Shadow had gritted his teeth to keep from admitting how terrible his fur was at keeping him warm against the elements. As for Leaf...he had been livid.

The only consolation Shadow found from the days of walking was it gave him a chance to really observe the effects evolution had had on his younger brother. Sensitivity to extreme temperatures was one of the easier observations, and one he could relate to with his own fur acting as mediocre insulation.

The second observation was actually more interesting: Leaf no longer complained about being hungry, nor did he wake Shadow in the middle of the night for food. Initially, Shadow assumed Leaf just didn't have much of an appetite, but the Leafeon still happily ate whenever Shadow managed to acquire food, whether it be berries or meat. It just appeared that the physical need for food was absent.

The exception became clear soon afterwards. Leaf became hungry the one night where the weather was so bad they had to take shelter within an abandoned cave instead of traveling. His mood also had many more highs and lows than it did before he had evolved, and it didn't take Shadow long to notice how often the lows correlated with the weather being poor, and how warm, sunnier days boosted his mood, but only once he had a chance to lay in the sun.

Knowing that Leaf was cranky and fatigued when deprived of sunlight did nothing to make his attitude more tolerable on the bad days. He wouldn't take his mood out on Shadow without provocation, but he was just so bitter and cheerless that it was difficult not to notice, and it was upsetting to see the normally chipper Leaf look so glum and unenergetic.

Sinnoh was not a kind region for Leafeon, it seemed. Harsh winters, crisp weather even during warmer months, and an unfortunate ratio of weather conditions to clear skies.

Shadow was gradually adjusting to his own evolution. The insight he had received when fighting against the trainer Pokemon was slowly starting to pay off. The little tingles in the back of his mind, and the other sensations his body produced were starting to become more natural to him. He would sense something changing nearby, and then adjust their course to avoid it. It was far from a perfect system, but ignoring or being oblivious to the signs had always ended poorly.

That said, he was still plagued by headaches, and his sleep remained restless. Leaf had gotten increasingly bitter about Shadow's sleep habits, and Shadow was finally starting to understand why. The nights that produced nightmares caused him to subconsciously push things away from him with his unstable psychic energy, the same energy that lashed out whenever the pressure in his head built up too far. Leaf preferred to sleep cuddled beside his older brother, but would abruptly be telekinetically pushed away at a random point during the night.

Leaf had yet to ask about Shadow's nightmares, but Shadow's resolve not to share that information was beginning to crack. It was starting to feel like an enormous disservice to his brother to not tell him about their parents' likely fate, and about the dreams that plagued him. He could scarcely bear to keep seeing the look of hurt in his brother's eyes whenever he awoke from a nightmare to discover that he had shoved Leaf away from him in his sleep. At this rate, Leaf might start to feel like they weren't close anymore, or that Shadow secretly longed to be free of the ball-and-chain that his brother represented.

How many nights had passed since the incident that forced him and Leaf to fend for themselves? Ten? Twelve? Shadow had lost count. They all blurred together, spaced apart only by the nightmares and the cloudy days where time didn't seem to move at all.

Droplets of rain struck Shadow's muzzle, snapping him out of his thoughts. Just as expected, the cloudy skies meant more rain today. A quick glance back at his brother confirmed that the Leafeon was just as thrilled by the prospect.

"I suppose we should stop until it clears up?" Shadow suggested.

"I don't care," Leaf grumbled. Shadow hesitated. He had thrown out the suggestion in the hopes that Leaf would at least give him something to go off of. It may just be a light drizzle, but once their fur was wet, the cold would cling to their bodies and really put a dampener on their moods.

"I'm sorry the weather hasn't been to your liking," Shadow said carefully, leading Leaf over to the shelter of a large tree. "It's normal for it to rain a lot during the spring. But summer is usually really warm and sunny...sometimes a bit too warm, honestly."

Leaf made a noncommittal sound and lay down, resting his head on his forepaws. Shadow resisted the urge to sigh. He hadn't expected Leaf to perk up or anything, but he just couldn't think of anything to say or do that would help. He didn't even know for sure where he wanted to go. Part of him just wanted to put as much distance between himself and their old home as possible, so that maybe the dreams would stop tormenting him as much. Yet this weather was showing him other factors he needed to take into account when choosing a place to stay: the weather conditions had to be more favorable, and if that wasn't possible, they needed some sort of a den to shelter them from the poorer conditions.

They sat in silence for several minutes, just watching the grass waving in the breeze, and listening to the pattering of rain on the leaves overhead and the grass in front of them.

"Are you feeling all right, Leaf? Can I get you something?" Shadow attempted finally. The lack of sunlight seemed to be partially responsible for Leaf's listlessness. It was probably related to how plants made their own energy from sunlight, so although Leaf wasn't really a plant, he drew more energy from sun than from food. Shadow had already noticed the pattern the previous days of traveling, but only now was he really making the connection between plants and energy.

"I'm just tired," Leaf muttered. "You woke me up again."

Shadow winced. "Sorry. I really am trying to control it, but I don't really know how to yet."

Leaf didn't say anything at first, but Shadow was still relieved that he wasn't quite as crabby today as he had been on other days, before Shadow had started to notice the pattern of how his moods operated. He just seemed like he didn't have much energy and wanted to be left alone...but at the same time, he wasn't outright rejecting Shadow's company or attempts to talk to him, which was an improvement, hard to swallow as that was.

"You're not sleeping well," Leaf said quietly. Shadow blinked. It hadn't been a question, but a softly-stated fact.

"I guess not," Shadow said, unsure whether Leaf was leading into something with that comment. The Espeon watched his brother from the corner of his eye, but Leaf's gaze was fixed on a particularly long strand of grass swaying in the wind.

"Is it because of me?" the Leafeon asked. Shadow flinched. Leaf's tone had quavered slightly this time. Clearly he had been working up the nerve to ask this, and been bracing himself to hear the answer. "It's okay if it is. Just tell me."

"No, it's not you," Shadow answered seriously. His stomach squirmed a little. Just as he had suspected, Leaf was getting the impression that Shadow didn't want him around, or considered him burdensome. Considering the Leafeon's current mood, he wasn't even sure how to reassure him of the truth without being intrusive - Leaf was more opposed to affectionate contact when he was moody.

Leaf tore his gaze away from the swaying grass and looked up at Shadow. His eyes searched Shadow's face, his expression skeptical.

"What is it, then?" he asked finally. "You haven't been sleeping well for a long time. And you're trying to hide it."

"You noticed, then?" Shadow wondered, deflating a little bit. If Leaf really had noticed his poor sleep cycles, which had probably become ridiculously obvious lately, then he saw no real way to stall out the inevitable conversation.

Leaf managed a momentary smile. "Kind of hard not to after a while..."

"How long have you noticed it?" Shadow asked, tilting his head to the side curiously. "You've never said anything."

Leaf shrugged and sat up, facing Shadow with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "So what's wrong? If it's not me, then can I do something to help?"

"You're sweet," Shadow sighed, shaking his head. "I've...been having nightmares."

"Every night?" Leaf asked, confused. "What kind of nightmares? Is it like the one where you slip into the river when trying to catch a fish and get dragged underwater?"

Shadow stared at Leaf, lost for words. Then he shook his head. "That sounds like a wet dream by comparison."

Leaf looked confused. "Well...yeah, I guess so. Being dragged underwater would get you wet."

Shadow cringed, mentally chiding himself for his poor choice of words. "Sorry, got my tongue tied for a moment. I meant a good dream."

"Really?" Leaf wrinkled his nose. "How bad are we talking about, then?"

Shadow took a deep breath. He had never told anyone the contents of his dreams aloud, and now that he had the chance, he felt like an enormous weight was starting to be lifted from his chest. Unfortunately, he also was still a little opposed to telling Leaf this information. Another deep breath pushed the latter concern aside.

"It's not only a dream. It's something that actually happened."

There was a long silence, broken up only by the pattering of the rain around them. Leaf's curious expression gradually gave way to impatience and confusion.

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"I'm not sure where to start. The memory or the dream?" Shadow admitted sheepishly.

"What's the difference?"

"The dream kind of starts at a certain point that I recognize as being part of my memory, so I know what's coming in the dream, but I didn't know it at the time-"

"I have no idea what you're even saying now," Leaf complained. "Just go with the dream part. You can explain confusing parts later."

Shadow took a deep breath. "Well...okay. This was...I don't know how long ago. Two weeks? You'll understand soon. So I was taking a walk because Dad said I needed to take time to cool down after _someone_ pushed me into the lake."

"Ooh, I remember doing that! You were so mad..." Leaf said brightly. Shadow fixed him with a dirty look. "Oh...right. Go on..."

"I was on my way back when..."

* * *

 _The Eevee rounded the last bend in the path, still seething a little. The parents always took his brother's side, and the little guy knew it. He wasn't even six months old yet and he already knew how to act innocent and adorable so that the parents would just smile to each other and tell Shadow to let it go._

 _But he didn't WANT to let it go. He wanted...what did he want? Ugh...it was so frustrating._

 _Home was just a short ways away, he could even see glimpses of his family in the distance, but he knew better than to come back when he was still agitated. Maybe another lap would do him good? No, it was too long of a walk, and if he was gone too long, one of the parents would come after him to be sure he was safe._

 _Not that there ever was real danger in this area. Wild Pokemon passing through were rare, as the territory was clearly marked, and it was so far off the beaten path that trainers never came by at all. The place was practically a reserve, with a clear lake, plentiful berries, and a nice resting spot beneath a pair of trees._

 _The Eevee growled and swiped his paw at the nearest flower, watching the decapitated bud fly off and bounce once on the grass. That's when he heard the rustling in the bushes, and even as he turned around to see, a shape was emerging into sight._

 _It was a bipedal Pokemon with blue fur covering the majority of its body, although the paws serving as feet were black, and a black mask of fur surrounded its eyes. Shadow felt an immediate chill run through his body. The Pokemon's eyes were an eerie shade of yellow. Not an off-shade of amber or golden brown, but yellow._

 _One of the Pokemon's paws was shrouded in a faint blue glow, but the paw was held at its side passively. The Pokemon blinked at Shadow curiously, and smiled faintly._

 _"Oh, good day to you, little one," it said, the voice distinctly male, although Shadow hadn't been in danger of misjudging it on sight._

 _"Hi," Shadow replied curtly._

 _Unfazed by the tone, the other Pokemon chuckled. "I think I might have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Mind if I ask your name?"_

 _"It's Shadow," the Eevee said, starting to take slow, careful steps nearer to home. The yellow eyes the Pokemon possessed were a bit too unnerving for his taste, and his gaze seemed to stare into Shadow's soul._

 _"Interesting name. Expecting to be an Umbreon or something?"_

 _"It's a...tradition or something," the Eevee replied, continuing to inch down the path. "Mom names us after the first thing we've touched or something. I touched the shade under a tree, I guess? Leaf touched a flower. I dunno, Dad says it's kind of weird."_

 _"Interesting," the other Pokemon mused. He inspected the glowing paw idly, and a tiny smile flicked across his features. The blue glow had intensified, practically pulsing in his paw. "Incredible potential...I have been advised correctly, it seems."_

 _"Uh huh...I'm going to be leaving now," Shadow said, making even less-subtle movements towards the clearing where his family was. "Nice to meet you...whoever you are."_

 _"Just a moment, if you will," the other Pokemon said quickly. "I need to confirm something. Look at me, please."_

 _Shadow sighed and turned back to face the bipedal canine. The small smile the other Pokemon was wearing extended into a smirk, and the yellow eyes gleamed ominously, burning into Shadow's brain, yet he couldn't turn his gaze away._

 _The other Pokemon's free paw gestured, and something cold touched Shadow's chest, directly over his heart. Pain flooded his body and a startled yelp escaped his throat. At that precise moment, a jet of water shot past his head and connected with the other Pokemon, hurling it backwards with incredible force. The Pokemon slammed into a tree with a loud cracking sound, and it fell to one knee at the base of the tree, its yellow eyes narrowed with anger and pain._

 _"You couldn't wait just a few more seconds, could you?" the Pokemon hissed, glaring at someone behind the Eevee._

 _"Are you okay, Shadow?" the familiar voice of his father asked, the Vaporeon stepping closer and inspecting the Eevee's body carefully. "Not hurt?"_

 _"I...don't think so..." Shadow said shakily._

 _"Good. Back away, I'll handle this. You, Riolu!" the Vaporeon growled at the other Pokemon. Shadow obediently darted several paces back towards home, casting nervous glances at the Vaporeon as he went. He nearly collided into his mother on the way, startled by how her fur bristled. In all the time he had seen his mother agitated or unhappy, her needle fur had never bristled and crackled with electricity as intensely as it did now._

 _Confused, he looked back again, his heart racing when he heard his father shout something in warning. The Riolu had lunged into action, rolling underneath the Vaporeon's legs and emerging to the side of him. Its glowing paw slammed into his father's hind leg, and the Vaporeon buckled, but remained standing. The no-sell of the hit seemed to surprise the Riolu, and it paused, just in time for a bolt of electricity to catch him in the chest, knocking him to the ground._

 _"Nice aim, Rio," the Vaporeon said grimly. "Did you knock him out?" he wondered aloud, prodding the fallen Pokemon with one paw. At the touch, the Riolu sprang backwards, landing a kick to the water-Eon's face in the process, but only dazing him momentarily_

 _"Shadow!" the Jolteon barked, startling the Eevee. "Take Leaf and go! Keep him safe! We'll catch up!"_

 _"But..."_

 _"That's an order!"_

 _An order...That meant..._

 _Shadow didn't hesitate or look back. Their emergency plan had been ingrained in him since he was only a few months old. In the event of hostile Pokemon or trainers, the parents wanted him to seek safety, and meet up with them at a planned location. This plan had included taking care of Leaf when the younger Eevee had been born, but Shadow had always considered it a plan they'd never actually use, and just taught to him on an off-chance it'd be useful._

* * *

Shadow shivered and stopped speaking for a few moments. Leaf was watching him intently, completely drawn into the story. The Espeon cleared his throat awkwardly. "I've usually woken up before the dream even gets that far."

"So what happened?" Leaf wondered. Judging by the apprehensive look in his eyes, and the quavering tone, the Leafeon had already put the pieces together. But he needed the confirmation from Shadow. He had to know for sure that what he was thinking was the truth.

Shadow looked away. "We waited for them, didn't we? They never showed up."

"So are they...?" Leaf stopped himself from finishing the sentence. His lip was quivering and his eyes looked up at Shadow pleadingly.

"...I don't know."

"How do you not know?!" Leaf screeched, the sudden shift in mood causing Shadow to recoil in alarm. Leaf was breathing harder now, and his tail twitched in agitation. " _Why_ don't you know?" Leaf asked, his tone now more desperate and confused than angry.

"I was told to watch over you. If something happened to them, I can't take you back home to find out," Shadow said sadly.

"But what if they're okay and-"

"I've asked myself all those questions for days, Leaf," Shadow interrupted. "I don't know the answers. But staying there forever wasn't an option. If something did take them away from us, then we need to look after ourselves, rather than clinging to desperate hope. We need to find somewhere safe, and be able to protect ourselves, so that we can do something with our future. That's why they had us run to safety. And that's why we're traveling now."

Leaf stood up abruptly. "I'll be back in a bit," he muttered, and started to walk out from the shelter of the tree, back out into the rain.

"Wait, Leaf, where-"

"STOP TALKING TO ME!" Leaf screamed, whirling around. A flash of green flew off of Leaf's tail, and Shadow ducked on instinct, although it didn't end up mattering. The object hit the tree trunk beside the Espeon, embedding itself into the wood. It was a leaf of some sort, but to drive itself so deep into the bark, it must have had a sharp edge. Leaf blinked at the leaf, then at his tail, looking alarmed and confused. "A-accident..." he mumbled, and then bolted.

Shadow watched his brother go, then turned his attention back to the leaf. In truth, he wasn't angry or even upset at Leaf's outbursts or the unintentional launching of a razor-tipped leaf. It was expected that Leaf would react emotionally to the news, and Shadow had even considered the possibility that Leaf would be angry at having it kept from him. They had both evolved fairly recently, and Shadow could already attest to having somewhat unstable powers and moods as a result.

No, it was best to give Leaf some time to let things sink in, and vent his emotions however he saw fit. Even as an Eevee, Leaf had not been one to openly cry, and most of the crying that did happen was usually a ruse to get attention from the parents.

Shadow sighed and lay down. Leaf said he'd be back in a bit, and he was reasonably confident that the young Leafeon wouldn't stray too far, least of all in the rain, so there was so sense getting too worked up about this yet.

A brief twitch from his tail prompted him to lift his head. There was no vibe of danger, not even the apprehension of danger like with the Pokemon trainer several days ago. No, this was something different than that. Maybe a shift in the weather?

Shadow stood and peered out from under the shelter the tree, examining the sky. It had remained as cloudy as ever, and when he craned a little further, his face was assaulted by drops of water. He jerked back to the dryer area under the tree, shaking his head to scatter some of the lingering water, and shivered.

"Cold?" a female voice wondered from behind him. Shadow jumped and spun around, finding himself looking almost directly into a pair of bright blue eyes. He hastily backpedaled a pace to get a more comfortable distance from the newcomer. Standing only a few inches away, taking shelter beneath the same tree that he was, was a quadrupedal Pokemon with tan fur covering the lower section of her body, her back sporting blue fur instead. Low burning flames crackled at the top of her head, but also near the back end.

"Uh...how long were you standing there?" Shadow asked distractedly. The Quilava had definitely not been there when he and Leaf had been here, so she must have just slipped by when he was distracted.

"Just got here," the fire Pokemon said brightly. "I run from tree to tree, taking breaks to perk my flames back up, and then run again."

"Why not just wait it out?" Shadow asked blandly.

The Quilava giggled. "When I'm so close to my comfier, dry den, and rainstorms could last hours? Why wait it out?"

"I guess I didn't consider the possibility of having a nearby den," Shadow admitted.

"Hm...I'm guessing you don't have one, then?" the Quilava asked, her tone casual, but the way her eyes flicked up to make eye contact before she began to look him over immediately gave him the vibe that the question wasn't just for the sake of small talk. The glance-over, that was completely normal - almost every Pokemon who so much as glimpsed him since he evolved had done double-takes or stared. It was the combination that bugged him. That and the way she shifted her weight a little to place herself slightly closer to him.

"No, I'm traveling," Shadow said. "With-"

"Has anyone told you that you are gorgeous? The black is cool on its own, if a touch overdoing it, but it complements your eyes and gem fantastically," the Quilava said brightly. "Oh, sorry...traveling with someone?"

"My brother. Younger brother," Shadow said quickly, noticing that his cheeks were growing warmer, and pleased that the black fur was hiding those signs.

"He can fend for himself for a bit, right?" the Quilava murmured. Shadow bit his lip. He may have spent much of his life up to now living with his parents, but he was not naive. This kind of attention was certainly...flattering. Tempting, even. Very tempting. However, his circumstances constantly warranted that he keep his priorities in check.

"Hm. Another time, maybe," the Espeon said finally. "I should go round him up. It was nice to meet you...hmm..."

"Cecilia," the Quilava chirped. "Cece if you're a close friend," she added with a wink.

Shadow paused. There was something about the fire type that seemed vaguely familiar, but after a moment, he simply shrugged. He rather worry about where Leaf was, and didn't trust himself to stay alone with her for much longer.

"Okay, then. Nice to meet you, Cecilia," he managed finally and started to walk in the direction he had seen Leaf going.

"And your name? Or should I just keep using 'gorgeous'?" Cecilia teased.

"I don't see why knowing my name would stop you. It's Shadow," the Espeon answered, and continued walking. He didn't need to turn around to check. He already was getting the feeling in the back of his mind that Cecilia would 'conveniently' cross paths with him later.

What bothered him was that this didn't bother him.


	9. Icy Introduction

Rain descended upon the earth, filling the air with the soothing sound and fresh smell of spring. Not that everyone had such an appreciation for the weather. Humans would close themselves off in their homes, or seek shelter in caves or under trees. Many Pokemon took a similar approach, making their way with haste to their dens or nests, or did what they could to keep dry and warm.

Water-Types were a different matter. Rain made them more lively and active, as they went about their business without the interference of others in the area. It was a fascinating balance of nature, much like how daytime and nocturnal species rotated in and out during the course of a day.

While other Pokemon bustled around the area, seeking shelter or becoming more active, a pair of Pokemon continued their stare down. Rainwater coated their fur, yet neither of them seemed to care. One of the Pokemon was a bipedal mammal Pokemon with bright orange fur and a pair of blue fins attached to its arms. Along with a twin set of tails flicking behind it, the most notable feature on its body was a yellow ring around its neck, very similar to the kind that human children would cling to when they went swimming.

The rain running down its body gave it a sleeker, more streamlined appearance, and a slightly cocky grin flicked across its muzzle. Rain was no hinderance to it, for water-types adored the dampness, and in battle, the affinity with water became even more crucial to claiming victory.

Opposite the Buizel was a quadrupedal Pokemon with light blue fur, now soaked in water, making the natural quills of the fur appear limp. Each of its paws were darker colored, bordering on teal, or maybe turquoise, which matched the color of the markings on its back, and the tip of its tail. More notable were the strange dangles framing the Pokemon's face, like the flaps of an arctic hat.

An equally cocky grin graced the Pokemon's face as its dark eyes gazed back at the opponent. Each breath the quadruped took released a cloud of icy mist into the air, transforming the rain before its face into snowflakes.

"Not going to wait all day, Raze," the ice quadruped said, his tone absolutely consumed with smug amusement. "The rain doesn't bother me. Accept your advantage and beat me already."

The Buizel rolled his eyes and propelled himself forward at high speed, drawing the rainwater around him into his fur like a sponge, adding a surprising amount of speed and bulk to his charge.

The Glaceon opened his mouth and exhaled forcefully. The temperature of the air around them plummeted immediately, and all the rain in front of the Glaceon froze solid, some of them becoming simple snowflakes, but others becoming thicker shards of ice. As if guided by the Glaceon's breath, the newly frozen droplets launched themselves at the Buizel, who was now moving too quickly to change direction or evade.

At first, the bombardment of snow and ice seemed to be nothing but a momentary inconvenience, simply sticking to the water coating the Buizel's fur. The truth became apparent soon after, as the ice and snow passed its temperature to the neighboring water droplets, freezing them and converting what was once the Buizel's shield and sword into a revolution.

The Glaceon nimbly leapt backwards as the Buizel swiped his claws towards him, still oblivious to the danger presenting itself to his body. The ice-type's grin widened, his eyes inspecting the ongoing conflict of water and ice struggling to overcome the other, with Raze's fur serving as the battleground for the rebellion.

Raze still hadn't noticed, and that was truly miraculous. Miraculous and hilarious. His teeth were chattering from the plummeting temperature, but rain still fell upon the earth, and so he continued to attack, unaware that his fur was no longer slick and shiny, but partially frozen. The rain that descended upon the frozen fur dampened the snow further, changing it from simple flakes of frozen water into an increasingly impenetrable layer of ice, the type that humans would have to bring special picks and shovels just to clean it off their walkways.

The Glaceon rolled sideways when the Buizel launched a barrage of sparkling stars from his mouth, the stars adjusting their trajectory to match the target's movements, grazing the Ice-Type's side and sending him sprawling across the rain-slicked grass. This proved to be no true hinderance to the Ice-type, as he found his footing mid-tumble and righted himself. He winced immediately, and adjusted his stance, favoring his right side slightly, but doing what he could to hide the detail.

The Buizel seemed to have finally noticed the mob of snowflakes overthrowing their rainwater tyrants, and by this point, he couldn't stop them from taking over the capital of his body. He could only stall it, and the freezing pain would worsen with time. Shivering violently, the water Type dropped to the grass, signaling to his opponent that he conceded.

"You had rain on your side, and you went for Aqua Jet? Seriously, Raze?" the Glaceon snickered, walking over to his fallen opponent. Every few steps a brief limp betrayed his strained left hind leg, but the shivering Buizel didn't seem to notice or care.

"Just thaw me, Frost!" Raze growled. "You can point out all my errors afterwards!"

"Hmm, that really was your only one," Frost noted. "Here, take this," he said, passing the Buizel a yellow berry with notable markings from among a small pile of different ones. The Buizel gulped it down promptly, and immediately regretted it, his facial expression twisting and contorting until it almost resembled a prune.

"Yeah, those are super sour, by the way," Frost said, observing his companion with unabashed amusement. The Buizel swallowed the remainder of the berry in his mouth with difficulty, his eyes watering up. The effect was almost instantaneous, and the ice coating his fur melted away as the Buizel's internal body temperature skyrocketed the moment the fruit hit his stomach. It was a brief surge of heat, but it still left Raze shaking and panting afterwards.

"Last time I spar with you," Raze muttered.

"I stock up for a reason. Imagine if I didn't," Frost replied dismissively. "I even bring Rawsts, but how are we going to get burned?"

"If I shoot hot water at you."

"How would...actually, that's a good point. Theoretical as hell, but a good point," Frost mused. He shook himself, sending droplets of water in all directions, and then immediately blew an icy mist over his shoulder, freezing his wet fur into the trademark icy quills his species was known for.

"So what are you going to now? Sit in the rain and pretend you're a Vaporeon?" Raze asked, looking up at the sky. "This isn't stopping any time soon, so I'm hitting the lake. Don't you dare stop by to freeze it again."

"I didn't think it would actually work," Frost said with a smirk.

"You did it at the start of February and declared it evidence of six more weeks of winter," Raze deadpanned.

"I know. I was hoping for an early spring."

Raze raised an eyebrow. "Frost, is that going to be one of those cryptic comments that will suddenly make sense in a few weeks? Because you don't actually earn 'Mysteriousness Points' from me when you do that."

"That's because you're male."

"Forget it," Raze said, shaking his head, but he was grinning. "See you around. Same time tomorrow?"

"Naturally."

With a mutual nod between them, the Buizel left the clearing, heading in the direction of the local lake. Frost chuckled privately before turning and walking in the other direction. It had been a worthwhile sparring experience, but that was to be expected. Many Pokemon he had seen and faced were too predictable, because their styles were so similar to one another, or to his own. The truly skilled and powerful in the world would have experience facing many different styles and body types, and be prepared for unorthodox methods.

Pokemon trainers were renowned for being able to provide such a challenge. From the days that he was a mere Eevee living in the arctic hell of Mt. Coronet, he had been taught about humans and Pokemon, and their relationship in the world. He had heard of the challenges that Pokemon trainers faced in pursuit of their goals, and the ways that trainers could formulate unique tactics for their Pokemon to perform, tactics the Pokemon were unlikely to ever have formed on their own in the wild, and how unpredictable professional battles were.

And then there was the glory and honor for the team to achieve. Human and Pokemon alike would have their names and accomplishments immortalized in records, monuments, and many other such things. It was fascinating to hear, and would be even more fascinating to see.

And even better to actually do.

It didn't take Frost long to know that such idle dreams and desires bordered on delusional. All human kids wanted to become the greatest Pokemon master or some other tripe. There could only be one at the very top. You either had what it took to get there, or you had to be prepared to do all the work needed to climb to the top, rank by rank. Immeasurably difficult, but not impossible.

He would do one better than that, though.

Frost glanced skywards, allowing a frown to crease his brow. Raze was definitely right about the rain storm's longevity. The gray clouds extended from horizon to horizon, a solid blanket for the heavens to weep through.

Not that rain in itself really bothered him. As demonstrated by his sparring match, water was just melted snow. And snow was just frozen water. And he could freeze things on a whim.

Even just thinking the thoughts caused the air around him to chill drastically, extending the field of cold around him little by little, until his body was surrounded not by rain, but by scattering flakes of snow, clinging to the damp grass. If he so willed it, he could blanket the area in snow...but the local Pokemon tended not to appreciate that, and while he could probably beat a large group of Pokemon hindered by icy weather with his eyes closed, it was pointlessly cruel. There was no real fighting there, no challenge. It would be bullying, and not even the kind that'd rally them into action or motivate them, but the kind that'd prove he picked on weaklings for fun, and only weaklings he had ensured would be at a disadvantage BEFORE the fight even started. Cowardly and sickening.

Not a reputation he wanted. And not even worth the effort involved.

Frost observed the snow falling around him with a tiny smile of fondness. The peak of Mt. Coronet was a treacherous cliff side where snow and ice ruled with its icy grip around the inhabitants, but many Pokemon had managed to live there and in retrospect, their true strength for doing so was overwhelmingly obvious. There were packs of Sneasel, forests of Snover and the odd Abomasnow, and outside the range of Ice-Types there were things like Meditite, who endured through focusing their minds and bodies to the ultimate limits. And then there were his parents and himself, the only Eevee to dare to live in such an extreme environment.

It was beautiful. Harsh, but beautiful. It had been of no surprise that he had evolved there, to truly embrace the element of ice beyond simple appreciation and respect for its power. The power to frighten, to ensnare, to sap and drain, or even ultimately kill those too foolish to understand its strength. Such beauty in such terribleness.

So he made that power his own.

He didn't immediately realize how rapidly the temperature around him was dropping while he was lost in his reflection, but the quiet sounds of whimpering drew his focus. He stopped manipulating the temperature at once, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the realization that something had been nearby while he was fooling around with his power. Rain was usually cold enough without transforming it into ice.

This shameful feeling only worsened when he spotted a young quadruped with tan fur. Even a cursory inspection allowed him to identify it as a Leafeon, and this realization made him cringe. Leafeon were exceptionally vulnerable to extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.

The Leafeon's back was to him, and for a moment, Frost contemplated sneaking away without being noticed, if only so he wouldn't have to admit his careless oversight, but these thoughts faded when he noticed that the Leafeon actually seemed far younger than he would have guessed.

Frost may not have seen many Leafeon for the sake of comparisons, but he had enough exposure to them that he could usually get a good read on them, with some inaccuracies. The Leafeon's ears and tail were smaller than average, so it wasn't fully grown. This wasn't too weird, but it was a strong indicator that the Leafeon was less than two years old, which was usually around the time they reached full size. The sprouts on its legs, as well as the leafy parts of its extremities were slightly wilted, so it was suffering some sunlight withdrawal. Not life-threatening, but not a good idea to be forming snowstorms around, either.

A cursory glance around the surrounding area also suggested this Leafeon was alone. Young, low-energy, and alone. Not a good combination.

So despite Frost's more selfish judgment, he walked nearer to the Leafeon, keeping enough distance to not give off a threatening vibe, and cleared his throat.

The Leafeon jumped and turned his head, startled by the sudden sound. He seemed momentarily angry at being disturbed, but the look softened, and his brow furrowed to blank confusion as he stared at Frost. The lack of recognition in his eyes even after several seconds tipped Frost off that his species was utterly unfamiliar to the young one.

"Ah, my apologies for startling you," Frost stated smoothly. It was always easier to start conversations with a non-threatening or submissive remark, and then judge the reaction before probing for information. It was probably pointless to use the same tactic with a young Pokemon, but why change what works?

"Hi," the Leafeon said flatly.

"Are you all right?" Frost asked. This particular case might need a different approach. The Leafeon wasn't hostile, but he wasn't in the mood to talk. Not really a surprise; most Grass Pokemon were reluctant to use much energy during poor weather. Offering a bit of concern and sympathy might help lower his guard.

"I guess."

"Just guessing?" Frost asked with a chuckle.

"What do you want?"

The question caught Frost by surprise. Perhaps the Leafeon's mood was worse than he expected. He really didn't want to exchange small talk if he had already asked why Frost was trying to talk to him.

"I'm sorry for bothering you," Frost stated finally, an idea forming in his mind. "I was just a little concerned about how you were faring, but if I'm intruding, I'll leave you alone."

The Glaceon allowed a moment or two for the words to sink in, and started to take a few steps away, watching the Leafeon from the corner of his eye.

"Wait..."

"Yes?" Frost asked casually, hiding a smirk. The Leafeon had turned around to fully face Frost, and was looking uncomfortable.

"I'm...just having a bad day..."

"Ah...we all have those. Is there anything I can do to help you? Are you lost, or maybe need someone to vent to?"

"Nothing like that...I don't know," the Leafeon muttered, looking around with a bit of frustration in his voice. He even shot a glare skywards as rainwater dripped onto his muzzle from the sprout on his forehead.

"Well, let's start with the basics. My name is Frost. Yours?"

"Leaf."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Were you always intended to be a Leafeon, or is that a coincidence?"

"I don't know what that means," Leaf replied dully.

"Hm, a bad question, I'll admit. I merely was wondering if you were intended to-"

"Speak in smaller words."

Frost paused. That...was going to be a tall order. It shouldn't have been, but as a Pokemon who was even taught how to read human writing, it was actually difficult to remember that he had an unusual vocabulary at times, and while most Pokemon got the gist of what he was saying even if particular words slipped past their understanding, he was dealing with a younger Pokemon than normal.

"Did your parents want you to be a Leafeon, or did it just happen?"

"It just happened. I evolved a few days ago. What are you?" Leaf asked, peering at Frost's fur with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

"Glaceon. The ice evolution of an Eevee."

"Aren't you cold?" Leaf wondered.

Frost chuckled. "Cold weather is comfortable for me, but thanks for your concern. I assume you don't care much for the rain?"

Leaf gave a shrug, but shifted restlessly. That was enough of an answer for Frost. He smiled briefly and focused. After a moment, he felt a disconcerting amount of warmth flow through his body, and a small sphere of light appeared, rising up slowly until it was a few feet above their heads. Leaf watched it with a blank look, but the glowing sphere's natural warmth and light finally reached him and the tension in his body melted away.

"What...is that...?" Leaf purred, a dreamy expression coming across his features. Rainwater continued to bombard his body, but a faint vibrant green glow began to surround his body as the artificial sunlight became absorbed by his sprouts and leaves.

"It's a little technique called Sunny Day, it produces sunlight. I don't practice with it as much as my other ones, because sunlight really doesn't mix well with an Ice-Type compared to rain or ice, so I don't know how long it'll last," Frost answered.

Leaf didn't really seem to be listening too closely in favor of basking in the sunshine. Frost hid a grin. The little guy was ridiculously cute. Definitely on the young side, because only kits could truly replicate the innocent bliss now present within him.

Frost allowed a silence of two or three minutes before speaking again.

"Are you with anyone? Seems a bit weird to be alone during the rain."

"My older brother," Leaf said, but his tone had sobered a bit in contrast to his outstretched position on the grass.

"Where is he now?" Frost wondered, casting another look around the area.

"Under a tree, not too far. We were caught in the rain, and...I needed to think. I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough," Frost said, deciding to gloss over that subject. "Do you want me to escort you back to him when you're ready? I think he might worry about you otherwise."

"I almost hit him with a leaf."

Frost just blinked at that comment. It just came out of nowhere, didn't even fit well with what he had just said, and also made no sense. He was about to ask for elaboration, but then paused. If Leaf didn't want to talk about whatever he needed to think about that separated them, then outright asking for elaboration probably wouldn't work. He'd need to give a response that took what Leaf just said, and clarify the situation through guesswork. Kits didn't like to repeat themselves any more than adults did.

"You mean...like a Razor Leaf?" Frost wondered. Odds are, if Leaf had just evolved days ago, he didn't have even a tentative grasp of some of his species' battle techniques. He could definitely understand an issue coming from almost impaling a family member by mistake.

"I dunno," Leaf answered, becoming lost in his sunbathing again.

"Hmm...how much battle training do you have?"

Leaf shifted onto his side, cuddling against the grass. "I can tackle stuff."

Frost waited, until it became clear that Leaf genuinely wasn't going to say anything else. "That's it?"

"That's all Shadow taught me," the Leafeon said distractedly. "We've been traveling for a few days, haven't gotten the chance to do more."

"Didn't your-" Frost stopped speaking abruptly. He was about to ask whether the young Leafeon had gotten any tutoring from their parents, but then realized that this was probably going to be a sensitive issue. If only the two brothers were traveling together, then the parents were probably not in the picture. They could be dead, or captured by trainers, or the siblings could have been the product of a breeding center, or any number of things that all amounted to the same thing - no parental figures.

Leaf didn't seem to notice Frost's partial sentence, but he did whine a little when the Sunny Day sphere fizzled out. Frost made a mental note on much time had passed since producing it, as Leaf sat up, in far better spirits and energy than when they first met.

"Okay, I guess I can go back to Shadow now."

"All right, which way is...what the...?"

Frost's sentence trailed off as he noticed something even he had never seen before. Coming towards them was an Espeon with black fur instead of the traditional lavender. The Espeon's silver eyes were narrowed on Frost, but the Glaceon wasn't really concerned. The Espeon's stance lacked true battle confidence. He would unquestionably become aggressive if pushed, but Espeon tended to move with significantly more grace, as their telekinetic abilities let them have a wider 'feel' for their surroundings.

"Hi Shadow!" Leaf chirped energetically. The Espeon paused and gave Leaf a rather surprised look, something Frost could relate to. Leaf's mood and energy had done a complete reversal just from being bathed in sunlight for a few minutes.

"Ah, so this is your brother?" Frost murmured. That was definitely interesting. With a name like Shadow, the Glaceon would have suspected the fur color to have been a genetic feature from birth, but at the same time, he somewhat doubted it. Most Eevee parents were not so cliched with their naming patterns. Some probably were, but if Leaf's name was a coincidence, Shadow's name almost certainly was, too.

"Feeling better, I take it?" the Espeon asked, once close enough to really address Leaf directly. The Leafeon nodded, and Shadow turned his attention to Frost, who simply smirked. "And you are?"

"I'm Frost, and you must be Shadow," he answered, allowing a hint of dismissiveness to enter his tone. As hoped, Shadow's stance relaxed slightly. Protective instincts tended to relax when the perceived threat doesn't actually care very much about the individuals.

"Yes, I am. Did you have something to do with this?" he asked, nodding towards Leaf, who was cheerfully flicking his tail while watching the leafy end of it. That was a little strange, actually.

"A Sunny Day boost. He was sunlight deprived," Frost replied smoothly.

"Oh? You know about Leafeon?"

Frost chuckled. "I know all the evolutions. I didn't come from a clan, so I haven't seen all of them in-person, but I think I know the basics of how most of them function, from what my parents taught me. Don't you?"

Shadow stared at Frost in silence so long that the Glaceon finally winced, feeling a throb of pain expanding through his head.

"Ah, of course. It really is a delicate topic. My apologies. Now focus elsewhere, please, you're giving me a headache."

Shadow blinked, but obligingly gazed at a different point, looking past Frost's shoulder, which was actually fairly distracting, but it removed the pressure within the Glaceon's head. "What do you mean, I gave you a headache?" the Espeon wondered.

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me you have no idea how your psychic abilities work?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Do you?"

Frost laughed. He couldn't help it at this point; it was so ridiculous. "Yes!"

"Prove it," Shadow said curtly.

"Answer these quick simple questions first," Frost said, waving a paw dismissively. "Did my earlier comment upset you? Even a little bit?"

"A little," Shadow said.

"Thought so. Have you had any luck with using your psychic powers at will? Or are they chaotic or random?"

"The second one," Shadow answered blandly.

"Have you been emotionally stressed either before or after evolving?"

The black-furred Espeon paused for a long time, then gave a grim nod. "I definitely have."

Frost smirked widely. "Then I can help you."


	10. Talkative Training

There had been more than a few rough patches in the process. When Shadow had technically admitted to not having a clue how his powers worked, Frost had not realized just how bad it really was.

He had expected the Espeon to merely have had trouble controlling the power, or that the psychic energy within him was simply unstable and emerged with chaotic results at inconvenient times. Such things were completely normal for freshly evolved Pokemon, and Eevee were infamous for having this happen to them. It was the expected price of being a Normal-Type, and capable of evolving into seven or eight different elemental types with several of them possibly happening purely by accident, rather than conscious choice or the result of hard work.

Other Pokemon species had power incontinence issues from evolution, but usually it was trying to contain an upgraded form of their pre-existing abilities. Eevee didn't have this fallback, and that seemed to be one reason Eevee tended only to breed within their own species line - to have a community of resources and knowledge of how to handle the inevitable issues surrounding evolution.

Or they were lunatic purists. His parents had noted such groups and mindsets existed, but also insisted that it was a very old mindset that most modern Eevee clans saw as outright counterproductive, and the tendency of same-species pairing was simply due to convenience and accessibility.

Regardless, Frost quickly discovered that Shadow legitimately had no understanding of psychic abilities. This came off as more pathetic to the Glaceon than he was willing to say to the Espeon's face, and gave him some bonus amusement from the fact that if Shadow could read those thoughts, then he was improving enough to not be pathetic.

The real challenge was not about giving Shadow pointers on how to use abilities that Frost himself couldn't. That _should_ have been the real challenge, but it wasn't. The real challenge was tactfully navigating around the issues that were preventing Shadow from using his abilities competently.

By now, the rain had slowed to a waning drizzle, yet the sky remained as gray as before. Frost had led the two younger Eons back towards the clearing he had used to spar against Raze, feeling that such an area would be better suited to private training. Few Pokemon would disturb them, least of all with the weather still bleak enough to remain in shelter, and even if by some miracle a passing Pokemon trainer came by, Frost was more than adequately prepared to take out their team.

He had said as much when Shadow expressed concerns about being in an open area. Shadow had given the Glaceon a momentary glare but hadn't objected further.

"I'm afraid I can only provide so much through theory and exposition about how psychic abilities function," Frost said. "Therefore, I instead will observe your attempts and correct your questionable progress."

"Should I be listening?" Leaf wondered, giving Frost a blank look. Ah right, the little one didn't understand his larger vocabulary. That was something to keep in mind for when he needed to assist Leaf with his own abilities.

"No, feel free to splash in a puddle or whatever," the Glaceon replied, adding a momentary smile so that Leaf didn't get the idea he was being pushed away from them. The Leafeon seemed slightly unsure about the response, but began wandering around the clearing. Shadow's eyes followed the younger Pokemon, until Frost cleared his throat quietly.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?" Shadow asked.

Frost smirked briefly, but then took a moment to consider how he should direct the Espeon. He couldn't very well tell Shadow to use his power in a specific way if the Espeon didn't even know how to tap into it at will. Therefore, the best place to start was getting him to be more aware of the power source he had, and learn how to consciously tap into it.

"I need you to first close your eyes and relax your body. Surely since evolution you've felt some sort of additional power within you, some extra energy or some unusual sensations or symptoms. Headaches, tickles in the back of your mind, or peculiar awareness of things that you never noticed otherwise. Don't nod, I don't need you to reply yet."

Frost waited for a few moments, casting a glance in Leaf's direction to confirm the Leafeon wasn't wandering too far away, if only to help keep Shadow's mind at ease. He took another moment to examine Shadow's stance.

"Now, if you're relaxed, don't focus so much on how your body currently feels, but on your mind. Take note of what you're aware of, even without seeing it. Pay attention to the sensations in the back of your mind, but also at the forefront."

Frost paused, noticing the slight crease in Shadow's brow. This was probably quite a bit to take in for him, but it could also indicate a gradual grasp of things. Admittedly, Frost's understanding of psychic abilities was far from perfect. He had been taught about the concept and understood it to be rooted in focus. Meditation exercises would probably greatly benefit the Espeon, particularly if he was under a great deal of stress.

Shadow abruptly winced, and opened his eyes, an expression of discomfort settling over his face. "This isn't working, it's just making my head hurt," he grumbled.

Frost fought the urge to sigh. True, he wasn't an expert on how to tap into psychic abilities, but he had hoped to make at least some headway at the start, so that once Shadow was in the right direction, he'd be able to practice on his own.

"Very well, I probably took the wrong approach. Everyone's different, and you're probably pushing yourself too hard by thinking too much about what you're trying to do," Frost suggested.

"Maybe," Shadow said doubtfully. He looked away from the Glaceon to watch Leaf for a few moments. The Leafeon seemed to have come across the berries that Frost had left behind in the clearing after his spar with Raze, but after sniffing at them for a little bit, he began wandering back in their direction, leaving the fruits untouched.

"I have another thought for you," Frost said, drawing Shadow's attention back to him. "By now, you've probably had your abilities manifest in some sort of chaotic or unintentional manner. Can you describe any of those cases? How did it happen, and what was the situation?"

Shadow blinked, furrowing his brow in thought. "Hmm...I've managed to attack things a few times...send them flying backwards."

The Glaceon perked up at this. "Ooh, good start. What situations caused this?"

Shadow looked at Frost blankly. "Uh...a fight."

Frost pursed his mouth. "Yeah...were you winning or losing the fight? What were your emotions at the time? Do you at least remember the sensations in your mind or body when it triggered?"

"Losing," Shadow said stiffly. "I don't remember my emotions. It felt like pressure in my head tightening and then releasing."

"That's a good start. On the emotional side...were you scared? Angry, perhaps? I doubt you were happy or even content. Perhaps panicking? Desperate?"

"Um..." Shadow bit his lip. "I really don't remember...probably desperate?"

Frost simply nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. We'll touch upon it further later. Have you done anything psychic other than in the middle of a fight?"

"When he's sleeping," Leaf said abruptly. Shadow and Frost both jumped and looked towards the young Leafeon. "He keeps shoving me away in his sleep."

"Right, right...nightmares," Shadow muttered. Frost raised an eyebrow curiously. "I have frequent nightmares. I seem to lash out in my sleep."

"Do the nightmares involve situations where you specifically are in danger, or other people? The force you produce, is it an attack or a barrier?" Frost asked, getting a thrill of eagerness at finally getting a breakthrough, however small.

Shadow, however, didn't reply. Leaf was also averting his gaze, the silence stretching out for a full minute before Frost heaved a sigh.

"Sensitive topic, I see. I don't need the literal details of the nightmares, I just need to know the mood it produces in you."

"Terror."

Shadow's reply was curt and simple, and Frost nodded. The answer was more than enough for him. Fear was one of the most disruptive emotions for an Espeon. It prevented them from staying focused enough to efficiently wield their power, and triggered self-preservation instincts.

"Does it take the form of an attack or a barrier?"

"I don't know, I'm asleep at the time," Shadow said, now starting to sound more annoyed by the questions. Frost turned his gaze to Leaf, but the Leafeon continued to closely examine the grass at his feet. They weren't going to share that much, it seemed, and Frost could tell that if he pressed the issue further, the metaphorical barrier they were erecting around themselves would only get stronger.

"So your abilities trigger whenever you're upset. That's normal, and probably the reason you haven't gotten any level of control with them. Do you have things that weigh constantly on your mind? No, I don't need details, just acknowledge if I'm on the right track."

"You are," Shadow said.

"Once you manage to keep your emotions in check, or find yourself in better spirits, you may-"

"So I should just lock my emotions away, right?" Shadow asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just stop feeling anxious, or afraid, or angry at how things in my life are going?"

"No, of course not. That's not what..." Frost backpedaled, bewilderment etching itself across his face. "Locking your emotions would do infinitely more harm than good. Emotions...ugh...let me start this again."

"Don't bother," Shadow said irritably. "I don't need a speech."

An awkward silence fell between the three of them. Frost half-expected them to get up and walk away, but no one moved, not even to turn their back defiantly on him or some other display of pissiness. After a while, Leaf moved closer to his brother and cuddled against his side, and Shadow flashed the Leafeon a soft smile.

Frost felt his muscles in his jaw tighten at the sight, but immediately relaxed afterwards. He couldn't even begin to imagine what had prompted that reaction. He had no reason to be annoyed or hostile, unless the tension of the situation was getting to him. Maybe he needed to take a moment or two to collect himself, or vent some of his energy. Wait...

"I have another suggestion then," he stated, drawing their attention back to him. "If the source of the stress cannot be directly removed at this time, then it would be advisable to burn off excessive energy and tension. In fact, I would advise doing such things regardless of stress, because psychics tend to let their bodies deteriorate in favor of their psychic abilities."

Frost noticed that Leaf stopped paying attention less than halfway into his suggestion, but didn't let it bother him. His comments had been directed to the older brother, and it wasn't important for Leaf to understand him fully.

"Can you give me specific examples of how to do this?" Shadow asked, frowning slightly. "I'm not positive I know what you're suggesting."

"It can be any number of activities. Taking a long walk with pleasant scenery, putting extra time into physical training, playing a game with your brother, and so on. Anything that'll help you relax and use up any of that pent-up energy and emotion. Have you ever been angry and then gone for a walk and returned feeling..."

Frost trailed off, noticing the shadow passing over Shadow's expression. This was becoming more alarming with every example produced. Neither of them seemed too keen to discuss certain aspects of their life, and they tended to react to the strangest, most innocuous phrases. At the same time, it was utterly fascinating, and a neat little challenge to help him perfect his methods of reading people without them needing to tell him the details.

If it weren't for the fact it'd be difficult to test his assumptions and conclusions without upsetting one of them, Frost would have considered this a worthy side project.

"Never mind that for now. Point is, letting off some steam and stress will doubtlessly benefit your control in the long run. If you keep everything pent up too much, it could release without warning, such as when your emotions run high, or it'll act as a block to more deliberate focus."

"Hmm...that's a good idea, actually. Thank you," Shadow said, nodding thoughtfully. His expression had softened again, and he idly scratched behind his brother's ears, to the Leafeon's delight.

"I would suggest a spar or similar, but frankly, I'd be a terribly unbalanced opponent for either of you. I've had far more practice and experience with my evolution. You could spar with one another, or perhaps find a local Pokemon who'd be up for it."

"Like Bee-Bee!" Leaf chirped. Shadow winced, but Frost was just confused.

"Um...she's back in the forest, Leaf. Not close enough," the Espeon said seriously.

"Aww...I never got to say good-bye..." the Leafeon's ears drooped, and Shadow fidgeted guiltily. Frost decided now was a good time to gaze around the rest of the clearing, and in doing so, he spotted a flash of color moving around the trees, disappearing from sight when he turned to look there. He blinked, but let his gaze wander around, so as not to alert the moving creature that he had noticed it, but kept part of his attention on that spot regardless.

A moment later, the creature emerged again, and this time Frost got a clearer glimpse. Hm, it was a quadruped, and the slight shimmer in the air around it suggested a fire-type. No wonder it had been so easy to notice - fire types tended to stick out quite a bit in forested and grassy areas.

"Do either of you have anything following you around?" Frost wondered. Leaf cocked his head in confusion, whereas Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I noticed a fire-type moving over there a ways, and was wondering if-"

"A Quilava?" Shadow guessed. He held up a paw to quiet Frost when he was about to respond, and took a soothing breath. Leaf and Frost both stared at him oddly, although Frost quickly noticed the unfocused look in the Espeon's eyes and the ever-so-slight twitch of his forked tail. Oh, so Shadow did have one aspect of his abilities he knew how to utilize? That was valuable information, and could make further expansion on his abilities easier for the future.

"Hi!" Leaf chirped loudly, startling Shadow out of his daze, and even Frost jumped slightly, turning to see that the Leafeon was staring over at the trees close to where Frost had last seen the moving Pokemon.

"Yeah, it's her," Shadow muttered to himself. Frost raised an eyebrow, but Shadow didn't seem to notice.

"I found you!" Leaf said brightly, still gazing at the trees, his tail flicking cheerfully. Shadow glanced at Leaf and shook his head in amusement. Even Frost was unable to keep from smirking. It was a shame that he didn't have a younger sibling of his own. Aside from a few annoying or confusing aspects, it seemed like it would be pretty awesome.

After a short pause, the quadrupedal Pokemon stepped into sight and started walking nearer, and Frost could see it much more clearly. The species was not one he was particularly familiar with, so he had to take Shadow's word for it that it was a Quilava. Judging by its sleek figure and facial features, it was almost definitely female, with bright blue eyes and a rather adorable smile. Tan fur covered the lower half of its body, with a shade of blue covering the top side. Flames burned lightly at the top of its head and near its hindquarters, confirming it was definitely a fire-type.

"Hey there, little guy," the Quilava said brightly to Leaf. The Leafeon waved in response, to Frost's mild amusement. "Hey gorgeous," the Quilava giggled. Frost had to bite his tongue to keep from instinctively replying, noticing the fire Pokemon's eyes were focused on Shadow. Although the Espeon's dark fur kept his face from betraying visible signs of a blush, Frost could almost pick up the rise in temperature in Shadow's cheeks.

"Hello, again," Shadow said, and the Glaceon noticed that Shadow seemed to be putting way more effort than necessary into a casual, unconcerned tone. He also noted that the two held eye contact long enough to be labeled as an uncomfortable length of time, with Shadow breaking the contact first to examine his paws.

"I'm here, too," Frost noted pointedly, seeing as the Quilava paid him literally no attention. She flicked her gaze in his direction and gave a little nod, before going right back to giving Shadow a look over. Frost felt his jaw muscles tense up again, and his gut churned unpleasantly. He could hardly blame the Quilava for having eyes for Shadow. Even he could acknowledge the other male was exceptionally attractive, and definitely not something you could find anywhere else, with such an exotic fur coloration. Yet dismissing his existence entirely was...far less acceptable.

"Who are you?" Leaf asked brightly, walking closer to the Quilava as she sat down a short distance away.

"Oh, I'm Cecilia," the fire-type giggled. "Shadow and I met before, but I guess I don't know who you are."

"I'm Leaf! Shadow's my brother!" the Leafeon chirped. For a split second, Frost noticed something flash across Cecilia's face, like a bolt of understanding, and her gaze flicked rapidly from between Shadow and Leaf. The next moment, the expression was gone, and she was smiling at the young Leafeon.

"I'm Frost," the Glaceon stated blandly, knowing full well that Cecilia didn't care. He likewise had no real interest in her identity, but that didn't mean that she could get out of at least knowing his name.

"Nice to meet you," Cecilia stated politely. They made eye contact momentarily, but then she once again turned towards Shadow. Frost fought the urge to scowl and instead gave her a cursory look over. She was certainly an attractive female, with a fine figure, and she sat with bubbly confidence, so she definitely wasn't self-conscious about receiving attention, while still having the restraint not to flaunt her body, either.

"And what brings you around here?" Shadow was asking awkwardly. Frost smirked to himself, taking note of the way Shadow kept shifting his gaze around, sometimes looking at Cecilia, other times looking everywhere except at the Quilava, a detail that seemed to amuse the Fire-Type.

"Oh, just taking a post-storm walk," she said airily. "I like how the grass and trees smell after a good rainstorm. Makes me feel all lively and energetic, you know?"

She giggled, and shifted her position slightly to move nearer to the Espeon. Ah, she had a thing for him. Not that Frost was really surprised. Again, the Espeon was exceptionally attractive even by most standards, and if Frost had to guess, the feeling was at least somewhat mutual, because Shadow bit his lip and averted his gaze awkwardly.

It probably wasn't helping that both Frost and Leaf were sitting in the midst of the conversation. Leaf was watching Cecilia's flames burning with oblivious fascination, and Frost was observing their body language in silence.

"Oh, was I interrupting your training?" Cecilia asked abruptly, looking over at Frost and then back at Shadow with a convincing look of sheepishness. It didn't fool Frost, and Shadow didn't seem particularly gullible, either.

"No, we're taking a break," Frost provided helpfully, noticing Shadow's hesitation and glance in his direction. "Are you much of a battler?" he asked.

"I'm all right," Cecilia said with a shrug. Frost considered her for a few seconds. No, she had to be downplaying her actual skill. The shift in her stance had been purposeful. Much like how he had reassured Shadow earlier of good intentions by using a dismissive tone, Cecilia had shifted her stance into a leisurely, nonchalant stance ill-suited for battling. She was making sure the conversation didn't segue into a sparring match, but in shifting her weight like that, she had shown more of her hind legs, and Frost could tell she was in very good shape. She was too bubbly, too fit, and her flames burned with too much intensity to be a genuinely mediocre battler.

Very interesting.

"Another time, perhaps," Frost said idly.

"Sure, it's a date," Cecilia giggled. "Speaking of things we promise to do another time..." she mused, looking at Shadow pointedly.

"Leaf, what- hey!" Frost began, noticing the danger too late to react in time. The Leafeon had become so intrigued by the Quilava's flames and corresponding warmth that he had absently started prodding the air near them, and when Cecilia had pivoted to face Shadow again, the flames had come within range of the Leafeon's paw.

Leaf yowled in pain and recoiled, sticking his burnt paw into his mouth in an attempt to numb the pain. Shadow started forward, but Frost was faster, rushing over to the burnt Leafeon and firmly pulling Leaf's paw from his mouth so that he could inspect it. Leaf's eyes were brimming with tears of pain, and he whimpered piteously.

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!" Cecilia gasped, and she truly looked horrified.

"He'll be fine, he only burnt the pad," Frost stated flatly. He pressed Leaf's paw against his icy fur, wincing at a little at the source of heat now pressing against him, but that discomfort rapidly faded, as did Leaf's whimpers.

"You touched fire?" Shadow asked incredulously, although his eyes flashed with agitation, and Frost noted the faint glowing from the Espeon's forehead gem.

"I didn't know it'd hurt!" Leaf sniffled.

"One of you bring the blue berry that's sitting in the pile over there, please," Frost said, jerking his head in the direction of the berry pile Leaf had been sniffing at before. He was once again pleased that the preparations for his spars with Raze continuously managed to reward the effort involved. The Quilava and Espeon both moved, practically as one, and rummaged through the small pile, until Cecilia passed Shadow the berry in question.

"This one?" Shadow asked, depositing the Rawst berry before Frost.

"Yes. Leaf, eat this, it'll soothe the burn," Frost stated. Leaf fumbled with the bright blue berry before managing to eat it, his paw still pressed against Frost's fur. A few moments passed and Leaf sighed in relief, prompting Frost to release his grip on the Leafeon's paw.

"Feel better?" Cecilia asked.

"Yeah...still hurts a bit, but not as bad..." Leaf said, sniffling again.

"I'm so sorry, little guy," the Quilava said seriously. "I didn't realize you were sitting that close and..."

"It's okay," Leaf mumbled awkwardly, but he inched away from Cecilia's flames anxiously, all but hiding behind Frost.

"That could have been a lot worse, Leaf," Shadow said sternly. "You really need to be more careful. At least it was just your paw and not-"

"I'm sorry!" Leaf whined, now outright using Frost as a shield to hide behind. Frost raised an eyebrow at the young Leafeon's behavior, but then shrugged.

"He'll be fine, just needs a little longer to heal, and he'll be right as rain. Hmm...maybe not the best analogy to use, all things considering," Frost mused.

Shadow nodded and sat down, wincing a little. He tentatively massaged his head, taking care to avoid the silver gemstone in the center, which was still glowing very faintly. There was a short awkward pause as no one seemed too keen on talking until someone else did, and Cecilia was fidgeting in embarrassment, although her gaze kept flicking towards Shadow.

"I'd recommend taking some time to de-stress, Shadow," Frost said finally. The Espeon blinked at him. "Go for a walk, get something to eat, or whatever. I can get a start on tutoring Leaf in the meantime."

Shadow gave Frost an odd look, to which the Glaceon responded with a smirk. He hesitated, biting his lip again, but then nodded slowly. "I'll take a walk, then. Shouldn't be gone long."

"Take your time," Frost said idly. He looked over at Leaf. "Want to refresh your sunbath before we get started?"

"Sure!" Leaf replied brightly, looking above his head hungrily, in anticipation of the Sunny Day sphere to reappear. Frost chuckled and gave Shadow a nod. The Espeon hesitated again, then began to walk away, soon disappearing from sight among the trees.

Cecilia stretched her body casually. "Well, I guess I should be going for now, but-"

"Just try not to burn the other sibling too much," Frost interrupted dismissively. The Quilava simply grinned and left without another word. The Glaceon chuckled to himself, then focused on conjuring up the Sunny Day sphere for Leaf to bask in.

Certainly a number of interesting developments today.


	11. Bonding Revelation

All in all, springtime wasn't TOO bad.

The blooming of flowers, the happy chirping of birds in the trees, and the reappearance of the sun were all lovely in their own way, even at the cost of the purity of a blanket of snow covering everything with its dazzling beauty.

Even the rain was nice, cleansing away dirt and breathing new life into everything. A fresh start, in its own way. Creation following destruction. Life following death and stagnation. And the fresh smells in the air were divine.

None of these things made Lin any less reluctant to be treading this familiar path, unmarked by dirt trails or stone, or anything else that might normally indicate a path. Yet it was one she had taken many times before since she had met her comrades. So much had happened in the past year, and even moreso in the past few months, but this walk never seemed to change.

The Weavile's black fur was freshly washed, and her crown and tail of red feathers were nearly groomed, and had the sun been out from behind the massive wall of grey cloud, she may even have glistened in the light. Her sharp red eyes scanned the area, perceiving more details in a glance than most could with a long stare, and her long blue scarf trailed loyally behind her, its silks glistening from a fresh cleaning job as well.

A few male Pokemon looked at her as she passed them, the recent rainstorm having ended long enough for them to emerge from shelter, but she acknowledged them only with a glance and then moved on. None tried to stop her, or chat with her, or even wolf-whistle. Not that any of those actions would have accomplished anything pleasant in return. She smiled briefly to herself. There were a few advantages to being raised within a Sneasel pack. The reputation of the species, backed up by the presence of viciously sharp claws, was more than enough to keep unwanted attention away.

Not that she was fond of the reputation her species held. Many believed Sneasel and their Weavile kin were vicious, underhanded battle enthusiasts who'd as soon claim their defeated opponents for pleasure as kill them. She doubted many of those who believed the stereotype had actually seen this happen, nor had they actually had the laws of Sneasel society explained to them.

Lin's gaze soon fell upon a large white rock practically leaning against an aged tree stump, the claw markings that once graced the aged bark had been burned away with a carefully applied flame, and replaced by different markings. The rock bore the same markings, confirming the current owner of the territory.

Well, aside from the publicly unknown detail that it had been Lin herself who had made the markings in the rock. Cecilia's claws were ill-suited for such precise marks against stone, although it was her handiwork on the tree. She had complained that the tree stump's marks had been difficult to see by passing Pokemon, so that's how Lin had been roped into making a replica of the territory marks on something more visible.

The things she did for her friends. Cecilia's chosen territory mark was ridiculously convoluted, with some sort of strange figure eight pattern and an X shape in the center. Not hard to make in wood, but an utter pain to do in rock. Most Pokemon were content to simply make a notable scratch in something, maybe a little more personalized, but Cecilia liked her complex marking, so...

Lin made her way past the rock towards the partially hidden den. The former owner had probably been a digger of some sort, because it was a den dug out of a small hill hidden behind a number of trees. Or possibly that had been the owner before; Cecilia had been the owner already by the time Lin had met her, and she had never asked for the details.

Lin quite purposefully chose a navigation route that would keep the interior of the den from her line of sight. She had learned this was the best path a long time ago, not only because the terrain was easier to navigate, but because it was uncomfortably common for the Quilava to not be alone.

More frustrating was that Cecilia seemed genuinely baffled that this would bother anyone. Lin had to concede the point on that - it was her den within her marked territory. Anyone intruding into that layer of privacy should probably just be glad the Quilava wasn't prone to flambeing intruders.

Lin approached the den cave entrance and paused, using her honed hearing to pick up any telltale sounds that'd confirm whether Cecilia was even inside, and whether it was a good time to call for her. Even with the slight annoyance tugging at Lin's mind in regards to how tedious the task of fetching Cecilia could be, she still put her foot down when Force eagerly volunteered, citing that 'turnabout is fair play', while Iris blushed and giggled. Lin decided it was wiser not to encourage whatever it was they were planning.

It didn't take too long for her to catch the sound of voices from inside, although she made no effort whatsoever to catch the words being said. The tones alone suggested it was simple chatter, yet that meant only so much, and Lin wanted to speak to Cecilia in private regardless, so there was no advantage to going inside.

"Hey, Cece?" Lin called, leaning her back against the outer lip of the den entrance, facing the opposite direction of the den.

There was a brief pause before Cecilia replied, sounding slightly confused. "Yeah, Lin?"

"Could I see you for a minute or two?" the Weavile asked, inspecting her claws idly. Another pause, probably a quiet reassurance to her guest that she'd be back in a moment, and then the pattering of the Quilava's paws reached Lin's ears. A moment later, Cecilia emerged from her den. Her flames were burning at a remarkably low intensity, and her fur seemed slightly untidy, but she was in good spirits regardless.

"Hey, Lin!" Cecilia chirped. Check that, she was in great spirits, even for her.

"A little softer, please," Lin said, making a slight downwards gesture with her paw. Cecilia nodded and sat down, looking up at the Weavile curiously. "The birds have migrated back north. They're flocking back to the dust tower to nest."

"Why are you speaking in code?" Cecilia asked blankly.

"In case you have a guest," Lin answered, raising an eyebrow at the Quilava and then glancing towards the den entrance.

"Yeah...but you're not saying anything secret. We don't even HAVE a secret code."

"But do you know what the message is?" Lin asked, slightly amused by Cecilia's genuine bewilderment.

"Kaito's back from Johto, meet in the Chateau attic," the Quilava replied promptly, still using the bewildered tone. "Does he tell you to give me coded messages or is that something you just do?"

Lin sighed slightly. "Never mind. How long until we can expect you?"

"Do you think I have a timetable?" Cecilia asked, starting to sound slightly annoyed. She blinked and took note of the sheen of Lin's fur and scarf. "Did you wash up before you got here or...?"

Lin snapped her claws. The look of bewilderment on Cecilia's face intensified.

"...you realize we're the only ones talking, right?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, force of habit," Lin admitted sheepishly. "I think I've taken the minute or two of your time I requested, so I'll see you later, Cece."

With that, the Weavile departed, her scarf again trailing behind her from the light spring breeze. Cecilia blinked after her for a few seconds, then shrugged and made her way back into her den.

* * *

"That was weird," Cecilia remarked brightly, as she reached the bottom of the incline leading from the entrance way to the main den area. It was a wonderfully spacious and cozy den, the walls all expertly dug out and padded until they were as sturdy as concrete, but with the natural look of dirt and soil.

The Quilava even had sections of the den organized fairly well. One area kept a supply of water sealed in containers she had gathered from human cities, usually the trash bins, but she had taken to just gathering them up from the streets ever since the incident with the Dumpster fire. In similarly airtight containers were a variety of fresh fruits of various types and sizes, but also some meat, although her current supply was all out. She didn't like storing meat in her den too long. She always found the quality to be lacking after a few hours, whether it was cooked by her flames or not, and it sometimes attracted scavengers to her den, and then she'd have to deal with that.

The far corner of the den had a fireproofed blanket she had swiped from Eterna City before winter struck. It kept herself warm, was plenty soft, and was far more reliable as bedding than virtually anything else. Plus it couldn't catch fire, so what more could a Quilava want?

The blanket was currently in use, and Cecilia was amused to see that despite the short span of time she had been gone, the black-furred Espeon had managed to doze off. His body was far more relaxed now than their previous encounters, and she had noticed the slight circles under his eyes whenever they made eye contact, so him sneaking in a cat nap was, aside from the terrible pun, completely understandable and even expected.

The Quilava wrestled with the decision of whether to wake him or let him sleep a little longer, followed immediately by the decision of _how_ to wake him. After a lengthy pause, she walked over to the dozing Espeon and nudged his cheek, taking care that her flames had receded before making contact. The Espeon's tail twitched and his silver eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, gorgeous," Cecilia teased, giving the same cheek a playful lick. "Where were we?"

Shadow yawned and stretched his forelegs before sitting up, the motions of which Cecilia observed shamelessly. Even his stance was more relaxed and at ease than before, and his face and eyes devoid of the tension and stress that seemed to have claimed them over time.

"Ooh, right, I was asking you about your gorgeous fur," Cecilia said brightly. "That wasn't natural, was it? You didn't have black fur as an Eevee, you evolved like this?"

"For some reason," Shadow said with a shrug. "Thought I was an Umbreon at first."

"Well, you know I'm a fan of it," Cecilia giggled and winked. Shadow smiled weakly, and despite the black fur, the Quilava had a hunch he was blushing. "I suppose you'll want to head back to your brother, though," Cecilia said thoughtfully. "I guess your de-stressing walk paid off."

"Ah...yes, it did," Shadow said. Yup, definitely blushing. He got to his feet and slowly began to walk towards the entrance to the den, with Cecilia a pace or two behind him.

"Feel free to stop by if you're in the area," Cecilia chirped. "Oh, but I suppose you're traveling...any idea where you're going?"

"Not yet," Shadow admitted. "I'm looking for somewhere quiet and calm, but I'm also concerned about the weather because of Leaf..."

Cecilia considered this for a few moments. "For a Leafeon? I dunno, Floaroma Town? Otherwise, I'd say Johto, but I'm kind of biased. Sinnoh weather's kind of bleh."

"Where's Floaroma?" Shadow asked, giving the Quilava a curious look as they stepped outside the den. Cecilia examined the area around them.

"Let's see...well, it's to the west of Eterna, so you'd have to go...a LONG way that way," she said, pointing. Shadow winced. "Headache?" she asked, momentarily concerned.

"Hm? No, actually, my head's fine," the Espeon said, sounding pleasantly surprised by his own statement. "No, the problem is we came from the Eterna area, so we'd have to go back and then some and..."

"Why did you leave? That's a great area," Cecilia wondered. Shadow hesitated, a slight crease forming over his brow. "Oh, never mind, you don't need to tell me," the Quilava said, giving the Espeon a brief nuzzle. No need to bother him when he's in such a good mood and state of mind.

"Thank you," Shadow replied. He smiled briefly at the nuzzle and touched her cheek momentarily. She giggled and glanced up at his eyes, and for a moment, they made eye contact, and actually held it without him looking away awkwardly. Then he blinked, as it trying to recall something he had forgotten, something he knew but couldn't quite place his paw on.

"Something wrong, Shadow?" Cecilia asked, genuinely perplexed by the expression.

"It's nothing, something just seems familiar," he said, shaking his head. Their eyes met again, but this time, the Espeon's gaze was a little more intense, as if searching for something in her eyes. It was the kind of thing that Cecilia herself sometimes did when trying to remember a face, so she merely smiled and kept the eye contact.

 _Flashes moving so quickly they were a blur of motion._

 _An enormous city, packed with humans and Pokemon. Streets lined with stores and enormous windows. Several towering buildings, one black tower broadcasting signals across the region. A brightly colored sign, welcoming travelers._

 _An open meadow and stream. Pokemon frolicking about, as a pair of elderly humans look on. Trainers come and go regularly, and the Pokemon here change just as often. A lonely Cyndaquil remains, the one constant in an ever-changing place._

 _Sadness. Fear. Anger. As these emotions filled her mind, the scenes shifted and slowed down._

 _A creature of nightmares. A simple-looking bipedal canine, eyes masked in black fur. Moving swiftly to attack a Vaporeon. Its Jolteon mate darts into the fray, but the Riolu dodges nimbly. Its eyes gleam. Eyes as yellow as the Jolteon's fur. A familiar Jolteon. A familiar Riolu..._

 _Those eyes..._

The images were gone.

Cecilia's jaw hung open, her blue eyes filling with tears and shocked horror. She backed up several paces, and cried out in agony as pain flooded her skull. She clutched her head with her forepaws, her body shaking uncontrollably. The pain did not linger, but the emotions clung to her tightly.

"What was that?! What was that?!" she practically screamed.

Shadow moved closer, looking confused and concerned. "W-what is it?" he asked, gripping her shoulders with gentle paws. Then he cringed. "You saw what I saw, didn't you?"

"What you saw?" Cecilia repeated, looking up to stare at the Espeon's face. "Those were your parents, weren't they?"

Shadow looked away. He still remained calm and relaxed, but his eyes glistened. "...yes."

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Cecilia said, her eyes bulging slightly. "I didn't know!"

"It's not your fault," Shadow said seriously. "I'm sorry to distress you over my own problems." He glanced upwards, towards the silver gemstone on his forehead. "I must have linked our minds briefly by mistake. I'll work on that. Thank you for your help today."

"N-no problem," Cecilia stammered, fighting to regain her composure. She finally managed to force a smile back onto her face, but nothing could force her glistening eyes to dry up. "Anytime," she added weakly.

"See you...Cece," Shadow said, smiling slightly at the sound of the words. As he began to walk away, his forked tail flicked upwards and stroked beneath the Quilava's chin. She shivered, and a rare blush came across her face. She watched as the Espeon departed, until at last he was gone from sight. She slumped into a listless sitting position, staring at the ground at her feet.

Her body felt numb, and coldness seeped into her limbs. Her flames had gone out entirely, unwilling to burn and crackle with happy energy.

That Riolu...she knew that Riolu.

That Jolteon, and the Vaporeon...Rio and her mate...

Those eyes...

Shadow said it wasn't her fault, but she wouldn't believe that. She couldn't accept that. To think that he might even like her, even as simple infatuation, much like her interest had been...it was like ice water to her soul.

They weren't traveling with their parents.

Shadow didn't know it was her fault, but now SHE knew it was her fault. It had to be her fault...but she hadn't wanted this...

Her flames reignited with a 'fwoosh' sound, filling her body with warmth and energy once more. Anger blazed in her heart, shoving away the remnants of self-pity and guilt. She'd deal with those later. First, she was going to get answers.

And they'd be coming straight from the source.


	12. Trial by Fire

The Chateau front door opened with a low creaking sound, as if the house itself was a bit weary of being entered and wanted to return to its unending slumber. The foyer remained as ominously dusty as ever, and Kaito suspected that the house had somehow made itself even more dirty just to spite him. The footprints the others had made when trekking through the house last time had disappeared, and been replaced with an untouched layer of dust.

And were those spiderwebs new?

It was with the greatest of reluctance that Kaito floated inside, half expecting the door to slam shut abruptly just to give him heart failure. Or to subscribe to some cliche horror movie tropes.

Come to think of it, why did the atmosphere here seem so much more...lively? Maybe not the best description for it, but something definitely felt different. He could practically hear the sound of a grandfather clock groaning with each swing of its pendulum, yet the only clock in the house was broken, its hands unmoving and its pendulum rusting.

Kaito made his way up the staircase, his sense of apprehension heightening as he ascended towards the second floor. Perhaps it was a side effect of knowing what was waiting for him at his destination, the apparition he had come here to see, yet dreaded its presence. The anxiety clutching his heart was so much more tangible now, much like the haze of dust scattered in the air.

Not something he really wanted to think about.

He reached his paw up to cover his mouth, filtering each breath so as not to inhale the stale, dusty air that filled the house. The floors creaked and he paused, glancing around blankly. He hadn't stepped on the ground, nor did he have any intention of doing so.

He waited for a few seconds, just to be sure that someone else hadn't arrived or was wandering around. He resumed his ascent, gazing at the pictures that lined the doorways of the second floor, just as he had done on his first visit here. The darkness in this hall was absolute, broken only by the faint glow of the light aura he conjured around himself. Last time he had extended it further out, to better see the surroundings and find clues as to whether his search was a dead-end or not, but this time he knew the answers were up ahead, at the end of the hallway where the staircase to the attic stood hanging open, like a skeleton's broken jaw.

"Kaito," Lin's voice called out, sounding distant and muffled, so the startle factor was significantly reduced. The Togetic paused and replied loudly, but clearly.

"Second floor!"

"Got it!" the Weavile's voice replied, sounding relieved for whatever reason. Kaito waited where he was, until the Weavile had climbed the staircase and joined him, her eyes glancing with mild disgust at the floor every few steps. Kaito decided it would be best for his mental health not to examine her feet.

"Anyone else expected soon?" Kaito wondered, as they traveled down the hall towards the attic stairs.

"Force and Iris should teleport in any time now...don't worry, I said to use the front door," Lin replied, flicking the end of her scarf idly. "After you," she said, gesturing to the stairs.

"And Cecilia?" Kaito wondered, floating up towards the blackness of the attic.

"Don't ask."

Kaito cast the Weavile a backwards glance. Although she and their Quilava companion always seemed particularly close, Lin always seemed oddly hesitant to elaborate on Cecilia's behavior or mindsets. Probably for the better, really. Cecilia was playful, flirtatious, but almost always in good spirits. Didn't have a mean bone in her body, really. Even her teasing of Force was entirely good-natured, and Iris never seemed particularly annoyed by the Quilava's tendency to disregard Force's personal space. In truth, Kaito enjoyed the contrast of personality Cecilia provided to the rest of them. She kept them from acting too uptight, or getting frustrated when months of research went unrewarded.

The potential for talk vanished as they both entered the attic space, and Kaito could sense that Lin was feeling just as uneasy as he was. Despite her borderline stoic and aloof demeanor, Lin was nervous. Not a good sign, but it made him feel less pathetic knowing he was in common company.

Slowly, the two of them moved around the small monuments of boxes and objects until the silver-grey stone came into view, looking completely ordinary and unmoving, yet it radiated the sense of unease like an emotional transmitter. Kaito noticed the static-covered screen of the television was somehow still functioning, despite that he had noticed before leaving last time that it wasn't actually connected to a power source.

"We're here!" Iris called out brightly, as she and Force climbed up into the attic space. "Oops...sorry..." the Kirlia whispered, and Kaito shot her a dirty look, before realizing it was Lin's withering glare that had shut her down first. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he had at least expected someone to show up soon, so it wasn't as terrible as it could have been.

"Did we miss anything this time?" Force wondered, gazing around the attic uncertainly. Kaito shook his head and the four of them slowly approached the Keystone that had still not moved or done anything since they had arrived. The suspense and anxiety for something to happen was nearly as bad as knowing what the Keystone contained.

So they waited in silence, standing a fair distance away from the stone, unsure if any of them should risk moving closer to it, or whether to say anything to it, or just wait until the ghost within it became aware of their existence.

"Maybe it needs to make a dramatic entrance," Lin suggested. She snapped her claws loudly.

Nothing happened.

"Or maybe-" Force began, but at that moment, the runes on the Keystone lit up, forcing the Riolu to shield his eyes from the piercing glare. Purple flames erupted from the fissure at the Keystone's top, expanding and swirling outwards into the fiery circle that made up the phantasm's face. Spheres of green and yellow light circled within the flames, until the fire settled down into the purple ghostly fog. Green eyes and a matching jagged grin formed, and its spiral pupils glowed yellow, the mere sight of the eyes sending shivers through their bodies.

The Spiritomb observed the four of them in silence, coldness seeping into Kaito's body as the ghost's gaze lingered on him, before flitting over to land on each of the others in turn. Iris whimpered and clung to Force's middle, hiding her face in his fur as he stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Oh, so you did come back," the Spiritomb murmured, barely above a whisper. "I was wondering if you would."

"Ah...the winter was a bit harsher than expected," Kaito said sheepishly. "It left us with little way to return here until spring."

"Apology accepted," Diablos replied silkily. His yellow eyes gazed around the attic once more. "After spending countless ages floating in a void of nothingness, powerless and unable to do anything but exist, I suppose such concepts as loneliness and boredom cease to matter."

No one seemed to know how to respond to that, and Kaito fidgeted with his paws uncomfortably. However, Diablos chuckled after a pause, and then smiled, the jagged mouth curving upwards.

"I trust you have a plan? An agenda to fulfill?"

"Um..." Kaito hesitated, and the smile faded from the Spiritomb's face.

"You can't be serious. So you've unsealed me, but then sit on your paws for three months?"

"No, I do have-" the Togetic began, but a sound from the floor below distracted him, and he turned to look inquisitively at Lin, who was cocking her head to the side, straining to hear. The scampering of paws on the staircase hit their senses, and Cecilia burst into the attic, looking more agitated than Kaito had ever seen her before.

The Quilava's fur was untidy and her flames were roaring with a greater intensity than normal. Judging by her heavy breathing, she had run a considerable distance, and she looked livid. It was a rare sight indeed, and Kaito knew better than to draw Cecilia's wrath if she was pissed off.

"Force, look me in the eye!" she snapped, the Riolu looking up in alarm. Iris blinked and backed away a pace or two, unnerved by the heat given off the Quilava. Cecilia moved right up to the Riolu and reared up, placing her forepaws on his shoulders and staring intently at his eyes.

"Why are you staring at my eyes like that?" Force asked, not breaking eye contact, but visibly unnerved by the intensity of the Quilava's stare. "Are you hitting on me?" he paused and glanced at Iris from the corner of his eye. "Is she hitting on me?"

"I...don't think so..." the Kirlia said nervously.

The Riolu's nose twitched and he gave Cecilia a rather bewildered look. "And why do you smell like...you're not in heat, right?"

"Bite me," Cecilia growled, releasing Force and instead focusing on the Spiritomb, who was observing her with great interest. "What the hell did you do?"

"Cecilia..." Kaito began, but a glare from the Quilava prompted him into silence. He glanced towards Lin questioningly, but the Weavile seemed just as confused as he did. So Cecilia's mood had nothing to do with whatever Lin had evaded discussing before.

"Is there a problem?" Diablos asked, his voice barely above a calm whisper, but even that was difficult to catch over the hissing and popping of Cecilia's flames.

"Shadow," Cecilia snarled. "What did you do?"

The Spiritomb blinked, unable to keep the surprise from his expression. Slowly, his jagged grin returned. "You're going to need to be more specific, deary."

Kaito flinched, half-expecting Cecilia to fly into a rage at being addressed like this, but she simply narrowed her eyes at the Spiritomb.

"Did you do something to Force? To get him to attack Shadow's parents?" Cecilia snarled. She stepped closer to the Spiritomb, as if she was about to literally get in his face. Meanwhile, all other eyes turned to look at Force, who was now staring at Cecilia as if she had gone insane.

"Oh that. Yes, that was me."

There was dead silence following this statement. Diablos had answered with no hesitation, and his tone was that of nonchalant amusement, as if he had been asked whether he enjoyed sweet berries.

"...what?" Force sputtered, and despite her anger, Cecilia just stared at Diablos blankly, falling into a sitting position, the aggression being sapped from her body.

"Yes, I did that," Diablos repeated.

"How? I didn't do anything like that!" Force demanded, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I possessed your body. A necessary side effect of you agreeing to loan me your aura abilities. I trust the amplified power is to your liking? I'd hate for you to think I conned you," Diablos said silkily.

"You never said you'd be able to do that!" Force snapped. "I don't want it if you can control me."

"I'd be more than happy to refund you if you're unsatisfied," Diablos said quietly. "However, because Cecilia here is so eager to know why...let me give you all some food for thought. Put yourself in my place for just a moment...I cannot move. I've spent ages locked away, declared a demon by the stories left behind. History is written by the winners, after all."

The Spiritomb narrowed his eyes slightly, and the attic air seemed to chill by several degrees, so that even Cecilia shuddered. Yet no one spoke.

"You unsealed me, led to my fractured Keystone by the same lore. You have noble goals, noble aspirations, and need the power I wield, a dreaded power that exposes a person's inner darkness. For a person's darkness is the fear of their darkest self, a self they abhore but cannot understand. But in reality, while I have substance here, I have been moved from one prison to another. From a meaningless, timeless, neverceasing existence within a barren abyss to a state resembling a fragment of my former self. Can you really blame me for using what little resources I had to ensure I wouldn't spend the next hundred years or so alone in this musty human building that even ghosts have abandoned?"

Diablos paused, letting his words sink in. Kaito looked around, frowning in thought. Lin seemed a bit uncertain, but was hiding her unease fairly well. Force was holding Iris close, but his own expression seemed to be wavering between anger and sympathy. Iris was just looking anxious, holding onto Force tightly, as if afraid that he'd slip through her fingers if she dared loosen her grip.

"So why did you do it?" Cecilia demanded. She seemed to have regained some of her aggression, and she stood up once more, her flames hissing, making her seem like an angry cat.

"Were you not listening?" Diablos mused pityingly.

"Not that. Why did you attack Shadow's parents, huh?" she growled.

"I didn't. They attacked me. Interfered with my transferring process. I intended for Shadow to contain the fragment I gave Force, but they broke my link early. The fragment failed to bond properly, and I had to preserve Force's life at the cost of theirs. Surely you can't complain with that outcome?"

"...so they really are dead?" Cecilia asked, her voice cracking. "Rio...and her mate...parents of two kits...you just...I didn't..."

"I should be thanking you for the advice. A name like Shadow most certainly had to be a destined name for a powerful inner darkness. I did sense a great deal of potential, and their loss will nurture his darkness."

"Don't thank me for that!" Cecilia practically screamed. "You caused two innocent kits to suffer for no reason? Just because I mentioned Shadow's name back then?!" she buried her face into her paws, shaking uncontrollably.

"Not for no reason," Diablos stated quietly, and it was clear he was talking only to Cecilia now, his voice softer and almost sympathetic. "Inner darkness gains no strength from petty sadism. It was by chance alone that the incident occurred. Had they come to his aid either seconds sooner or later, they needn't have died. However, it's the past now. What's done is done, and can't be undone. A harsh reality, but it would be a greater disservice to let them have been lost for nothing."

"I didn't...I didn't want this!" Cecilia whined into her paws.

"Your heart is conflicted," Diablos murmured. "No matter. Such pain will dull with time. Kaito...I trust you had reasons for coming here other than to tour the premises."

The Togetic winced. "Right...perhaps you could give us all a moment to collect ourselves downstairs before we get to business?" he asked, glancing pointedly at Cecilia, and taking note of Lin's likewise concern for the Quilava.

"Yes, of course," Diablos replied dully. "Take your time."

The Spiritomb smirked, and the purple flames extinguished themselves, the spheres of light becoming drawn into the Keystone's fissure like marbles down a sink drain.

The silence in the attic seemed deafening now.


	13. Tactful Discussion

The second floor hallway was ill-suited for any real conversation, so the group made their way back to the first floor, opting to settle down in the drawing room. A tattered sofa and a number of cushioned chairs decorated the large room, and a table sat in the center. White linen covered each of the pieces of furniture, although time had yellowed them to an almost nauseating hue.

Kaito refused to touch the furniture at all, so that left Lin, Force, and Iris to throw off the tattered cloths, unveiling the dark blue upholstery. Kaito examined the cushions skeptically, but eventually allowed himself to be seated upon one of the chairs, but the expression of discomfort never left his face.

Lin chose the opposite armchair, if only because Iris and Force were more than happy to share a section of the couch, the Kirlia going as far as to sit in the Riolu's lap. Cecilia, however, showed no real desire to get comfortable. She had calmed down significantly since they had left the attic, but her eyes were devoid of the bubbly joy she usually showed.

Lin's sharp gaze observed the Quilava carefully. Of the group, none were closer to Cecilia than her, and likewise none of them could read people as well as she could. It was an acquired skill, honed through constant practice and a necessary skill to have within Sneasel packs. If one could not judge the intentions of their kin, or of rival packs, then they were potentially vulnerable to ambush or deception, and the penalties for such mistakes could range from humiliation to death, depending on the intentions of the triumphing party.

Cecilia's talent was always information gathering. She was remarkably gifted at talking to strangers and coaxing bits of information from people. Much of what she gathered tended to be random trivia, but her genuinely bubbly nature and friendliness gave her an advantage compared to researching parties like Lin or Kaito, whose more serious demeanor tended to be met with skepticism, suspicion, or indifference. Although labeled as a notorious flirt and a playful prankster to a fault, Cecilia was extremely emotional at times, especially compared to Lin and Kaito.

Really, the ways Cecilia contrasted from Lin or Kaito could probably fill several books. While Iris and Force were unquestionably romantically attached, and Cecilia liked to flirt and tease, neither Kaito nor Lin shared such interests. Kaito was less opposed than Lin herself was, but his condition made him unwilling to get too attached to specific people, at least not in an affectionate or intimate manner.

The scarfed Weavile understood romance well enough. She had a firm grasp of the notion of true love, romantic endeavors, and purely physical relationships. None of these offered her anything she required. She was perfectly accepting of this aspect of herself, but very few people seemed to understand her point of view if she tried to explain it. Regardless, she was fully aware that Cecilia craved companionship in all levels of commitment much more than she herself did.

"Are you feeling all right, Cece?" Lin asked softly, breaking the silence.

"No! I don't feel okay!" Cecilia answered, already becoming agitated again. Her flames flared up briefly before simmering down again, and she shifted her weight, as if embarrassed by the display.

"Easy..." Lin said, raising a paw and adopting a soothing tone. "I won't pretend to understand everything you're feeling right now. I assume you don't want to illuminate us at this time?"

"No."

"If it's any consolation, Cecilia, this development is not sitting well with us, either," Kaito said seriously, drawing a brief glance from the Quilava.

"I'm kind of pissed about how I can apparently be possessed and used as a puppet," Force grumbled. "How many times has he done that shit?"

"Force!" Iris chided, but when the Riolu gave her a weird look, she blushed. "No, no...you can be mad, I just...language..."

"That is a real problem," Kaito agreed, his wings fluttering briefly. "I should have mentioned that possibility..."

All eyes turned to the Togetic, and none of their gazes looked amused. The fairy Pokemon fidgeted uncomfortably beneath the stares.

"Ah...see, there was a...section of one of the stories that mentioned that...Diablos has the ability to place one of his souls inside people and become one with them. It was...very irregularly translated."

"How did you interpret that other than spiritual possession?" Lin asked, frowning.

"I didn't exactly have the clearest information to work with," Kaito admitted. "I do know his original purpose was to absorb and contain the darkness of a person's heart. In doing so, they become one with him. You can see how the translation issue comes into play here..."

The other Pokemon stared at him incredulously.

"Do you even know what we're getting ourselves into here?" Force asked, scowling. "Look, I know we agreed at the beginning that we were willing to put our own lives on the line for the greater good, but do you think maybe this is a step backwards?"

"No," Kaito said firmly. "We live in a world where the desperate struggle through any means to overcome the obstacles. We made a misstep here, and that's what caused this issue. It doesn't mean our goals or methods are wrong."

"He killed Pokemon who had done nothing wrong!" Cecilia growled. "And sentenced their kits to lonely, fear-filled lives without parents to protect and watch over them! How is that okay?!"

"I didn't say it was okay, I..." Kaito began, but Lin raised a paw, cutting him off, her gaze upon Cecilia.

"We really shouldn't argue amongst ourselves," she said quietly. "I think it's possible we rushed into this plan without considering the impact it could have on all of us. We need to better prepare ourselves for what cooperating with this Spiritomb will entail, and find out more about his capabilities, and how they can benefit us. Otherwise, we could very well end up over our head again."

"Do we actually have a lead on how to proceed, anyways?" Iris wondered.

"Right, I had spoken to Sorin a few days ago," Kaito said absently.

"Is he coming to Sinnoh?" Force asked.

There was a long awkward pause, as if everyone expected someone else to answer the question. Eventually, everyone's attention focused on Cecilia, who took an extra few seconds to notice them.

"What?"

"I dunno, it seemed like you're the one who'd usually answer that question..." Kaito said.

"Sorin doesn't even like me," Cecilia argued bitterly. "He's got that weird thing about Fire-Types getting in his personal space. Shame, because he's super-soft. His wings are like sleeping in clouds..."

"I...can't particularly blame him for that issue," Kaito mused. Judging by the blank looks from Force and Iris, neither of them knew any more details than Lin herself did. That is to say, next to none. Lin had never met the Altaria personally, but the others supposedly had. However, Sorin was evidently loathe to travel to Sinnoh, so it could be a long time before the two of them would ever cross paths.

"I'm plenty likable!" Cecilia snapped abruptly.

"That's not what I was implying..."

"You know what? I can't handle this right now. I need to go," Cecilia muttered, her flames crackling irritably. Without saying anything further, she turned and briskly walked out of the room. Seconds later, they heard the front door open and close again with a sharp slamming sound. Kaito groaned and buried his face in his paws.

"That could have gone better," he muttered.

"Understatement of the year," Iris agreed, shaking her head. Lin continued to gaze after the departing Quilava thoughtfully. She would need to track Cecilia down later and confirm that she was all right. Until them, letting her be alone and giving her time to cool down was probably for the best.

* * *

The Spiritomb reformed before them minutes later, the yellow eyes acknowledging them each in turn with a glance, but made no comment about Cecilia's absence from the group. They had finally returned to the attic space, after Kaito had given them a quick summary of his information before bringing it up to the Spiritomb. They were quite keen to avoid further miscommunication and confusion among themselves.

"Well, if there is no further cause for delay, what do you have in mind?" Diablos inquired, his gaze resting on Kaito in particular. The Togetic shivered, glancing over at Lin briefly, but then refocused on the Spiritomb.

"I spoke with a friend of ours in Johto during the break," Kaito said slowly. "And he mentioned that as of late, there have reports of odd activity within the ancient ruins located in that region."

Lin raised an eyebrow slightly. Leave it to Kaito to have done research regarding other ruins outside of Sinnoh. She really had to marvel at his fascination with ancient history and lore, but surely Sinnoh had more than enough examples of fallen civilizations and tributes to the deities of legend to satisfy his interests.

"I don't follow," Diablos said blankly.

"I didn't see any connection at first, but Sorin mentioned some dates, and that's when I realized that the recent activity started mid-December. The 17th, or the 18th, it was a bit vague as to whether that's when it started or when it was first reported."

Diablos still looked nonplussed, while Force and Iris simply shrugged. Lin remained silent, mulling over the information. Kaito seemed vaguely amused, as if he was holding onto the answer to the world's toughest riddle, and was just bursting to see whether anyone could solve it before time ran out.

"The day we broke the seal," Lin stated finally.

"Oh?" the Spiritomb's eyes gleamed with interest. "So something elsewhere in the world happened at the same time as I was unsealed. Interesting..."

"Admittedly, we don't have many specific details to go on, but based on the fact your Keystone pieces resonated with each other..." Kaito didn't need to elaborate further; the message was clear.

"Perhaps the ruins have a hint or even a key to unlock my seal further. Perhaps enable me to regain my mobility...or restore some of my memory. With the passings of time, it seems I cannot recall much before I was sealed. It is endlessly frustrating and leaves me without much direction as to how I was sealed and how to undo them, to say nothing of why so many seals were placed upon me."

"There is more," Kaito said. "The Ruins of Alph are in Johto, but there is a Sinnoh equivalent. If your Keystone pieces were in Sinnoh, then maybe the Solaceon Ruins have a similar link. Or possibly even odd activity reported there that we didn't hear about because of the winter weather."

"Possibly, but I wouldn't know for sure," Diablos lamented. "So what are you intending to do?"

Kaito pursed his mouth briefly. "I'm thinking we could investigate both sites, see if we can uncover anything. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"

The Spiritomb seemed slightly surprised by the request for its input. "That seems...very efficient. If nothing else, you may uncover something that will point you in the right direction, assuming the ruins themselves do not have something of note. I approve your approach. Advise me on what you discover."

"Will do," the Togetic stated formally. Diablos smirked and glanced at the other Pokemon.

"Anything else I can do for you? It always seems so odd that you gather four or more Pokemon here, but only one of them really ever speaks to me. Makes the others seem oddly superfluous. Force, you've been glaring at me from the corner of your eye for the past few minutes, go ahead and speak your mind."

"I want you to take your soul thingie out of me," Force said promptly. Diablos chuckled softly.

"Unfortunately, I'm going to decline on that for now. Actually, it's kind of an embarrassing detail...I can't extract it unless you and Shadow are in the same place. Part of the fragment I gave you is improperly bonded to him, and you two are too far away from each other. On the bright side, I cannot actually possess you for the same reason."

"What?" Force growled, clenching his fists.

"I said it before. I tried to transfer the fragment to Shadow. The only reason I gave you one was to ensure I wouldn't be abandoned helplessly here, and so I could pursue the lead I was given in the event you decided not to return. Due to unfortunate circumstances, this plan backfired. Part of my soul fragment is within my intended target, the rest remained with you. So long as the fragments are too distant, I cannot remove it, nor can I use it to its full effect. But not to worry, it still is amplifying your abilities properly. A fragment of a fragment is still considerably powerful."

"What the hell are you?" Force muttered under his breath.

"I could give you another one, which would enable me to remove both by merging your portion with the addition," Diablos suggested with a smirk. "But adding so much power and then removing it without letting you adjust to it would be extremely dangerous for your health, and I rather not risk it. On that note, try not to die, either. My fragments are irreplaceable."

"Is that all?" Force retorted snidely. "Got any good health advice?" Lin winced at his tone, but Diablos seemed unbothered.

"Hmm...eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and make love to your mate. Although if following this advice does kill you somehow, I'm certain one of my souls used to be a lawyer, so don't bother suing."

If there ever was an achievement for making Lin almost crack a rib trying not to laugh, the eerie Spiritomb had just won it.


	14. Insert Interlude Pun

Tick tick tick tick tick tick.

The monotonous chatter of computer keys being pressed, pausing only for the author to consider how to phrase his next thought, and then the chatter would resume again. Every so often, there would be a longer pause, as the writer would take a sip from the mug of coffee set beside him while he perused the previous paragraph, wondering if perhaps he should add anything further to it, or just press onwards.

The man seated at the computer was a handsome young man, with neatly groomed brown hair and hazel brown eyes that shared warmth even from behind a serious expression. Although he had no facial hair, he was older than most teenagers, if not in his twenties already.

His attire was clean, yet casual. A plain white buttoned shirt, and simple brown formal slacks. His desk was organized, albeit with a few scattered wads of paper that had been brainstorming ideas gone wrong, and a few pencils of varying lengths and sharpness.

The man rubbed his chin, leaning onto the back two legs of his chair as he studied the last sentence of the document he was typing up. Something about it still felt off...like it needed to be worded differently.

Then again, he was a perfectionist when it came to this, and no matter how many deadlines were thrown at him or in danger of being met only by the skin of his teeth, he'd still obsess over minute details. It was a wonder that he had this job at all, but at least he had the option to work without being disturbed by his chattier coworkers.

His computer interrupted his thoughts with a bell sound, and the icon of a postal letter appeared in the corner of the screen. This caught his attention. The only person who was able to contact him at this computer was Marcus. So pushing the thoughts of the report aside, he navigated to the message screen.

To his pleasant surprise, he found an option for a video chat available, so naturally, he checked the little box and waited. A window popped up, and he found himself looking at the face of his younger brother. All their friends and family commented constantly about how Marcus looked like a younger version of Adrian, but right now, Adrian was inclined to agree with them. Marcus hadn't quite gotten the grooming habits down, but he had the same youthful, energetic features and even similar hair color. The difference was possible a few shades of brown, but no one was ever really that attentive to the detail.

"Hey, Adrian!" Marcus said brightly. From the looks of the surroundings behind the younger boy, Adrian assumed that he was making the call from inside a Pokemon Center. Although he had only been to Sinnoh a few times in his life, he could definitely recognize the similar layout of the books on the shelf behind Marcus, describing proper care of one's Pokemon.

"Hey, little man," Adrian replied, his face spreading into a grin. "How's things?"

"Going great!" Marcus replied brightly, holding up a narrow case, exposing the two shaped bits of metal inside. "I got the second badge a few days ago, and I'm in Veilstone now."

"Nice!" Adrian said with a fond chuckle. His brother had always dreamed of pursuing championship status in the League, but had waited an extra few years before starting to be sure that he'd have enough money to afford the traveling and expenses without needing to phone home for advances and such. Adrian himself had never fancied the competitive side of Pokemon training, but as his family would constantly remind him, he was a gifted trainer. He had done his fair share of traveling and battling before preferring to just encourage his brother's journey while working.

"So how are things for you? Busy at work?" Marcus wondered. Adrian raised an eyebrow slightly. He knew his brother well enough to know that this was going to lead into some sort of a request.

"I'm AT work, but it's fine if I chat for a little bit. Just finishing up an article that the big guy wants printed, the usual stuff. What's on your mind?"

Marcus shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "So, I challenged the Veilstone Gym the other day, and man, I got creamed...her Lucario's vicious, totally took my team apart."

"Don't let that discourage you. Pokemon training is just as much strategy as it is matchups. Got to be prepared for a wake-up call now and then," Adrian mused.

"Yeah...but I bet if I had caught that shiny Espeon, things would have gone better," Marcus sighed.

Adrian furrowed his brow slightly. "Back that sentence up for a second, I think I misheard..."

"Oh yeah, I saw a wild Espeon. It had black fur and-"

"Uh...Marcus, dude, shiny Espeon have green fur. Are you sure it was an Espeon? And not like...a Luxio or...I dunno, something Sinnoh."

"No, Sparky's a Luxio now, it definitely wasn't a Luxio," Marcus insisted. "It had the forked tail, the forehead gem, was near a wild Leafeon. Which by the way, was completely psychotic."

"Psychic. Espeon are psychic," Adrian corrected. Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Not the Espeon. The Leafeon was psychotic. Went completely crazy and started clawing and biting at my Pokemon. Put a new spin on the phrase 'wild Pokemon'."

Adrian frowned. "I hope you backed off if that happened..."

Marcus rolled his eyes again, but he was smiling. "Yes, I did listen to your lecture about safety of the trainer and his Pokemon are a priority, and not to go running after wild Pokemon or ignoring the territory markings."

"Good kid," Adrian chuckled, shaking his head. "Okay, you've gotten enough small-talk in to ask for a favor. What's up?"

"Can I borrow one of your Pokemon? I'm having a bit of trouble with the gym, because Laura and Sparky are a bit...fragile. Could I borrow your Vaporeon? You said she takes hits like a champ."

Adrian laughed. That was just like Marcus, to strategize less on synergy or type matchups, and more to focus on the role a Pokemon could fill in a team. It wasn't a terrible way to go about things, but it still lacked the right level of judgment. Still, such things could be learned in time, so he wasn't too concerned.

"And what's your plan? To use her as a shield?"

"No, you said she also has a wicked Attract, so maybe I could unbalance the Lucario a bit, and even if it doesn't work that well, she can take more than one hit and fight back. Laura can't even take the one hit yet, and Sparky's not quite strong enough."

Adrian considered for a few seconds, absently twirling a pen between two fingers.

"There's actually two issues with that. The first, and actually official, reason is that Aureia's difficult to work with. She's not going to just listen to you. Even if I was standing right there and told her to cooperate with you, she'll dismiss everything you say, because it's you saying it and not me. She's also very aloof. She's not going to get along with your Pokemon, they're going to just annoy her and then she'll start trying to spite you."

Marcus blinked. "Oh, that's right...does she even get along with YOUR Pokemon?"

"She likes Ember, hates Avis," Adrian chuckled.

"Hm...wait, what's the second issue?"

Adrian paused before answering. "Well...she recently has been hanging around with a wild Eevee that seems to have taken a shine to her. He seems kind of chipper, but she's oddly tolerant of him."

"Oh...so you can't loan her because she's...dating?"

"No, I can't loan her because she'd hate you," Adrian reminded him with a teasing smile. "And I think if I separated her and the adorable stray, she'd give me hell for it."

"...why don't you just capture it for her, then?"

"Because Aureia hates being set up. If I push them together, she'll get mad and reject him out of spite for me breaking her rules. If I even say they look adorable together, which they totally do, she gives me this withering look that promises me a full soaking if I tease her further. And she'll do it, too."

"Heh, I remember that before I left," Marcus laughed, getting a reminiscent glint in his eye. "Right before a job interview, too."

"Yeah, good thing it was a part-time gym trainer position at a Water gym, or that interview would have crashed and burned," Adrian chuckled.

"Speaking of burned, what about your Charmander? I don't actually have a Fire-Type other than Laura's Fire Punch."

"Repeat that sentence to yourself in your head," Adrian said. Marcus looked puzzled, glancing to his upper right thoughtfully. "Now keep in mind that Ember doesn't use fire moves."

"Seriously? Huh...you've got weird Pokemon, man."

"Thank you," Adrian said, grinning. "On a more serious note, she's also ridiculously volatile right now. It's uh...a seasonal thing. I keep her off my roster for the first month of spring. These days, she only lets Avis near her unscathed."

"Is this going to segue into why you can't loan me Avis, either?" Marcus asked.

"No, I can't loan you Avis because Avis thinks you'll end up keeping her."

"...what?"

"You're right, I'm going to stick with the 'she's the only one who placates Ember' excuse," Adrian chuckled. He glanced at the wall clock and frowned. "Ack, we're actually running a bit long, so I'll make this next bit quick. Try to train up your Pokemon more, use one of the routes outside whatever city you're in, and hunt around for Psychic-Types or something else to address your type weaknesses."

"Hmm...yeah, I'll probably end up doing that. And if that doesn't work?"

Adrian considered for a few moments. "Go visit one of the other closeby cities. It's possible that you'll have a better match-up against that Gym, or just be able to find other species to work with. Don't try to keep rushing ahead to the next Gyms every time you win one, or you'll find yourself outclassed too quickly."

"All right, I'll give that a shot. See you, Adrian!"

After giving his own farewell, Adrian disconnected the call and steepled his fingers thoughtfully. He wouldn't have loaned Marcus any of his Pokemon even if he didn't have awesomely legitimate excuses, just because he felt his brother would need to earn his own experience, and Adrian had trained with most of his Pokemon for well over a year, so they knew him and trusted him more than they'd trust anyone else. It would be a disservice to the Pokemon and Marcus to even attempt it.

It was true, though. He did have weird Pokemon. That was why he worked with them. One of his side jobs had been looking after Pokemon that had been abandoned or undergone some sort of traumatic experience. Even Pokemon breeders and Daycare Centers had acknowledged his gift at handling Pokemon of eccentric or aggressive personalities. Really, the ones he had with him now were small fry compared to the temperaments of some of the Pokemon he had worked with before.

Aureia was distant, but not aggressive. She had been abandoned, and then captured by a criminal team member that later got arrested. Ember was reclusive, but her aggressiveness had gone down significantly over the past two years. When he first took her in, after narrowly saving her life from a losing battle against a vicious Charmeleon, she had been so hostile that he almost suspected the two had been related. Some of her tantrums had even gotten warnings from the authorities, concerned about public safety, but despite the fines piled on him in the form of tickets, he had persevered, and it had paid off in the end. As for Avis...Avis was just weird.

None of them would be Pokemon he'd be comfortable giving to another trainer, sibling or not, even temporarily. The first two weren't quick to trust others, with potentially hostile results, and Avis tended to irritate or frustrate a lot of Pokemon for some reason. He and the Snivy weren't close enough yet for him to have the same understanding of her quirks and issues as he did for the other two, but that would come in time.

Speaking of time...he needed to finish up this last section of the article if he wanted to leave work on time. He had already seen the next assignment in his in-box, and that had been something that required off-site investigation. Specifically, a venture towards the Ruins of Alph, where scientists, trainers, and other researchers had been more befuddled than normal by the unusual sights, sounds, and writings. The rumor was that the Ruins themselves were frustrated by the lack of progress in deciphering the hieroglyphic writing and tile puzzles, so they were throwing up flashing neon signs as clues or something.

Obviously, such stories had been exaggerated for comedic effect, but the idea that the famous ruins drawing more attention than usual was a perfect excuse for newspapers and magazines to throw out catchy headlines to attract buyers regardless of the actual content or information of the article.

Normally, Adrian might be insulted by the reduced priority of credible information opposed to epic-sounding headlines. On the other hand, it was an expenses paid trip to stare at fascinating stuff and write drivel, and that beat sitting in the boring, stuffy office all day while writing drivel.

"Eh, screw it," Adrian muttered aloud and hit the Print button. As the printer beside his desk whirred to life, Adrian grabbed a stapler and slung his bag over his shoulder. He'd drop the article at his boss' in-box on the way out, and then be on his way towards the next thrilling adventure of his part-time career.

...why did he work here again?

 **End of Arc 1**


	15. Arc 2: Resonating Soul

**Arc 2: Resonating Soul**

By morning, the blanket of grey skies had finally dispelled, and the sun was finally capable of casting its unhindered rays of light and warmth upon the earth. It was the closest Sinnoh ever seemed to get to 'clear skies', and Leaf in particular was thrilled.

Frost had been up since dawn, beginning his day as he often did, with a morning walk and a quick bath and grooming to bring his mind and body to full alertness. One could hardly be expected to excel in battle training while suffering a mental fog.

What had surprised him that morning, however, was that Leaf was also awake shortly after dawn. He shouldn't have been that surprised that the Leafeon seemed to have adapted to a sleep schedule relative to sunrise and sunset, but Frost's parents had always been exasperated by his tendency to be awake at dawn, so he had been under the impression that this rhythm was actually exceedingly rare and unusual.

Just as surprising, and again it shouldn't have been, was that Shadow had slept in. His sleep had seemed peaceful and uninterrupted, and Leaf had confirmed that he hadn't been awakened that night by spontaneous psychic backlash. The black Espeon had returned late in the afternoon the previous day, and it was remarkable how much better he had looked. His stance and movements were more relaxed, his eyes were brighter and more lively, and his gemstone had not flickered randomly.

Sleeping in, without nightmares tormenting his rest, was an excellent sign of progress. Frost doubted it would be a permanent fix, but he was confident that Shadow might have better luck focusing his psychic energies. Leaf had already benefited an impressive amount from his tutoring, and so today, the Glaceon hoped to get similar progress from Shadow.

Leaf had finally grown bored of waiting for Shadow to wake up, so Frost was treated to the sight of the playful Leafeon pouncing on his unsuspecting brother, which promptly turned into a playful wrestling match. By all accounts, Leaf should have won easily with the element of surprise, but somehow, Leaf ended up on his back with a triumphant Espeon sitting on his stomach.

"No fair, you're bigger than me!"

No bets on which sibling thought that was a valid defense.

"You started it!"

And...no bets on which sibling thought this was a mature retort. Honestly, Frost was trying not to burst out laughing. Not so much for his dignity's sake, and more because he suspected that if they saw him laughing, they'd team up against him, and he never was good at playful wrestling, least of all with unfavorable odds, and that WOULD cost him his dignity.

More amusing is that this sort of banter between the brothers continued for several minutes, until Shadow got the bright idea to just start tickling the Leafeon into submission. It was super effective, and left the Leafeon with hysteric giggles long after Shadow had stopped.

"Sleep well?" Frost wondered as Shadow walked over to the small pile of berries that Frost and Leaf had gathered earlier. Frost had found it a better option to take the excitable Leafeon with him for the gathering task rather than risk him wandering around or waking Shadow early.

Shadow paused, the berry poised just outside his mouth, and glanced skywards to judge the sun's location. "Yes, I suppose I did," he mused, sounding pleasantly surprised by the fact he could say as much.

"No nightmares?" Frost asked. Shadow chewed the berry thoughtfully before shaking his head. "Excellent. Then you've definitely made some progress with your mental stress. If you're up to it, I can attempt to walk you through the process of learning how to control your psychic abilities again."

"Okay," Shadow stated with a shrug, but his tail flicked and his eyes were thoughtful, even as he continued to eat. Frost just smiled and walked over to where Leaf was recovering from his laughter attack.

"You still remember the things I showed you yesterday?" he asked. The Leafeon nodded enthusiastically, and Frost chuckled. As he had thought, Leaf had showed a great deal of potential and had picked up on things much faster than Shadow had. Not that this was particularly surprising; Leaf didn't seem to have the same mental block that Shadow had, and the carefree attitude and curiosity were ideal for mentoring, at least once his focus was set on something.

Once Shadow had finished eating, Frost led them away from the clearing, deciding that for this session, they needed something different. Neither of the brothers asked him where they were going, and had instead followed a few paces behind him, conversing with one another.

Frost would have liked to have been able to hear what they were saying, but dismissed the idea of trying to eavesdrop. It probably wasn't very interesting, more in the vein of brotherly chatter that would hold no relevance to him. Leaf was perfectly happy to trust him, but Shadow always appeared slightly on-guard, yet never truly suspicious. Frost couldn't really blame him for that, though. Different people varied on how quickly they'd trust new acquaintances, and Frost would have been disappointed if they both considered him perfectly trustworthy from the start. It'd mean he wasn't interesting enough to suspect, and this way, he needed to be self-aware of how he came across, and simultaneously read their reactions to be sure he wasn't rubbing them the wrong way.

Frost broke off his thoughts as they came in view of the lake. It was small, much too small to ever confuse with one of the three famous Sinnoh lakes, but it was beautiful in its own way. Crisp, fresh, refreshing water that invited Pokemon from all over the area to visit. Some used the lake for relaxation, and water-types came here to swim or rehydrate, depending on the species. Various fruit bushes dotted the shore, and Pokemon frequently came by for food or fish, depending on availability.

The Glaceon's eyes scanned the shoreline, before focusing his attention on the water's surface. The water was calm this morning, so it seemed that the majority of the local water-types had opted not to swim yet, but the shore was still occupied by various species of Pokemon. He paid them little attention. Even at a glance, he could tell they were neither trained Pokemon nor threats. Simply local Pokemon using the resources of the surrounding area.

Both of the younger Eons accompanying him took drinks, and Frost himself paused to do so, if only to be able to examine whether anything was swimming below water, but that hope went nowhere. He could have sworn that Raze usually spent most of time at this lake, but he also knew that nothing was absolute when it came to where the Buizel spent his day.

"Are you looking for something?" Shadow asked finally, once it became clear that Frost had hit a dead-end in terms of destination.

"A friend of mine. Thought he'd be good for a sparring match for the little guy," Frost said, frowning. "He's usually around here, except for when he isn't. You can see how this can leave me floundering a little-"

Movement from the corner of Frost's eye cut off his explanation, and as he turned towards it, a jet of water caught him right in the face with enough force to make him stagger backwards a few paces, and one of his hind feet slipped over the shore line into the lake. Frost immediately lost his footing and fell, managing to cling to the shore with his forelegs even as the back half of his body slipped into the water.

"Are you okay?" Leaf asked, his eyes wide from surprise and amazement, either from how quickly the events had played out (and Frost was loathe to admit that it was probably incredibly entertaining to watch, seeing as Shadow was visibly shaking from the effort of not laughing), or from the fact Frost had partially recovered, albeit in a way that didn't do his dignity any favors.

"Fine," Frost grunted, managing to crawl out of the water, everything from his midsection to his tail completely soaked, while his upper body had remained dry. He fixed the laughing Buizel with an aggravated look. "I assume you had a reason for that?"

"Oh, plenty of them," Raze answered with a wide grin, and began to count on his claws. "One, to make sure you weren't going to freeze the lake again. Two, to test your Mirror Coat reflexes. They're not as good as you think they are. Three, because it's funny. And...four, because you had just used the word 'floundering' in a sentence and I was hoping to be able to throw that in your face afterwards."

"How long were you able to overhear me talking?" Frost asked, breathing an icy wind over his soaked fur, shivering in delight as the fur needles froze over.

"About two seconds, but I planned to soak you from the start. Would have hit you when you were drinking, but I was out of range," the Buizel said, walking over to the Glaceon, apparently without giving a moment's pause for whether Frost would retaliate.

"Amusing," Frost said icily. "Now then, perhaps you can introduce yourself to these two?" he said, gesturing to the other Eons.

"All righty. Whoa, nice fur. I'm Raze," the Buizel said, doing a double take as he looked towards Shadow. The Espeon simply nodded in response, until Raze gave him an expectant look.

"Oh, right. I'm Shadow," the Espeon said quickly. Leaf bounded closer to the Buizel, looking him over curiously.

"I'm Leaf!" he chirped, before noticing the Buizel's tails. "Hey Shadow, he's got a tail like yours!"

"He does not," Shadow said, giving Raze an apologetic look and a shrug, but the Buizel was unfazed.

"Hey there, Leaf. I'm Raze, nice to meet you. You guys new friends of Frost's or something? It's amazing he's got any, right?"

Frost rolled his eyes and smirked. Raze certainly had his own style of handling introductions, and judging by how Shadow simply raised an eyebrow at the comment, and Leaf just nodded obliviously, neither of them knew what to say to that.

"Ah, did I put you two on the spot?" Raze asked with a chuckle. "Never mind that. What's up?"

"I have no idea," Shadow said simply.

"Me neither!"

Raze blinked, then swiveled to face Frost. "I guess that means me three."

Frost chuckled. "I was hoping you'd be able to give Leaf some paws-on practice for a while. They've both evolved fairly recently and are still learning how to use their evolved abilities. I've given Leaf some tutoring, and just need to work with Shadow a bit longer. Think you can keep Leaf occupied for a little while?"

Raze shrugged, "Sure, if he wants to." He looked over at Leaf, who was now openly staring at his neck's flotation ring. "You want to have a quick spar, little guy? Show me what you know?"

"Really? Sure!" Leaf said, smiling brightly.

* * *

They set up a little ways further from the lakeside, to give themselves more room without getting too close to the water. As Leaf and Raze chose their places in the center of their imaginary arena, Frost and Shadow chose a spot further away, so as not to involve themselves in the spar unintentionally.

"Are you watching, Shadow?" Leaf asked brightly. Shadow chuckled and nodded. Satisfied with this answer, Leaf turned his attention back to Raze, who was grinning, already charmed by the young Leafeon's enthusiasm.

"All right, Leaf," Raze said, readying himself. "Go ahead."

Leaf nodded and then dashed forward at Raze. The Buizel cocked his head slightly, and Frost understood why; Leaf's running stance was rather unorthodox. The Leafeon hadn't yet figured out how to position his center of gravity properly when charging, so Raze couldn't read whether it was a Quick Attack coming his way, or if Leaf was about to headbutt him. This could hardly be counted against Leaf, as it was obvious the young Pokemon had no practical training since he evolved. That particular flaw would correct itself with time and practice.

"What exactly did you teach him?" Shadow wondered, but Frost waved a paw, indicating that he should just watch Leaf for the moment. The Espeon furrowed his brow, but turned his attention back to his brother, just in time to see Leaf feint a pounce and then instead dart to the side and tackle himself into Raze's leg.

The Buizel had pivoted to the side when Leaf feinted, only to realize his mistake at the last second, so when Leaf hit his grounded leg, he fell over easily, grunting a bit from the landing. Leaf bounced his weight from leg to leg, looking over at Shadow for approval.

"Did you see that, Shadow?" he called over.

"Stay focused, Leaf," Shadow reminded him, nodding, the motion itself prompting Leaf to smile happily.

"Interesting," Raze said, getting back to his feet, his grin returning. "Dodge this," he warned, and then dashed forward rapidly, but instead of striking Leaf with his paw or body weight, he pivoted, striking Leaf in the chest with his tails, the impact producing a whip-like cracking sound. Leaf winced in pain and backed up, but seemed to realize it hadn't actually hurt very much.

"Raze knows how to hold back hits," Frost assured Shadow, seeing that the Espeon had tensed. "Do you remember yesterday when we worked on accessing your psychic abilities? With your mental strain reduced, I'd like to give it another shot."

"Very well," Shadow said, taking a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"

Frost considered for a moment. He had figured out the key to properly directing Leaf, although it had taken many tries to phrase it in a way that didn't confuse the young Leafeon. Shadow would be easier to talk to, but the method of using his abilities would be harder for Frost to describe. Psychic abilities seemed to operate slightly differently from elemental abilities like ice and grass.

"I know by now, you've been able to pick up on aspects of your abilities. Since you're currently calm and relaxed, are you able to explain at all anything you've noticed? You managed to confirm that Quilava's presence yesterday somehow."

"Ah...yes," Shadow said. He paused thoughtfully. "I let my mind wander a little. I don't push for things to come to me, they tend to...reveal themselves. In flashes. Does this make sense?"

"Actually, yes," Frost admitted. "Psychic abilities are probably heavily linked to your subconscious mind, so you do them without conscious thought. Trying too hard to push them to the surface would frustrate you and block them because of your emotions getting in the way. This is a theory, but it sounds likely. Should we give it a try?"

"If I'm not supposed to push for them to work, how can we try it?" Shadow asked blankly. Frost paused to consider that.

"I have an idea," he said finally. "Let your mind wander for now. Let's watch Leaf and Raze's spar, but don't focus on it entirely. Watch it mindlessly, like it's something in the background."

Shadow seemed perplexed by the suggestion, but obligingly turned back to the sparring match. Frost watched the Espeon from the corner of his eye, seeing after a minute that Shadow's attention had become unfocused, almost like he was daydreaming. The Glaceon allowed himself to smirk, then turned his own attention to the battlers.

Leaf flicked his head towards Raze, and a small bladed leaf fired from the Leafeon's body, but spiraled away from Raze entirely until it landed in the grass harmlessly. Leaf seemed unbothered and repeated the technique several times, each time the fired projectile coming nowhere near its target.

"Well...I guess you're improving if you can shoot those at will, but you might need to figure out how to aim," Raze suggested, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah...I just need practice," Leaf said with an awkward shrug and prepared another charge. This time Raze was expecting it, and his weight shifted, his paw poised to counterattack. Leaf charged forward, shifting to the left and right occasionally to adjust his path, but he lacked the speed of a true Quick Attack, another thing that would doubtlessly improve with practice. All in all, Frost found the maneuvering to be impressive for such little practice time.

Raze stepped forward and punched his paw towards Leaf, intercepting the Leafeon's dash, but Leaf rolled sideways, his momentum allowing him to slip underneath Raze's paw. The Buizel pivoted immediately, his tails again making the whip-crack as they lashed across Leaf's side.

Frost blinked in surprise. Despite taking the blow from Raze's tails, Leaf continued forward, instead of recoiling or retreating. And then he spun, mimicking Raze's tail attack. Unlike Raze's version, however, Leaf's tail took on a pale green glow as he brought it across Raze's thigh. The Buizel hadn't even noticed the maneuver, since his pivoting motion to deliver the tail whip had turned his back to Leaf. It wasn't until the glowing tail struck him that he realized he was under attack, and the next moment, the Buizel recoiled from Leaf as if he had just been burned.

"What was that?!" Raze demanded, staring incredulously at his thigh, where a visible mark had formed from the strike.

Leaf cocked his head in confusion and concern. "Wait, did that hurt? I'm sorry, I was just trying to do what you did!"

"What just happened?" Shadow asked, shaking himself out of his daze and giving Frost a curious look. But the Glaceon was floored. All he could do was stare at Leaf incredulously.

"I didn't teach him how to use Leaf Blade," Frost said blankly. "I didn't even teach him the concept behind it. I knew he had no chance of using it at this stage of experience."

It shouldn't even have been possible for such a young, untrained Leafeon to have accomplished that by accident. All the reading Frost had done regarding Leafeon back home had indicated that Leaf Blade was their ace technique, but that it was incredibly difficult to master. Sure, Leaf's use here had been far from perfect, and not nearly as powerful as the technique naturally would be, but the fact he had done it at all was mind-blowing.

Frost's shock was wearing off, and an amused smile formed across his muzzle instead. This was definitely interesting.


	16. Mood Relief

It was like walking into a cheesy romance novel.

Okay, so that was maybe a harsh analogy, but when one finds themselves observing the temporary parting between two lovers who see each other extremely often and part company just as often, it seems more than a little melodramatic for them to be fighting back tears, constantly having 'one last' hug or peck on the cheek, and making no real progress in completing the farewell for over five minutes.

"You two realize I am obligated to make Cece-esque comments if you keep this up, right?" Lin said finally, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame of the Chateau main doors (Kaito visibly flinched).

Force and Iris paused their melodrama and gave the Weavile a curious look. Force seemed skeptical, whereas the mischevious look in Iris' eyes was bordering on a challenge. After a moment, they went right back to talking about how often they wanted the other to write, while casting glances in Lin's direction every few seconds.

Lin sighed. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that was the reaction she'd get. She looked over at Kaito, who was pointedly not looking at the spot where Lin's body touched the doorframe, as if ignoring the detail would make it go away.

"Are they serious?" she asked the Togetic in an undertone.

"Frankly, I'd do the same thing in their place," Kaito mused. "I'm not even sure what a 'Cecilia-esque' comment from you would sound like."

Lin sighed again, then snapped her claws loudly. The two lovers paused their affectionate nickname exchange and gave her an expectant look, both looking highly amused.

"I'd say you two need to get a room again, but my popcorn bowl's still half-full, so give me a sec to go fetch it, okay?" Lin stated, with a passable imitation of Cecilia's bubbly tone.

There was just a long awkward silence.

"I think we're ready to go," Iris said finally, her cheeks now crimson. Force was looking a bit flustered as well, which Lin took as a good sign that her imitation had either been incredibly accurate, or the contrast of the statement's mildly disturbing implications and Lin's usual demeanor was too much for them to handle. Either way, she got what she wanted to achieve.

"About time," Kaito said, stretching his arms. "So, do I need to remind anyone of what your objective is?"

"You told us literally twenty minutes ago. I don't think Force and Iris get amnesia that quickly. Or often," Lin deadpanned. She then returned to her imitated bubbly tone. "Not amnesia, anyway!"

"Never do that again," Kaito said, becoming flustered. "Seriously, that's terrifying."

"Then remember to be careful what you wish for," Lin replied smoothly. "Good luck."

"Same to you," Kaito said. "Don't you dare," he added, when Iris opened her mouth to say something. The Kirlia pouted briefly, but then flashed a smile and twirled before the two of them vanished in a flash of bright light, leaving Lin and Force alone on the doorstep of the Chateau.

Lin wordlessly began to walk towards the Chateau gates, her scarf trailing behind her. She could hear Force's footsteps following, so there was no need to look back, but as she slid the iron gate open, she caught the Riolu gazing up at the top of the mansion. No, that wasn't right. He was gazing at the section of the house that held the attic space, and the eerie Spiritomb within. Oblivious to her gaze, he shivered, then cast his gaze downwards and slipped through the open gate.

Lin closed the gate with a rusty clanging sound, and began leading the way through the forest. She had taken this path several times before, and so even the labyrinth-like structure of Eterna Forest was familiar enough to not even need to focus on navigating. However, this time they needed to go a specific route, towards the nearby city.

"How are you feeling, Force?"

"Huh?"

Lin looked over her shoulder, then impatiently gestured for him to walk alongside her. The Riolu hesitated, as if in disbelief that such an invitation existed. Not exactly the most confident of Pokemon, it seemed. However, he soon picked up his pace, until they were side-by-side.

"How are you feeling?" Lin repeated. With him walking next to her, she was able to watch him from the corner of her eye. She wanted to bring up a subject that was sure to make him fidget and uncomfortable, and she needed to be able to nip any hesitation and evasiveness in the bud.

"Um...fine? Why?"

Lin rolled her eyes. "You know why. It's been weighing on your mind since last night," she stated curtly. Force flinched a little.

"You know, only Iris is allowed to read my mind, Lin," he said.

"Then talk and I won't need to," the Weavile replied seriously. "It's a long walk to the Ruins. And I rather not leave you thinking that we only care when Cece's upset about things."

"I don't think that," Force said stubbornly. "I just don't want to talk about it."

Lin studied him for a few seconds, then focused straight ahead. "Have it your way."

"Huh?"

"I won't press you, but feel free to come to me if you become more open to the subject," Lin insisted. Force blinked, and she felt his eyes on her. "Do you want to discuss anything else?"

The Riolu scratched his chin nervously. "Um..."

"Anything at all. Personal, casual, menial, just pick a topic," Lin insisted. She and Force rarely ever operated one-on-one, they usually had Cecilia or Iris, or even Kaito included. It was almost as if the group actively tried to keep Lin and Force from being alone, but had no issue with her interacting only with one of the others in the group. It was any wonder why Kaito had separated the groups as he did, although it made perfect sense to Lin. Kaito already knew Sorin and had gotten information from him on the subject of the Johto ruins, and Iris' teleportation was more convenient. With Cecilia absent for the time being, that logically only left Force and Lin to investigate the Solaceon Ruins, and the two of them were infinitely more familiar with Sinnoh than the others.

"Um...I dunno. How's your love life?" Force asked, immediately cringing as he said it. Lin chuckled.

"Non-existant, and you knew that," she replied.

"Right. Why is that, though? It can't be that no one's interested."

Lin rolled her eyes. "The uninterested one is the only one that matters: Myself."

Force fidgeted uncertainly and he opened his mouth several times, each time pausing and then shutting it again. Lin observed this phenomenon for several seconds, finding it more amusing with each iteration before finally responding to the unasked question.

"No, I don't."

"Huh. Okay. New topic, then...you're a Weavile."

"Really tearing down my secret layers now," Lin chuckled. Force laughed nervously. "No, go ahead, what was your point here?"

"I've never see you fight. Isn't that a big thing for your species?"

The Weavile blinked. That was a genuinely unexpected question, one she wouldn't have considered normally. It was true that Sneasel packs put a large emphasis on battle training among necessary skills to learn, not only for survival and pulling one's weight within the pack, it also honed a Sneasel's competitive spirits and made the group as a whole stronger in the constant struggle to outdo the others.

"It is," she said slowly. "I do still train very regularly."

"Yeah, but I've never seen you actually battle," Force insisted. "Do you just take battle more seriously, or are you just so strong that you'll overdo it?"

"Hmm...perhaps a little of both. I've never really considered the matter before. I do choose my opponents carefully, but that's because I am stronger than many would be prepared for. My evolution is proof of that," Lin mused.

"Have you ever killed someone in a fight?" Force asked. Lin shot a glance at the Riolu. He seemed genuinely unsure, but she had a feeling he was approaching the topic he really wanted to touch upon.

"I do not consider hunting to be a fight, so with that in mind, I never aim to kill in battle," Lin said seriously. "If my opponent is outmatched or unlikely to survive injury, I will subdue him or her without claws."

"Even to protect others?" Force asked quietly.

"I do not enter battle with the intent to kill," Lin repeated. "If the circumstances warrant my opponent to be permanently eliminated because he or she is too dangerous to be allowed to live, it is no longer a fight, but a matter of survival."

"But have you ever killed outside of hunting?" Force pressed, and Lin could make out the almost desperate note in his voice. "Even without meaning to? Against your will?"

Lin stopped walking and patted the Riolu's head gently. He twitched, confused by the contact, but didn't object or move away. She crouched down until they were eye to eye.

"Even if I did, it won't make you feel better to hear it," she said solemnly. "Why does it weigh on you so much?"

The Riolu averted his eyes. He lifted his paw up to his chest level, and the paw gained a pale blue glow, stronger than Lin had ever seen it before, but Force seemed to be using no effort to produce it. As he brought his paw closer to his chest, over his heart, the aura surrounding his paw darkened into the malevolent black color that they had seen back in the Coronet chamber. Lin blinked in surprise, and Force looked up at her, tears forming in his eyes.

"That's my own aura."

"It's the same as the Keystone fragment. Diablos has part of himself in-"

"No!" Force burst out, shaking his head wildly, a tear now rolling down his cheek. "It's not his aura and mine. They're one aura! One!"

He clenched his fist and punched the air in frustration. The sphere of aura surrounding his paw launched away from his hand, the Riolu blinking in stunned confusion as the projectile struck a tree, obliterating the chunk of wood and sending splinters scattering around its base. The tree creaked, but miraculously remained standing.

"The power you have in those things is incredible," Lin noted, gaping at the perfectly circular chunk carved from the tree.

"It's not my power!" Force snarled. "It's his...and I don't want it anymore! I shouldn't have taken it...but I..." he sniffled and wiped his eyes with one paw.

"Very well," Lin stated. Force blinked and looked up at her as she straightened. "I'll do everything I can to help you be rid of it. But it may take time."

"I don't care what it takes," the Riolu sniffed. "I'd rather die than carry it forever."

"Be careful what you wish for," Lin reminded him seriously. Despite it not being remotely funny, Force cracked a small smile and nodded. "Come on, let's try to find out where Cece went. I need to have a word with her, too. Can you track her with your aura?"

"Oh, no sweat," Force said, perking up a little. He focused on his paw, watching as it once again glowed with a pale blue aura. "Okay, so...Cecilia is..." he closed his eyes as the sphere of aura pulsed gently in his palm. Finally, he pointed with his free paw.

"That way?" Lin wondered. Hm, that definitely ruled out Cecilia being at her den, but it also meant she didn't go to one of her usual hangouts, like the city or forest.

"I'm pretty sure," Force said, and began walking confidently. Lin smiled privately and followed after him.

* * *

Roughly an hour had passed since they had set off, and while Lin was pleased that their detour was still technically progress towards their real destination, she was starting to get a little impatient. None of this was really Force's fault, because he suggested that Cecilia was probably on the move, so his ability to pinpoint her whereabouts kept shifting in accuracy. At least they hadn't needed to take the route that detoured into the Mt. Coronet caves at the end of the route, because they'd probably get hopelessly lost if Force kept needing to recalibrate his aura sense.

"I...really wish...we had Iris...to teleport us," Force panted, as he climbed over a number of large rocks that made up the majority of the terrain. Lin was having significantly less trouble with the terrain, as the snow-covered mountainside had plenty of these obstacles and more, but the Riolu had been far quicker to tire.

"I doubt Cece would even have come this particular way," Lin said, unable to keep the impatience from her tone.

"Maybe...but the only...other way..."

"Please don't try talking right now," Lin suggested. She reached out her paw and the Riolu fumbled for a moment before managing to grasp it, and the Weavile pulled him over the last of the rocks. Force promptly dropped to the ground, still panting heavily. Lin rolled her eyes, but didn't complain, instead taking a moment to examine the nearby area. Despite the rather unorthodox manner of going about it, they were on one of the pathways that led away from Mt. Coronet towards one of the other small human towns devoted to Sinnoh history. Then again, that description could be used for almost any town in this region.

Force finally regained enough energy to perform another aura tracking, and then he brightened. "She's really close right now...actually coming closer. Huh...that way," he said, pointing off to the side.

Lin blinked. "Force...you're literally pointing at her territory mark etched in a tree."

"That's her mark?" Force asked, peering closer at the scratched bark of the tree Lin was looking at. "That's...a weirdly complicated design. Don't most territory marks settle for just a simple nick or two?"

"Funny, I thought the same thing," Lin chuckled. She sobered a moment later. "Wait...she doesn't have her territory over here. Oh don't tell me..."

"What?" Force asked, as Lin began walking at a quicker pace. The Riolu followed, occasionally checking his glowing paw, but unable to get Lin to slow down. Lin didn't need his aura to guide her at this point. She knew the type of space Cecilia liked to spend time at, so all she had to do was wander around in this general direction until she stumbled upon such an area.

As expected, it didn't take too long to find a tree stump surrounded by plants and flowers. Granted, the vague smell of fire had accelerated the process significantly. Cecilia was stretched out comfortably atop the stump, like a lazy kitten, her flames burning at a low simmer. Even a cursory glance was enough to determine that she had used up a significant amount of pent-up energy, and again, the smell of smoke nearby was helping.

"She should be right over...there!" Force said absently, pointing directly at the Quilava while keeping his gaze on his glowing paw. Lin proceeded to stare at him incredulously until he noticed her gaze and looked up. "What?"

"Hi Force! Hey Lin!" Cecilia chirped, the sound of their voices drawing her attention to them. "You're not spying on me, are you?" she asked teasingly. She was in bright enough spirits that if Lin didn't know better, she wouldn't have been able to guess that the Quilava had been freaking out the previous day.

"What if we are?" Force replied with a small grin.

"Then I'd need to know how long you've been standing there," Cecilia said, flashing the Riolu a playful wink. "What's up?"

Lin frowned and stepped closer to the tree stump where Cecilia was sitting, and Force followed her lead. "I wanted to be sure that you were doing all right since yesterday," she said seriously.

"Aww, that's sweet," Cecilia giggled, but this time her smile was a little more forced. "I'm...doing better," she said finally.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Lin pressed gently.

"No," Cecilia said absently. "I just needed to vent for a while."

"Did you usurp this territory?" Force wondered incredulously, seeming to have finally made the connection between the utter lack of other Pokemon around, and the fresh addition of Cecilia's territory mark to the tree earlier.

"Yeah!" Cecilia chirped brightly. "You should have seen it, too. There were like fifty of them against me at once, but I just went-"

Lin snapped her claws, cutting Cecilia off mid-boast. The Quilava pouted, but looked over at Lin. "You fought fifty or more Pokemon to deal with stress?" she asked, unable to hide the shock and concern from her tone.

"Uh...yeah, I was just getting to that part," Cecilia said. "Anyway, so the first few were really confident, so they just charged, and- Lin snaps her claws!" The Quilava turned towards Lin expectantly.

Lin blinked and slowly relaxed her claws, as Force covered his mouth with one paw to stifle his laughter at Lin's expression of surprise and annoyance. "I assume you also know what I'm going to say?"

"Hmm...something about how it's not a healthy or wise way of dealing with stress?" Cecilia guessed. "Ooh, and that I could have gotten hurt from being reckless. And it's not fair of me to steal territory."

Force suddenly grinned. "Hey, speaking of guessing what the other person's going to say, Lin did some scary good impressions of you earlier."

Lin shot the Riolu a glare, but Cecilia brightened. "Really? What were they?"

"Wait, wait...I want you to react normally to the situation, just to compare it to Lin's take of you, okay?"

"Sure!" Cecilia giggled. Lin sighed, but gestured for them to go ahead. This wasn't exactly the situation she had expected to run into on Cecilia's end, but Cecilia did tend to rebound from foul moods much faster than most. She couldn't be as bubbly as she was if she dwelled on negativity too much.

Force considered. "Okay, so Iris and I were taking our sweet time with our goodbyes before our mission...we'll explain that later, the mission's not important. Lin, can I demonstrate with you?"

"If you physically touch me the same way you did Iris, I'll lay you out," Lin warned.

"Uh..." Force reddened and looked at Cecilia, who was raising her eyebrows incredulously. "Wow, way to make it sound inappropriate..."

"Ooh, I get the idea of what it was like," Cecilia giggled. "So...something about you two needing to get a room, but I can fetch popcorn if you don't want to leave?"

Force stared at the Quilava. "I'm not sure what's scarier, the fact that makes Lin's impression almost dead-on, or the fact you pretty much said the exact same thing as someone doing an impression of you."

"Kaito was more unnerved by the second impression, though," Lin mused, unable to keep a straight face on seeing Force's bewilderment. Cecilia looked at the Weavile curiously. "He asked if...actually, Force, you repeat Kaito's statement, and I'll repeat mine before the impression. Then Cecilia does her own take."

"Uh...Kaito asked something about if we needed a reminder of what to do," Force said, shrugging a little bit.

"He told us twenty minutes ago. I don't think Iris and Force get amnesia that quickly. Or often," Lin said, her deadpan tone a little forced, but it was a close reproduction of the real thing.

"Not amnesia, anyway!" Cecilia giggled promptly. There was a long pause as the two bipeds looked at Cecilia incredulously.

"Holy shit, that IS terrifying," Force said.


	17. The Road Ahead

As soon as Leaf confirmed that Raze had not been badly hurt by his unintentional use of Leaf Blade, and likewise finished apologizing for the same reason, things started to settle down again. The Leafeon evidently felt too guilty about the situation to be proud of himself, but he wasn't beating himself up about it either. Instead, he just went to get a drink and then bask in the sun. The sky had cleared up even more since that morning, so Frost didn't even need to use one of his Sunny Day spheres to appease him.

This left time and energy open for Shadow and Frost to continue the tutoring, but now Raze was free, so he sat down nearby. The additional presence of the Buizel made Shadow a little more self-conscious and nervous, but when Raze suggested he sit somewhere further away, or out of Shadow's line of sight, the Espeon shot it down. He suspected that he'd feel even more uncomfortable if he knew someone was watching him, but he couldn't see them. Besides, he knew that if he was ever going to learn how to use his psychic abilities, he would have to get used to having other people around.

Frost once again suggested that Shadow relax, and allow his mind to wander freely rather than focus too hard on anything. This so far had proved to be somewhat beneficial advice, but Shadow still didn't know what to do. The only time he noticed himself tapping into any Espeon abilities was when he had sensed things nearby, or about to happen, and letting his mind wander too much could cause him to miss the signs entirely. But he didn't have any better ideas at the moment, so he forced himself to keep going with Frost's method.

The Glaceon also seemed perplexed in regards to what he should direct Shadow to accomplish. Shadow was quickly getting the feeling that Frost's expertise when it came to psychic abilities was barely better than his own, but the ice type probably wasn't comfortable admitting this much after practically laughing at Shadow's ignorance the day before.

"Okay, are there any other ways you've tapped into your abilities, besides the ones mentioned? Have you accomplished mind-reading or the sort by accident, if not deliberately?" Frost asked finally.

"Um...once or twice, but I never did it on purpose," Shadow admitted. Actually, both times he clearly remembered doing it had not only been completely unintentional, but also had been extremely uncomfortable and confusing experiences. Frost seemed to consider this answer for a moment, and exchanged a glance with Raze, but the meaning of the glance was lost on the Espeon, because neither of them said anything before Frost turned back to Shadow.

"May I ask who you've done it to?" Frost asked carefully. "And when?"

"Uh...Leaf, almost immediately after evolving...and Cecilia...yesterday," Shadow said, feeling his face grow warm when Frost bit his lip to keep from smirking.

"Who's Cecilia?" Raze wondered curiously.

"Nobody," Shadow said quickly. This really got Frost snickering, but the Buizel remained confused. "Just a recent friend," the Espeon amended sheepishly. He couldn't even explain to himself why he had become so defensive, or why his cheeks were burning as hot as the Quilava's flames. He was so glad his fur was black right now.

"Uh huh...just a friend?" Raze asked skeptically. Shadow cursed internally. Raze was clearly more astute than he had hoped he would be, and Frost's amusement at the situation was not helping matters. "A female friend you've unintentionally had your mind linked to?"

"Does this have a point to it?" Shadow asked impatiently. For one, he really wanted to get off the subject. As another thing, he didn't want to distract Frost from the tutoring, especially when they were maybe on the verge of getting somewhere.

"Psychics tend to be very emotionally guarded," Raze explained seriously. "Because emotions tend to disrupt their focus, right? Dark-Types by comparison are usually far more emotional, but let's not dwell on stereotypical traits. The emotional guard is two-fold. For one, it keeps their own focus intact and lets them remain distant and impartial, so the information they gather from their psychic abilities can be examined without bias or judgment."

"I'm totally losing you," Shadow said blankly.

Frost chuckled. "I think I see what Raze is getting at. I assume the second purpose of the emotional guard is to protect their own mind?"

"Something along those lines, yeah," Raze said. "When people are emotional or vulnerable, their mind is more susceptible."

"I'm still not getting your point," Shadow said wearily. What did the vulnerability of other people have to do with the situations where he linked with others? Neither Leaf nor Cecilia had been emotional at the time it happened. Nor had he, for that matter. No more than usual, at least.

"When they're vulnerable," Raze repeated. Shadow just gave him a blank look. "Am I using the wrong wording, Frost?"

The Glaceon smirked. "Slightly. A better phrasing would be to say those who are emotionally open. Those who are close to you."

"Is there a clearer wording?" Shadow asked, gradually growing annoyed. It was their tones that was bothering him the most. They were talking as if what they were saying was inherently obvious, yet it was so vague. Did they expect their words to just click with him and he'd understand all the layers of what they were trying to explain?

Frost and Raze exchanged glances, then Raze sighed and massaged his forehead. Frost chuckled. "Emotional closeness, Shadow. You and your brother care a great deal for each other, so it's not overly shocking that your minds may have linked unintentionally. And you and Cecilia...well, I think I'll leave judgment of your emotional bonds with her to you. Although without asking for details, I have to wonder whether the link in your cases were one-way or two-ways."

Shadow scowled. "You had me up to the very end. One-way or two-ways?"

Raze raised his paw, grinning. "Remember what I said about psychics being distant to protect their own minds? If you're vulnerable when you link your mind, especially unintentionally, you might give them insight into your thoughts and mind when you enter theirs."

Shadow bit his lip thoughtfully. As far he knew, his entry into Leaf's mind had not given the young Eevee access to his own mind, but he really had no idea if this was true. Cecilia, however...her reactions to the flashing images he had seen indicated they had seen the same things. Some of the images had nothing to do with him. They had been completely foreign, but held the same sort of emotions within them that lurked within his own heart, and the memories of the incident with his parents. Shadow shut his eyes tightly for a moment, forcing himself to push the thoughts aside, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that Frost and Raze were smiling faintly, as if they had gotten confirmation of something.

"So what do we do with that, even if it is true?" Shadow asked, frowning slightly. Sure, this conversation had given him a little information about the nature of his powers, but not how to use them.

"Is there a trigger for when you've entered someone's mind?" Frost asked. "Something you did or said or thought about right before it happened?"

"Um..." Shadow had to really think about that one. He had not expected the situations to happen, so he hadn't really paid any attention to the things he did or said before getting mentally assaulted. Yet...one thing did stand out. "Eye contact."

"Eye contact?" Raze repeated, and then he nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right."

"How do you know so much about psychics?" Shadow asked him.

"Oh, one of my friends is a psychic," he answered with a shrug. "I often ask questions about those sort of abilities, because they tend to be really fascinating. And she was just pleased to have someone interested, and I was willing to let her demonstrate some of her tricks on my mind."

"Just a friend?" Shadow asked blandly. "A female friend you've intentionally had your mind linked to?"

Raze laughed. "Hey now, I'm not the one who called her a nobody first," he noted. Shadow rolled his eyes. "If you need a better tutor than Frost, I can introduce you."

"A better tutor?" Frost repeated indignantly, and Shadow could have sworn the temperature in the air dropped by several degrees for a few seconds before returning to normal.

"Okay, Frost, you go right ahead and believe a non-psychic Pokemon is better at teaching someone psychic abilities than an actual psychic," Raze deadpanned. "But Shadow, unless you want to spend another three days accomplishing nothing before you beg me to introduce you to A/C, then-"

"Introduce me to who?" Shadow asked, confused. "Acey?"

Raze paused, then grinned. "I'll let her explain this one. It's a ton of fun to watch her meet new people. Not an Espeon, but it'll be good enough. She's a Kadabra, for the record."

Shadow furrowed his brow. "Is it far? Within walking distance?"

The Buizel scratched the back of his neck. "It's a bit of a hike, I'll admit. She lives just outside Solaceon Town, and does some work with the Pokemon Center and Daycare there."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "A Pokemon employed by the humans? Not owned by a trainer or such?"

Raze shrugged. "Last I checked, yeah." He was about to say more than that, but Shadow cleared his throat.

"How far?" the Espeon pressed. "What's a guess on time?"

Raze gave a bit of a frustrated shrug. "I don't know, I don't usually walk for that long. At my own pace, it could take me a week to get there, but I stop for hours at a time. Frost, any clue?"

The Glaceon snorted dismissively. "How much of Sinnoh do you think-"

"Frost, don't keep answering questions with rhetorical questions," Raze deadpanned. "You're not earning Mysteriousness Points."

"Mysteriousness Points?" Shadow repeated, bewildered. Neither Pokemon seemed too keen on elaborating on this, so it was probably a bit of banter between the two of them that he didn't need to pay much attention to.

"Oh, well, let me get out my map of Sinnoh, then. Oh wait, left it at home, oh darn," Frost said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"You're alarmingly hostile about this subject," Shadow noted.

"Ah...my apologies," Frost said, his tone becoming much more formal and restrained. "If I had to make a guess, I'd say a walk of a couple hours, assuming we don't run into anything. Unfortunately, you are an Espeon with exotic fur color, making you desirable to humans for about six different reasons, and you can't actually fight back competently yet. No offense."

"Whee, I'm so not offended now because you said 'no offense' at the end," Shadow muttered, which got Raze smirking.

"There's not THAT much traffic between here and Solaceon, though. Celestic's a pit stop in the other direction, mostly just for history buffs and the like, so not too much will be coming this way," Raze said. "It's when we reach the intersection between Solaceon and Veilstone that'll be the problem, but at that point, we'd be home free."

"Am I expected to know what we're talking about?" Shadow wondered. Frost seemed to have no issue understanding, but the Espeon's ignorance of human city names and locations relative to their current spot was showing massively. He at least had known what Eterna had been, thanks to the forest, but Cecilia had mentioned several other locations he had glossed over.

"No, just thinking aloud," the Buizel admitted. "Do you want to meet her or not?"

"I'd have to bring Leaf," Shadow said seriously. There was no way he was going to leave his brother behind, least of all if a trip was going to take several hours. The two of them didn't even have a real destination in mind to this point, and he didn't want to saddle Frost with watching the Leafeon, especially since Frost hadn't given much indication of where he had been going before meeting Leaf.

"Uh, okay, but don't you..." Raze stopped suddenly, and Shadow glanced over to see Frost very slightly shaking his head and shooting meaningful glances at the Buizel. The Glaceon played his actions off as idly grooming his head dangles when he noticed Shadow looking at him.

"Yes?" Shadow prompted, definitely annoyed now.

"I guess I assumed you lived here," Raze explained. "Frost was trying to signal to me to shut up. Sensitive subject, I'm guessing."

"No, we're traveling right now," Shadow confirmed. "Is that going to be an issue?"

"Nah, A/C loves kits," Raze said. "Just doesn't want them herself."

"Glossing over that...unusually specific piece of trivia, I suppose I should accompany you as well. I'm curious about how human cities actually function."

"It's more like a town..." Raze began, but Frost waved his paw dismissively.

"Purely semantics. Besides, I figure you can use all the support you need for a risky journey," the Glaceon said. "It'd be poor luck for you if you ran into more than one trainer. With me in the mix, you can be safe from up to four."

Shadow frowned slightly, taking note of the subtle arrogance in Frost's tone, but at the same time, he couldn't think of any real reason to object. Raze was more amused than annoyed by Frost's comment, so Shadow just gave a slight nod.

"I'll go fetch Leaf," he said, and made his way over to where the Leafeon was relaxing.

* * *

The weather today was definitely more of an asset than the previous days the brothers had spent traveling. With Leaf energized by the sunlight, and delighted by his personal progress in battle training, he was perfectly happy to get back on the metaphorical road. Shadow did like the fact that with both Raze and Frost accompanying them, he didn't have to obsessively monitor their surroundings. This gave him a little more time and freedom to reflect on his thoughts and the recent events that had happened.

Of course, his thoughts did drift back to Cecilia occasionally. He hoped the journey wouldn't be a permanent change, but at the same time, he didn't think it was likely that he and Leaf would necessarily go back to that same area after their business with the Kadabra Raze was going to introduce him to. At the very least, he'd have liked to offer a better farewell if it was going to be a long-term change.

He furrowed his brow again at the thought. She still seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't for the life of him place where he might have met her before yesterday. He rarely saw other Pokemon at all when he was a kit, and while he did take walks outside their territory, none of the Pokemon back then had seemed particularly memorable. For all he knew, he was imagining things, though. The only Pokemon who definitely lingered in his memories nowadays was that...thing. His memories and dreams allowed the species name, Riolu, to resonate in his mind, but it felt strange to call it a Pokemon at all. Nothing else in his life had ever instilled such an incredible surge of fear, anger, and even hate inside him. It had to be something completely unnatural. Even back then, he could feel something off about it.

"You okay, Shadow?" Leaf asked, and Shadow snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that he must have been glaring into empty space or something.

"I'm doing great, thanks Leaf," he answered, managing a smile and giving his brother an affectionate nuzzle. Leaf smiled in return, and went back to examining the scenery with innocent fascination. Previous days of traveling with poor weather had stolen the wonder and curiosity from the Leafeon's eyes during those days, but it was good to see him back to his usual self again. He could be a handful, but Shadow loved him for it. No matter how often the little twerp got under his skin as a kit, or aggravated him, he could never hold it against Leaf for long.

There was something that was still gnawing at him right now, though. He was sure that the nightmares and anxiety would resurface sooner or later, but that wasn't what was really nipping at him. Traveling had been the first step to trying to repair the fractured life they had, but it was becoming clear to Shadow that he didn't have any real goals. Nothing concrete yet. Nothing to drive him onward. He felt the need to protect and care for Leaf, and he would definitely do whatever that task required. Perhaps this was what it would be like to be a parent, to have no real goals for oneself, and instead focus entirely on the future of their charge.

But what would that leave him with, in a year or so down the road? An eternity of time in the future, maybe, but when Leaf was old enough or strong enough to no longer need Shadow's protection, what would they do next? Their parents had started giving Shadow gentle urging to pursue life away from home before the incident had even occurred, because he was of age to start considering independence or romantic pursuits. What would he do once Leaf matured enough to want to seek such things?

Perhaps this was still a little too deep for now. But Shadow still felt like he needed something more in the present for himself. At the same time, he was relieved that he hadn't taken up his parents' urging immediately. Because if he had...then there wouldn't have been someone to take care of Leaf.

Or was the loss of their parents his fault somehow?


	18. Psychic Tutoring

Time seemed to fly by, and dusk was beginning to settle over the sky by the time Raze and Frost called a halt to the traveling. The small group had stopped earlier in the evening to gather some food and rest, but that had been a short stop lasting no more than an hour.

"Are we there yet?" Leaf whined, as Shadow mouthed the same sentence without any sound, something that Frost noticed, but Leaf thankfully did not. This hadn't been the first time Leaf had asked, and with nighttime approaching, the Leafeon's mood was bound to start spiraling downwards.

"We're very close," Raze reassured the Leafeon. "Frost just recommended that we don't go marching directly into the town, because as small as it is, we...he's not even listening," the Buizel trailed off, noticing that Leaf had stopped listening very early into the explanation, in favor of sniffing a yellow flower nearby. If Shadow didn't know better, he would have thought this was a deliberate choice to annoy the Buizel.

Shadow gazed around with a careful eye. Despite the darkness slowly closing in around them, he had no problem making out the various details. Long grass swayed and ripplied in the breeze, and the path they were on was becoming wider and more worn, as if it was traveled on frequently here, but less frequently the further back they went. Perhaps this was related to what Raze had mentioned earlier about a fork in the road that got more traffic.

Much further ahead, but distinctly in sight, was a cluster of large structures, composed of various materials. At this distance, Shadow was not able to identify any of the materials, but they had different colors and textures. Curiosity seeped into his thoughts, but he bit back these impulses.

"Is that where we're going, up ahead?" he wondered, pointing a paw towards the cluster of buildings. Raze and Frost looked in the indicated direction, squinting slightly, then turned back to him, Raze looking surprised.

"Your night vision is incredible if you can actually see that far ahead in this lighting," the Buizel stated. "Like I said, we're not far away to the town, but it'd be reckless to go marching in like we belong there."

Shadow frowned. This made sense to him, but it felt like something was being left out of the conversation, but he couldn't immediately place what was lacking. Either Raze and Frost weren't sharing that information, or they assumed that it was inherently obvious and didn't need to be said.

The Espeon glanced over at his brother, who was starting to get comfortable on the grass, his eyes starting to droop sleepily. Not that Shadow could really blame him for getting tired. It had been a lot of walking today, already combined with the sparring session Leaf had done yesterday. He wasn't even sure how long Leaf had been awake, since the little guy was up before him.

"So why are we stopping here? Are we done for the night, or what?" Shadow asked finally. That must have been what was missing from the explanation - the next step of the plan they had.

"If so, we wouldn't set up camp literally right here, it's too open," Frost said seriously, giving Leaf a concerned look. "Besides, Raze said his friend lives near the city, not inside it."

"And?" Shadow prompted impatiently.

"I'm debating how rude it'd be to drop in on her home unannounced at this time of day," Raze said, biting his lip. "Not something I tend to do normally. Frost, you have any experience with that?"

The Glaceon scowled. "Why would you think I would?"

"You're doing that rhetorical question response again," Raze noted. "I get the strangest feeling you legit use that in place of pickup lines."

Frost rolled his eyes. "What can I say? Females just get weak at the knees when I imply they're asking me a stupid question."

"Okay, well, it's not working on me," Raze said.

"You're considered female now?" Shadow interrupted irritably. Raze blinked, before he and Frost burst out laughing. Shadow also couldn't completely cover up the trace of his smile, but he gave them both a serious look to keep them from getting further sidetracked.

"Fine. Rude or not to drop by, I doubt she'd appreciate me leading a group of males to her den without warning. So I'll go ahead, and bring her back here if she's fine with it. Frost, I imagine you'll puff your chest out and act as their bodyguard while I'm gone."

"It's why I'm here," Frost deadpanned. Raze chuckled and set off, veering off the path but still heading in the vague direction of the city. Shadow watched him go for a minute before turning back to Leaf, who was now dozing.

"Not surprised he's tired out," Shadow mused aloud, gently stroking the Leafeon's fur. The Leafeon murmured sleepily, his tail twitching at the touch before he relaxed again.

"He was up at dawn," Frost agreed, and Shadow blinked at the Glaceon, but Frost seemed not to notice the surprise. "I'm impressed he lasted this long, though I imagine having the sun out was a crucial factor."

Shadow could only nod in response, and he gazed around the area again. He was beginning to feel a little prickle of apprehension creeping over him, but it wasn't the same kind that he had gotten more and more aware of since evolving. It wasn't like he was detecting anything nearby, although part of his mind was conscious of such things. It was something else, something that he couldn't figure out yet, but the awareness of the prickling sensation made things worse.

"You're starting to tense up," Frost noted, his tone mildly concerned. "Something on your mind?"

"I don't know what it is," Shadow answered seriously. "It's just a...vague feeling. Uneasiness, or something like that."

Frost was silent for a moment, and Shadow could tell he was debating how to word his response. Sure enough, when the Glaceon next spoke, his words were very deliberate and calculated.

"It sounds like minor anxiety. Something having you on-edge, regardless of its actual threat to you. I'd normally guess because you're in an unfamiliar area at night, or you're unsure whether the trip was worth the time."

Shadow furrowed his brow. It didn't sound wrong, he just wasn't convinced that was the reason. However, the feeling had already begun to fade, and he was left with only a hollow uncertainty.

Minutes ticked by, and Shadow felt his own attention beginning to wane in favor of a desire to rest. Frost remained as alert as ever, but he was beginning to pace back and forth on the grass. Now and then, Shadow would gaze around, expecting to see an approaching figure or something, but the night seemed quiet and tranquil.

Shadow was just about to consider laying down beside Leaf and taking a nap of his own when a bright flash of light cut through the night. Frost yelled in surprise, and when the light faded, Shadow could see that the Glaceon had instantly assumed a battle stance, his needle-like icy fur bristling and cold mist blowing from his mouth. However, the stance slowly relaxed as the Glaceon spotted Raze among the two Pokemon that had appeared in their midst.

"Whoops, got in too close," the Buizel commented. "Sorry about that, guys..."

"Yes, a bit more warning would have been appreciated," Frost remarked crisply. Shadow focused instead on the new Pokemon. It was a bipedal Pokemon with a yellow body and thin, lanky arms and legs, yet its tail and torso were thicker and bulkier, especially the tail which seemed almost uncomfortably bulky compared to the rest of its body. Its face had a narrowed snout at the end, and its paws ended in impressively sharp claws, but in one of its paws, it clutched a silvery object that Shadow could not identify.

"Perhaps we could move elsewhere?" Raze suggested. His companion twirled the silver object in its paw idly, and Shadow immediately shut his eyes, correctly anticipating the flash of light. When it faded from his eyelids, he no longer felt grass beneath him, but rather smooth earth.

The Espeon blinked and gazed around the new surroundings. It was a cave-like den, not too different from Cecilia's, but taller and carved out more naturally. The Quilava's cave had looked like a skilled Pokemon had worked on it, but this one seemed like water erosion had done most of the work, although Shadow couldn't imagine how that had happened, since there was no water flow around them.

A number of thick, rectangular block-like objects were scattered around the den, and Frost was already inspecting one of them with great interest, easily separating the layers of the block and flicking through them as if he was selecting a particular one.

"Where did you get books?" the Glaceon wondered.

"I work in the Town," the yellow Pokemon replied. Its voice was distinctly feminine, and had a gentle serene tone that seemed to echo partially inside Shadow's head. Raze had made himself at home already, choosing a spot in the den to recline against the den wall. Leaf was still snoozing obliviously.

"Nice place," Shadow said awkwardly, if only to try to break the extended silence.

"Thank you," the Kadabra stated serenely. On closer inspection, Shadow noticed that its forehead had a red star upon it, and that it had a trio of markings on its lower body and that it carried a number of similar silver objects to the one its it paw on a loop around its waist. He felt further, or even closer, inspection would probably be considered rude, so he again gazed around the den absently, looking for something to say.

"Oh, I imagine introductions would be fitting, assuming Raze didn't bother," Frost said, smirking slightly. The Kadabra nodded and sat down in a cross-legged style, resting its paws on its knees and observing Frost attentively. The Glaceon made quite the show of gesturing to himself. "I'm Frost, a Glaceon if you were wondering, and a friend of Raze's."

"Hello," the Kadabra stated with a tiny smile, then turned her gaze to Shadow, who fidgeted briefly, unused to having such an intense gaze upon him. It was also a different type of gaze to what he had been gradually getting used to. While the Kadabra certainly seemed intrigued by his fur color, she wasn't looking him over or anything similar. Shadow wasn't sure whether this was a relief or more disconcerting than if she had been checking him out.

"I'm Shadow. And the Leafeon sleeping is my younger brother, Leaf," Shadow said, hoping his tone didn't betray his nervousness.

"Nice to meet you," the Kadabra said softly, giving Shadow a smile as well. She glanced around, as if to verify that she hadn't overlooked anyone, and then nodded. "My name is A/C."

"Acey?" Shadow repeated. Raze snickered from the corner, but no one paid this any attention.

"No," the Kadabra corrected gently. Her eyes glowed with a soft violet color, and a small, thin object floated up from where it had been sitting near the side of the den. She took it with her free paw and held it closer to Shadow's face. It was a small piece of shiny material with an image of the Kadabra in one corner, and a label in black writing reading "A/C", followed by some sort of logo in the other corner that Shadow didn't understand the significance of.

"I don't think that...um...I don't really get what I just looked at," the Espeon admitted.

Frost came over and peered closer at the card. "Oh, an ID tag for the Solaceon Pokemon Center, hm? Your name is literally the letters A and C with...a forward slash between them. Really? The slash is part of your name?"

"Yes," A/C replied.

"Why?" Frost asked, ignoring Raze's stifled laughter.

"That's what I was named," the Kadabra said, likewise ignoring Raze. Shadow wasn't sure how to react to this, so he remained silent.

"Does it stand for something?" Frost pressed.

"Yes."

"...yes?" Frost prompted, once he seemed to realize A/C wasn't going to elaborate on her own.

"I rather not get into it," the Kadabra said sternly, and she tossed the card to the side, a telekinetic glow surrounding it in mid-air and guiding it back to its original location.

"It can't be that bad if you're willing to keep using the name," Frost insisted. "And why the slash in the name?"

"My trainer liked puns," A/C answered. This response only served to confuse Frost further. "Shadow, my understanding is you need some psychic tutoring?"

"Yes," the Espeon said, seeing that Frost was on the verge of interrupting. "If it's not too much trouble."

"I don't mind, but I cannot promise it will be easy for you," A/C said. "If you would prefer to rest for the night and start tomorrow, that will be fine."

"Oh...thank you," Shadow said. He nibbled his lip thoughtfully. "I rather at least give it a shot now, if that's okay."

"Perfectly fine. Frost, you may use my books, just take care not to tear the pages when you read. It's a pet peeve of mine," A/C said softly, the Glaceon blinking in surprise, as the Kadabra hadn't even been looking in his direction.

"Okay," the ice Eon said slowly, and he very carefully turned one of the layers of the book. A/C gestured for Shadow to move to the back of the den, where there was the most unoccupied space, and as he did so, he felt a shift in the air around them. When he turned back, he saw that the Kadabra had not broken out of her cross-legged stance, and had instead levitated a small distance above the ground and moved along behind him before resettling on the ground, facing him, but her back now to the others.

"Before we begin, I'd like to ask permission to link our minds at times. It's only polite, as one psychic to another."

"Um..." Shadow hesitated. "Is it...required?"

A/C smiled gently. "It would ease the process. My intention is not to invade your personal thoughts, memories, or other such things, merely to be able to observe your brain functions and guide you. However, it is likely I will pick up on your thoughts when doing so."

Shadow furrowed his brow uncertainly. "And if I'm against you doing this?" he asked tentatively.

"I would accept that decision. I fully can relate to not wanting others to peruse my thoughts and mind at leisure. I can tutor you the old-fashioned way, but it may be trickier. I'd rather you choose the method you're most comfortable with, and not concern yourself with which is easier."

Shadow nodded and reflected on the options. While he didn't really want to give another access to some of the details of his recent past...there was the chance that another psychic would be able to coach him into blocking out the haunting thoughts and feelings so that he could better focus, and become strong enough to protect Leaf. And since Frost's methods of coaching him the 'old-fashioned way' hadn't gotten very good results, it might be better to have a more direct training attempt.

"Hm...okay. You may link...for a little bit, anyway," he said, trying to sound more confident and comfortable than he really was.

A/C gave him a small smile. "If you're sure..."

"Yeah. Just do it," Shadow said. He didn't really want to give himself a chance to change his mind. Better just to plunge in, just like swimming. Just endure the cold in one burst, rather than go in slowly and suffer longer.

A/C nodded seriously and her eyes glowed with a soft, almost alluring pink glow, and the silver object she held took on the same glow. "Okay, Shadow, if you could look not at my eyes, but at my spoon, then we can get started. Just relax, it won't hurt, and you'll still be aware of everything around you."

Shadow hesitated, taking a moment to grasp her instructions, and then turned his gaze to the silver object in her paw. It seemed to give off some sort of vibe, and the longer he looked at it, the more it seemed to give off, until the tension in his head seemed to fade away. As A/C had promised, he didn't lose awareness, and there was no pain. Yet there was something different nevertheless, a vague sort of tickle in his head, like an insect had landed on his ear or something.

 _"Can you hear me?"_

Now there was a voice within his mind. Shadow flinched, and turned his gaze towards the Kadabra's eyes, but found they were now closed in focus. Unsure how to respond, he looked back at the spoon, and just waited.

 _"Can you hear me, Shadow?_ _Think your answer clearly, and focus on sending it to me."_

Shadow twitched, but took a soothing breath. 'Yes', he thought. He wasn't sure what A/C meant by him sending it to her, so he just instead kept repeating the word inside his head.

 _"Good. I only needed to confirm the link. You will not need to reply with telepathy past this point, but it is the easiest way for me to guide you, so bear with me."_

Shadow nodded, before remembering the Kadabra had her eyes closed and couldn't see the gesture. This was getting confusing already. Was she just aware of his actions and thoughts, or did he still need to respond to the things she said?

 _"Focus, Shadow,"_ the Kadabra's voice echoed in his mind gently. _"Try not to get distracted by the things around you. Close your eyes if that will reduce unneeded stimulation. Espeon have two noticeable power points...that is to say, two points where psychic energy gathers. Do you know what they are?"_

Shadow closed his eyes. To his surprise, he really did seem to be blocking out the movement and subtle noises in the den more with them shut. Where did his psychic energy gather? Well, the most obvious answer was the gem on his forehead as one. The other...he didn't know.

As this thought crossed his mind, he felt an odd tingling sensation in his tail. More specifically, within the split forks of his tail. Hm...that did make sense, his tail did seem to twitch occasionally for no apparent reason at times, especially...oh, especially when he was sensing something in the area.

The echoing voice in his head made a slight giggle. _"Very good, Shadow. Needed a nudge there, but yes. The tail and the forehead gem. With those in mind, the gem is easily more powerful, as its link to your brain is more direct. So, imagine the gemstone is a doorway. It's small, but it does its job. To use your psychic abilities, you want that doorway to be open."_

Shadow gave a slight nod. He could follow this explanation so far, although it begged the question of how he was supposed to open a metaphorical doorway that was part of his body.

As if responding to his thoughts, A/C's telepathy continued. _"It will be easier to do with more practice, but all it really needs is conscious thought. A willingness to use your power. That's why focus is so key at first. When you're distracted or bogged down with other thoughts, your mind shuts the doorway. Once you're more comfortable with your psychic energy, it will not close as swiftly."_

Shadow took another soothing breath. Okay, so he needed to let his mental doorway open...let it open...he wanted it open, he wanted to use the psychic energy within him. As he repeated this mantra within his mind, he felt an odd sense of relief within his skull, as if a lot of pressure had been pent up inside, but now had much more room and therefore wasn't constricted so tightly. Taking this as a positive sign, Shadow continued to focus on his mantra, until he felt a gentle tickle in his head again. This nudge needed no telepathic explanation, and he focused on the image of water flowing down a stream, moving from his head to his forehead. The image was clear, and easy to remember, and before long, he began to genuinely feel a trickle of energy flowing. It didn't literally go from his head to his forehead, but instead was flowing throughout his body, from head to tail. It was a gradual change, but felt like a huge milestone.

"Excellent start," A/C stated, and Shadow opened his eyes, realizing the Kadabra had spoken aloud. "You could not see it, but your gemstone has been glowing for the past few minutes. With time and practice, you will be able to produce more power at once and afterwards, be able to manipulate it as you wish."

"Really? How long might that take?" Shadow wondered, his tail twitching with eagerness. The Kadabra smiled faintly.

"It's different for each person, I'm afraid. Still, this was a large step and it would not do to push yourself too hard. You should get some rest, and we can resume tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you," Shadow said. He glanced around the den, seeing that Raze had dozed off already, and Leaf hadn't so much as stirred. Frost was still paging through one of the books, but as the Espeon came closer to where Leaf was laying, the Glaceon took that as his cue to close the book and find his own spot of the den to curl up.

"I do have one question for you, Shadow," A/C said quietly. Shadow gave her a puzzled look as he stretched out beside his brother. The Kadabra gestured her free paw towards his brother. "Why is his mind unreadable?"

"What?" Shadow wondered blankly.

"It's curious...I can pick up the mental vibes of everyone else in the room, without even needing to push past mental defenses. I don't get the details, just a vibe from them. Meaningless on its own," A/C explained.

She gestured again towards the sleeping Leafeon.

"But not his. I hoped to get a flicker of his dreams, because he looks so cute and content right now...but it's like shining light through water. It gets refracted and misses entirely."

Shadow gave Leaf a look, then looked back at A/C. "I have no idea. Why did you ask me specifically, out of curiosity?"

A/C smiled again, and she closed her eyes meditatively. "Because it's obvious that you two are very close. It's a bond I would recommend cherishing. Good night, Shadow."

The Espeon paused, and then nodded. "Good night," he replied, and rested his head on his brother's shoulder, using him as a cushion to accelerate his descent into restful unconsciousness.


	19. En Route to Ruins

Much like the Sinnoh region, the Johto region was home to a great number of myths and landmarks associated with these legends. Sinnoh was far more deeply ingrained with its legendary lore, and endless secrets were constantly unearthed.

Yet Johto is where many of the stories were said to have begun. Innumerable tales spinning about, changing slightly with each iteration. The twin towers of Ecruteak City, the swaying tower of Violet City, the eerie Ruins of Alph, the turbulent Whirl Islands, and everything associated with Blackthorn City. Indeed, the history of Johto was rich with mystery and wonder.

Adding to the historical feel of the region was that each city seemed to actively resist the passing of time. Although the oldest landmarks were hundreds of years old, the cities remained simple and small, ignoring the temptation of technological progress that had creeped into many other areas of the world.

No matter how many times Iris visited the region, she was always taken aback by how naturally the cities had merged with natural surroundings. Sure, it was still inferior to Hoenn's integration with nature, but once one had seen the work done in Fortree City, everything else seemed like it hadn't even tried.

The small city that Iris and Kaito had arrived in was surrounded by forest, with the various buildings dotted along a paved road. There was the ever-present Pokemon Center on one end of the city, nearest to one of the city's main entrances, and the looming magnificence of a Pokemon Gym further in. The most prominent feature of the city, however, was definitely the large tower just beyond a large lake.

Iris had needed a few minutes to get her bearings after such a long-distance Teleport, so Kaito hovered beside her passively, turning his attention to the various humans as they passed by. The two Pokemon got more than a few curious glances from the trainers and residents alike, but none of them approached or bothered them. This was not unusual behavior within some human settlements - Pokemon were considered as much a part of the city as the humans, provided they didn't do anything to harass the others. A lot of the Pokemon trainers passing through the region kept a Pokemon or two outside of their Pokeballs, and judging by the demeanor of these Pokemon, it was an arrangement they found agreeable.

The Kirlia smiled to herself, observing one such trainer sitting on a bench outside the Pokemon Center. She was pampering a Cyndaquil, taking care not to burn herself, as the fire Pokemon cooed happily at the attention. It reminded Iris of Cecilia, but at the same time the parallel made her feel slightly sad. She looked over at Kaito, and saw that the Togetic was gazing around with a wistful expression on his face.

"What's up?" Iris wondered. It was a rare experience to see Kaito in any sort of emotional mood, however slight. For as long as she had known the Togetic, he had always seemed serious or lost in thought, with occasional flickers of excitement or anger.

"This city is so nostalgic for me," Kaito responded. Another surprise, but not as great. Iris always did get the feeling that Kaito was more forthcoming with her than with the others. She knew the Togetic would never have given such an answer without hesitation to Lin or Cecilia, despite interacting with them far more often.

"Really?" Iris asked, smiling. "Did you grow up here?"

"Yes."

Iris giggled quietly, and Kaito gave her an inquisitive glance. "Nothing, I just think it's kind of cute, thinking of you wandering around as a Togepi here."

"I wasn't alone. I was being looked after," Kaito said, and Iris followed his gaze to the large tower. He then shook his head and looked back at her. "If you're ready, we need to find Sorin."

"Sorin's in this city?" Iris wondered. It didn't seem like the type of place the Altaria would stay, if only because he'd stand out to ridiculous extents as a dragon Pokemon, and one not considered native to Johto.

"Not likely. I had you teleport here because it's a perfect landmark near to our destination. Sorin's most likely going to be on the outskirts of the Ruins of Alph," Kaito explained. He gestured for the Kirlia to follow him, and immediately set off.

It was very apparent that Kaito was intimately familiar with the city's layout, because he navigated the streets with ease, changing direction only to allow for passerby to get past them unhindered, and Iris had to keep a brisk pace to keep up with him. They passed the gym, and Iris paused to examine the sign out front. She had seen a few Pokemon gyms before, but not from this close-up, at least not since she was a young Ralts in Hoenn. The sign was clearly labeled "Violet City Pokemon Gym", and smaller text designated the Gym Leader as a Flying-Type expert. Unwilling to lose sight of Kaito, Iris pressed on without reading the smallest text.

The Togetic had paused seemingly in the middle of the road, and when Iris caught back up, he remained where he was. He wasn't looking around like he was trying to get his bearings or figure out where to go next, he just had stopped.

"Uh...lost?" Iris wondered, already feeling awkward at the sudden stop.

"No, we go south from here," Kaito said, pointing to the path that led away from the paved road. There was no indicator that this was an intentional path, no pavement or even a dirt trail, but there was nevertheless a break in the trees.

Iris blinked. "Then...why did we stop?" she wondered. With how quickly Kaito had been moving before, it still seemed strange to be waiting at a seemingly arbitrary point.

"I'm just a little wary of going that way," Kaito admitted. This was yet another surprise. Iris had spent quite a bit of time with Force or one of the others whenever Kaito was around, so when it was just the two of them, she was often taken aback by Kaito's upfront shows of weakness or nerves. He was much more distant otherwise.

"Why?" Iris wondered, peering down the forested pathway. There certainly was no obvious reason for unease, the section seemed quiet, but not unusually so.

"It's usually a bit of a training grounds area for Pokemon trainers," Kaito explained. Iris gave him a blank look.

"But...you just passed like...a dozen trainers on the way here. Why is that a problem?"

Kaito frowned slightly. "Trainers won't usually challenge other Pokemon while in a city. It's got too much risk of collateral damage and most Pokemon in a city have a trainer already. Outside a city's a different matter."

Iris squinted at Kaito, so much that her pink eyes were practically invisible. Kaito had just previously traveled from Johto to Sinnoh without teleportation, so his concern seemed strange at first. She was about to question this detail, but changed her mind right after opening her mouth. Kaito had probably flown higher than he currently was when he had traveled, so at this level of height, he would be more at risk from Pokemon trainers spotting him and possibly challenging him.

And she couldn't really argue against his concern. When she was a Ralts, she was incredibly vulnerable, scarcely even capable of producing the psychic power needed to protect herself from aggressive Pokemon or trainers. All she could really do was teleport herself to safety, but she always felt like a spineless coward for doing so. Yet every time she tried to actually practice, or stand up against an enemy, she'd get beaten easily and be forced to teleport just to stay safe in the end. It had been a miserable existence, and the world always seemed relentlessly cruel. Always the strong taking out the weak, and the weak repeating the pattern to ensure their own place in the chain.

Kindness still existed, of course. The world never felt truly bleak and hopeless. She could always sense the kindness in people, and that's how she started to be drawn towards specific individuals. Crowds made her nervous, because not all of them were kind. So many emotions existed in the world at any point in time. Anger, sorrow, fear, joy...it was a lot to take in.

"Should we take a different route, then?" Iris asked finally.

"Hm...no, the other route is longer, this is the most direct route to the Ruins," Kaito lamented. "I just need to steel myself and go for it."

"Uh, okay. Should I stay close so I can Teleport us if something goes wrong?" Iris offered. The Togetic gave a nod, and Iris smiled a little. She waited patiently for another thirty seconds or so, until Kaito hesitantly led the way down the forested pathway. It wasn't even a particularly long walk, but the treeline was narrow enough that Iris felt a little claustrophobic before the path expanded outwards, with one pathway heading to the west, and another continuing straight ahead.

Kaito tensed up abruptly and Iris flinched, looking around nervously. It didn't take long for her to see the source of Kaito's unease: A human was walking towards them, coming from the straight pathway. The human was dressed in rather casual clothing, and while he had a bag slung over one shoulder, his clothes could have been put on straight out of the dryer, or however that phrase went. There was no evidence of wear on them, or travel fatigue in the man's eyes. Furthermore, Iris could sense that this man was on the kinder end of the emotional spectrum.

The man's gaze fell upon the two Pokemon, but he did not stop walking to consider them, or hasten to pull out a Pokeball. He gave them a mild nod of acknowledgement and glanced behind him, saying something inaudible to something, before veering off his straight path and heading towards the western pathway.

Now that he had moved to the side, Iris was able to spot the Pokemon following the human. It was a graceful quadruped with a smooth blue body, and a ruffled collar. It had three fish-like fins adorning its face, a blue ridge along its spine that ended at the tip of its tail, which ended in a mermaid-like fin. Even at a glance, Iris could clearly label it as a female, but found that she couldn't really pick up on its emotional vibe. There was a level of trust towards the human, but almost nothing else. Even the most stoic Pokemon she had ever met before, Kaito and Lin in particular, at least gave off a sense of how they felt. The glance the Vaporeon cast their way was one of utter indifference, and she followed her human down the side path until they disappeared from sight.

"That felt weird," Iris said absently. Kaito looked back at her, an expression of puzzlement flashing across his face. Iris blushed a little. "Oh, just thinking aloud. That Vaporeon has like...no emotion at all."

"I didn't really notice," Kaito said thoughtfully. "I did sense the human was patient and kind, and that she had no ill feelings towards him or us. But that's all I wanted to know, so I guess it's no surprise I missed the absence of feelings. But I wonder why they're going to the Ruins."

"Huh? The Ruins are that way?" Iris asked, pointing after them.

"It's the ONLY thing that way," Kaito said seriously. "No one would use the Ruins as a travel route; it's either a detour or a destination."

Iris shrugged a little. She wasn't even completely sure why the two of them were going to the Ruins. Kaito's information from Sorin had been fairly vague from his explanation back at the Chateau, but it definitely seemed interesting, or at least something that'd be interesting to Kaito. He had been immersed in ancient lore and artifacts even before she had met him, and while she originally thought she was mostly kept around because of her teleportation being so handy, no one ever treated her like a tool or convenience. They always treated her respectfully, like a real friend or companion, and never pushed her into helping with things she didn't want to. Force in particular was very sweet towards her, and they bonded over their mutual shyness at times.

She smiled to herself absently. Force had been much shyer when they first met, and could relate to her fears that she was somewhat useless. He always felt weak, or picked on by others because he wasn't super-confident or macho. Maybe that had been a Riolu thing when he was growing up, but Iris had never asked those deep, probing questions. She knew he'd probably tell her, but sensitive topics were still a difficult path for them to tread. That was why Force had overruled Kaito's objections when Diablos had offered him the fragment...

Iris winced at the thought. Kaito had originally been wary of accepting anything so freely offered by the Spiritomb, and although Diablos had reassured the group that the fragment would be ultimately beneficial, Kaito was still unconvinced. Force had made the decision himself to accept, seeing it as a golden opportunity to become stronger than he currently was, to be more of an asset to the group, and to be able to support Iris more. He had nothing but good intentions, and that had blown up in his face.

"Iris?" Kaito's voice interrupted her thoughts. She blinked up at the Togetic. "You must not have heard me...and your facial expression kept changing. Lost in thought?"

"A little. Just thinking of the situation with Force," the Kirlia admitted sheepishly. Kaito nodded solemnly. "Both good and bad things, actually."

Kaito was about to reply, but visibly reconsidered. "Well, I was saying that we should continue on," he said, moving along the path leading to the Ruins, but looking back to confirm that Iris was paying attention this time. She nodded and quickly followed, gazing around at the trees lining the path. Every so often, she caught a flash of movement and sound, but nothing came out and made its presence known.

As they passed through a gateway of some sort, they emerged in an area far different than the one they had just left.

Crumbling structures stretched out before them, the ground faded and worn, subject to the march of time with all effort dedicated to preserving what was left, rather than refurbishment. A single modern structure sat near to the gateway, and many large boulders were scattered around the site, remnants of a bygone era.

Men and women moved about the area in small groups, with at least one in each group dressed in a formal white coat and carrying papers and clipboards. They would talk to one another in hushed, excited voices, and then continue onwards, or make their way into the modern building, which Iris suspected was their base of operations or whatnot.

Kaito examined the area with thinly-veiled excitement. Returning to a site filled with mystery and lore was probably something straight out of his dream journal. The fact that he and Iris didn't really have a definite conclusion to the trip seemed not to have occurred to him, or at least it didn't faze him. Neither did the fact they had not located Sorin.

"So, Iris...how about we get started?" the Togetic suggested eagerly.


	20. Scratching the Surface

The biggest downside of working with Kaito among ancient ruins and the like was his excitement tended to get the better of him. With no real direction in regards of what they were looking for, Kaito proceeded to choose a completely random direction and begin there. Iris personally felt it would have been more productive to start from one end and comb their way to the opposite side, but any time she was about to suggest such an endeavor, Kaito would immediately get distracted by something else.

She was starting to get the feeling that this was why Kaito wasn't remotely involved with the Mt. Coronet hunts other than off-site research. At the time, it had seemed mildly odd that he chose to examine the Old Chateau instead of going with the rest of the group. Now, after a good hour of accomplishing literally nothing at the Ruins of Alph, Iris suspected that Lin had hit the jackpot of justified excuses by leaving Kaito out of the Coronet hunt. Cecilia had been for lighting, Force for aura tracking, and Lin for overall competence, with Iris on the side for teleportation.

This was worsened by the fact that Kaito's enthusiasm hadn't dampened a bit.

"Could we at LEAST try one of those caves the researchers keep going in and out of?" Iris sighed finally, seeing that Kaito was inspecting a bunch of hieroglypics for the umpteenth time. He seemed no closer to decoding them than when they started, and she was already debating the merits of trying to bury her head in the sand like a deranged Doduo.

Iris was all for pursuing one's interests and examining ancient civilizations and such, but she preferred something a LITTLE more methodical if she was going to be dragged along. Normally, she was given the freedom to Teleport somewhere else and do her own thing when she got bored out of her mind, but she wouldn't feel right leaving Kaito completely alone, despite the fact he probably wouldn't even notice her absence.

"What are you even looking at?" Iris asked in exasperation several minutes later. Seriously, Kaito hadn't even acknowledged half of her suggestions or questions, and his fixation on the hieroglyphics was driving her insane.

"Trying to find some sort of hints about their meaning. I'm not trying to outright translate them, but if I can get clues about the symbols and possible patterns or arrangements, I might be able to get a gist as to their significance if I encounter them elsewhere in the ruins," Kaito explained. It was at least close enough to an explanation for Iris to accept that maybe he wasn't completely wasting his and her time here.

"Wouldn't you also get more examples and clues from other areas?" Iris wondered. Kaito nodded.

"But I still have to examine these so that the patterns elsewhere would be more apparent," he said, but nevertheless lifted himself back to his usual hovering level. "All right, so what were you saying about the research caves?"

Finding the caves where most of the research seemed to be happening was the easy part, but both of them were disinclined to get too close to the humans working there, so they chose an entranceway on the far side of the ruins, furthest away from the gate they had come from.

While the exterior of the caves had seemed like the entrances to a natural cavern, much like Mt. Coronet and Johto's Union Cave, the reality of the matter was that the interior was surprisingly ornate, decorated with runes and symbols, many of them resembling alphabetic lettering, but others much more obscure and foreign. The walls each bore massive tablet-like inscriptions, and the center of the room was decorated with massive statues surrounding a slab of stone that bore a large, distorted image. It seemed uncannily familiar, yet unclear.

Kaito immediately busied himself examining the walls and writing, while Iris peered closer at the statues. The Kirlia immediately found herself wishing that Force was with them. There was an eerie vibe in the air, not quite as bad as the one found in the Chateau, but the presence of something unnatural was unmistakable. It had no emotion, no malice, yet seemed to be not one individual, but thousands of different ones, all mingling together and bombarding the area with a faint signal of its existence. It set her on edge, and Kaito's slight trembling as he absently touched the faded stone suggested that either he was ridiculously excited or he too was picking up on the feelings.

Losing interest in the statues, Iris circled the perimeter of the room, giving every surface a curious glance before moving on. It wasn't until she reached the rear of the room that she noticed the peculiar placement of more of the alphabetic sigils. She stared at them, silently willing for something to happen, or some thought to occur to her, but all she accomplished was crossing her eyes until her head hurt, and she reluctantly moved on.

"Find anything?" she asked Kaito finally, and the Togetic shook his head, not the least bit disheartened. "I'll be just outside, I need a little air," she said, forcing a bit of brightness into her tone, just to see if he'd notice the contrast of her words and tone. He didn't respond, which was not surprising.

Iris took a deep, cleansing breath once she was outside again. The odd vibes of the chamber had faded, even at such a short distance, and she was able to relax a little. The interior chamber had felt as claustrophobic as actual crowds, bustling and pushing against one another in an attempt to reach a destination, with her trapped in the center. The only thing keeping her from a panic attack had been the lack of emotion, positive or negative, but her conscious mind found this even more unnerving. It was like a hive of insects, each with their own thoughts, but all geared towards one central thought process.

Maybe she just wasn't suited to this type of work. She always picked up the weirder, ominious feelings from the objects around her. Force did as well, but his methods left a smaller impact upon himself. Once again, the Kirlia found herself longing for her mate's presence, and as she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the warmth of his thoughts towards her. Their bond was as strong as ever, and so long as he was well, she could draw comfort from that bond.

"Are you okay, Iris?" Kaito's voice asked, as the Togetic emerged from the cavern. Iris opened her eyes, feeling her face grow warm as she turned towards the fairy Pokemon.

"I'm okay," she said with a small smile. "I just felt a bit overwhelmed in there."

"I see. Maybe you should take it in bursts, then. Help me for a bit, then take a break, come back for a bit, take a break," Kaito suggested. Iris could tell he was being careful not to add any comments implying she wasn't necessary. Kaito had his moments where he was absent-mindedly insensitive, but she never let that bother her too much.

"Any luck?" Iris asked, genuine curiosity lighting up her face.

"Some hunches," Kaito said. "I want to see a few other chambers, and then maybe go down to the central room. Hm, we never did find Sorin, did we?"

"Nope," Iris confirmed. "When you talked to him, was he actually studying the Ruins at all, or did he just happen to hear the rumors?"

"I was studying the ones studying the Ruins," a vaguely familiar voice stated and Iris looked upwards in surprise, whereas Kaito flinched badly and shot a resentful look skywards. "Whoops, sorry Kaito...but really, I couldn't resist."

Perched above the chamber entrance was a blue, bird-like creature with fluffy wings. Its head had two matching plumes extending from it, and its tail was made of five separate feathers. Its face had a small beak, adding to its bird-like appearance, but it was the wings' fluff that really stood out. It was as if its entire body was cloaked by low-floating clouds.

"How long were you up there, Sorin?" Kaito grumbled, his good mood abruptly gone, and his paw massaged his chest.

"Not long after...Iris, right?" the Altaria wondered, and the Kirlia nodded and smiled. "Not long after she came outside. Don't worry, you're not THAT unobservant."

Kaito grumbled something in response, but Sorin either didn't hear him or chose to ignore it.

"How've you been?" Iris asked, hoping to break the awkward tension between the two males.

"Not too bad, I guess," Sorin mused. "Didn't really expect you guys to come rushing back to check this place out after my talk with Kaito, but I shouldn't be that shocked."

"Have you learned anything new since?" Kaito asked, regaining his composure and fixing the Altaria with a curious look. "Or any more details about what sort of activity has been going on here?"

"It's stumping all the humans, I can tell you that much," Sorin chuckled. "The usual mysterious workings of the Ruins, but cranked up a few notches. Weird lights, odd vibes, symbols and writing appearing on what used to be blank walls. They've been combing the whole place and comparing it to older pictures they had taken, but they seem to have gotten nowhere yet."

Kaito frowned to himself thoughtfully. "Are there areas where more activity has been noticed compared to others?"

Sorin made a shrugging motion with his wings. "I haven't gone inside the Ruins themselves. I guess the researchers have been focusing a lot on the northern chambers and the main section, but I'm honestly not that interested."

Iris giggled a little bit, drawing Sorin's attention. "Sorry," she said quickly, but the Altaria smiled, silently encouraging for her to elaborate. "It's more that Kaito's really engaged in this, so I just found it funny that you've been studying the area if you're not that into it yourself."

Sorin shrugged his wings again. "I've known Kaito for a long time. It's just what friends do for each other. Besides, a lot of people have been coming and going since stuff started happening, and that's been pretty interesting in itself."

Iris cocked her head curiously. "What do you mean?" Beside her, Kaito heaved a slightly annoyed sigh, but didn't interrupt.

Sorin paid the Togetic's impatience little attention. "People themselves are fascinating. I'll probably never know them, but I like to observe them. How they talk, how they act, what they do. I think about where they come from, how they live. Almost all of it is nothing more than fancy, but it's fun to do."

Iris considered this for a few seconds. While she had never really done anything like that, her ability to sense a person's emotions and bond with them in such a way did give her a little insight into them as an individual. A kind heart, but an irritable demeanor could just be the results of a hard day, or an unsatisfying event in their life. What she found interesting was that Sorin didn't have the ability she did, so he was working off his own perceptions and experiences to judge another. This wasn't a bad thing to do, it just wasn't what she was used to doing.

"Are the northern chambers high-traffic?" Kaito asked abruptly, shaking Iris from her thoughts.

"Extremely. That's why it was so easy to spot you guys," Sorin chuckled. "Only other person avoiding those areas is Adrian, and I sure hell am avoiding him."

There was a blank silence for a few seconds, as Iris and Kaito glanced at one another, trying to read whether the other understood the Altaria's comment.

"Who?" Iris asked finally.

"Adrian. He's uh...a human male, early twenties. Uh...extremely skilled trainer, deals with troubled Pokemon. He's almost a big name in Johto for that alone," Sorin said, sounding surprised that they didn't seem to comprehend what he was saying.

"So why are you avoiding him?" Kaito asked, shaking his head blankly.

"Actually, it's less him and more his Pokemon," Sorin admitted. "He rarely keeps them contained in Pokeballs, and I _really_ don't want to run into Ember."

Iris glanced at Kaito, and was surprised to note that Kaito didn't seem confused by this statement. She, on the other hand, had nothing. "Okay, I don't know who that is, either," she pointed out helpfully.

"I do," Kaito sighed. "But forget it for now. If the northern chambers are occupied, we should check out the main area in the meantime. That's probably where the activity is originating from, and the other chambers are bits to a larger puzzle."

"I do have to wonder what kind of civilization built their society to revolve around riddles and mysteries," Sorin mused. "That seems kind of counter-productive. Can you imagine living in an area where you have to solve a sliding puzzle every time you want to go to the basement? Or carry three sacred artifacts just to open the door to your house?"

Kaito laughed softly. "You bring up an amusing point. Most ruins with that much mystery surrounding them aren't the remains of a city or village. If they were, you'd be right, it's absurd. That's why it's important to try to determine the purpose of the location."

"I suppose so," the Altaria mused, not sounding entirely convinced, but he soon stretched his wings. "Let's see if you have any more luck than the humans who've spent years researching this place."

"Challenge accepted," Kaito smirked.


	21. Reflective Boredom

It couldn't possibly have been more ironic.

After countless ages of simply existing in a stasis where time had no meaning whatsoever, one would have expected that again being aware of the flow of time would be a blessing. To be able to process the days and weeks that passed, and be aware of how the world is progressing since then would seem like a gift.

There was an old phrase about gift horses, often worded to make references to Ponyta or Rapidash for some baffling reason. Actually, the phrase itself has always baffled Diablos. What precisely was a gift horse, and why was examining its oral cavity a bad thing?

Regardless of the adage's origin and meaning, the lack of understanding regarding either making it little more than a combination of words, it seemed that time was a cruel mistress. And yet another phrase to begin pondering. Why were only female authorities considered cruel? Why was time considered female? Then again, the Spiritomb had never actually met Dialga.

Astounding, the things he thought about when bored out of his mind.

It couldn't possibly have been more than twenty-four hours since those Pokemon had left the Chateau, and already boredom had set in this badly. He had already endured three months of isolation during the winter, broken only by brief forays into Force's body to experience ANYTHING but the isolation. Never so long that either he nor his Kirlia lover would notice anything amiss, and that was crucial to him. He had needed his trump card to remain intact and unsuspected until spring, and to sacrifice his only tether in pursuit of defeating monotony would have been atrociously foolhardy.

It was just his luck that his plan had been foiled within hours of actually attempting it. Even the memory of it brought churning frustration into his souls. He had been too reckless, so intent on aiding his situation that he had almost ruined himself. Had the Togetic and his comrades not returned, he would have been completely helpless, forced to endure the monotony of this attic for many more years.

Diablos scowled, the jagged mouth of his ghostly form contorting into a twisted version of itself. He needed to rely on others to an absurd degree, and this did not sit well with him. He would be more than happy to assist with their endeavors, but he hated the feeling of helplessness.

Worse, was that his tentative allies were now in a position to truly distrust him. He had offered Force his fragment as a sign of good will, admittedly withholding the secondary agenda from them, but who would ever agree to accept something if they knew he'd be able to directly influence them? It was nigh impossible to force a person to accept his power if they genuinely resisted it. It was his insurance method, for the Weavile had immediately voiced second thoughts after they had unsealed him, and he needed to keep some tether to the outside world if they chose to abandon him.

His recklessness had truly come back to bite him. His fragment was broken, his allies distrusted him, and he would need to work extra hard to ensure they didn't believe him to be plotting or operating against them. He had no such intentions. They were all he had.

Not even clear memories had the good grace to linger. He could tell his power was being restrained, but the full nature of his abilities somehow eluded him, hidden behind a veil of fogginess, or lost outright by the nature of the Void he had existed within. Was this part of the seals placed upon him? For that matter, who or what had sealed him originally? Why had they sealed him?

The lore that Kaito had referenced allegedly considered him to be a truly malicious being, drawn by the power of darkness within a person's heart. This much had to be partially true, for he did understand the nature of inner darkness. That must have been information very deep at his core, for it had not faded from his memories at all.

Interestingly, his allies had yet to ask him about the subject. He had originally expected them to have been fractions of some long-lost cult, seeking to revive his power, mistaking it for some form of an apocalypse. Yet the Pokemon he saw upon revival were nothing like that. Their hearts were not so tainted. They had all suffered in life, but they did not seek the world's destruction. Quite fortunate, as he saw no value in a ruined and decimated world.

So in the absence of his allies, Diablos had simply brooded, hoping that their lead would prove profitable. He had no leads of his own to pursue, and they would never trust him with giving them a fragment to pass to another. He couldn't blame them for that, what with how his first attempt had panned out.

Frustration again churned within his souls. He would have had a better chance of convincing them to assist him with the expansion of his consciousness had Cecilia not somehow stumbled upon his failure. That had been unexpected. Damn near everything in that situation had been unexpected. Force's amplified aura had sensed the potential of an incredibly powerful darkness, one of the strongest he had ever encountered. Although he had no memories to assess this statement by, his excitement at finding such a source had assured him of the fact. Yet to have shattered his soul fragment mid-transfer...he wasn't even able to confirm that the darkness was within Shadow. But who else could it have been? His parents' souls had been far too pure.

Dealing with the interruption had taken too long. Possessing another put an incredible strain on their energy levels, and with a broken soul fragment, the strain was even greater. He had managed to maintain the possession for only a few minutes, scarcely enough time to start a pursuit of his target before his hold on Force broke. Retrospectively, the time granted had been enough, and if Force had regained control in that clearing...that would have been very, very bad.

He considered himself quite fortunate that they hadn't chosen to disassociate themselves entirely after that confrontation yesterday. They needed his power, despite not understanding it fully, and he needed them far more. The only leads they had involved two sets of Ruins. Kaito had mentioned rumors of odd activity in the Johto Ruins of Alph, but this meant nothing to Diablos. If it did have some significance to himself, he had no idea why. No memories to draw upon to illuminate himself to the reasons. They had noted that his Keystone fragments had been within Sinnoh, but if someone was truly trying to keep him sealed permanently, why not scatter the Keystone pieces across the world? That seemed far more permanent a solution.

Unless...the Keystone base HAD been somewhere else. No one seemed to know why he was currently in the attic of the Chateau. Judging by the objects scattered around them, and Diablos had more than enough time to memorize them, this was a storage chamber of old objects of varying value. Had the mansion's previous owner been a collector of rare objects, and had obtained the Keystone from a different part of the world?

Answers were not particularly forthcoming. And if both the Johto and Sinnoh Ruins did have a connection to his seals, why had they only come to life after the first seal had been broken?

Unless...

Diablos frowned thoughtfully. If he was going to try to keep something permanently sealed away, the best way to do it would be to make the lock's key inaccessible. If one needed a specific key to get behind a door, then the key should be behind the door also, so that only people already on that side can affect the lock.

So...what if the seals could only be undone with his power? So long as his power was sealed, those seals could not be broken, and that was why the Ruins resonated with his revival...the locks recognized that the key was available.

Tsk, not like this would aid him much if it was true. The inability to move from his Keystone seemed to confirm his private theory. Something had gone through a lot of effort to prevent him from regaining his power. If his power was needed to undo further seals, then being physically prevented from reaching the locks without assistance was another impediment. How much had the ones who sealed him known about his powers and nature? Was everything happening now part of some overreaching contingency plan in case he ever was sought out and unsealed?

Or maybe the Ruins of Alph were crucial and the Solaceon Ruins were not. Diablos would probably never have suspected to explore Johto Ruins if he was revived in Sinnoh, and therefore the information of the Ruins acting strangely would never have come to his attention. Unfortunately, he had no contact with Johto. His allies were the only Pokemon that had come to the Chateau since his revival, so he had been prevented from passing more of his fragments. Until he could move again, he required Pokemon to come to him, or he needed a different criteria fulfilled.

Diablos closed his eyes, focusing his attention outwards, outside of the attic entirely, extending across Sinnoh. He could feel them...for even when broken apart, his soul fragments contained considerable power. They were a piece of himself, a portion of a far greater whole. No matter how distant they were from him, they could not disappear from his mind's eye.

His mental radar quickly detected the soul fragment within Force. It resounded clearly, pinpointing the Riolu's location with ease. Three months of being bonded with the aura Pokemon made him stick out quite clearly, despite the fractured soul involved. It took only slightly longer for the other piece to return his call. It may have bonded improperly, but it was still a piece of a piece of himself, and he could locate it with no effort. Shadow was just outside Solaceon Town.

"Lovely," Diablos murmured to himself. Force's fragment resonated once again, and Diablos' mouth curled into a grin. They weren't far from one another. Not yet within range, but soon...if Force was heading to the Solaceon Ruins, they would definitely be in range there. Such good fortune. This would simplify matters greatly.

If the Riolu was going to search the Ruins, and the Spiritomb was correct in believing his power was necessary to locate or break the seal there (assuming one existed), then being in range of Shadow's fragment would allow Diablos to find it himself, rather than rely on Force or Lin stumbling upon it.

However, he'd have to be careful. Taking over Force's consciousness again after being called out on his previous use would definitely hurt his chances of remaining on good terms with his allies. He could not be reckless about this one. He would simply observe from the back of the Riolu's mind, and nudge him in the right directions. There was still the chance Shadow would move out of range again, and then he'd have to bide his time again.

And if there was some way to force a meeting between the fragments...that would be ideal. He would be able to grant Force's desire to remove the fragment, and get Shadow's body and mind in the bargain. If nothing else, he would regain the ability to act independantly of factors he couldn't control.

A buzzing of static nearby broke the Spiritomb from his thoughts, and he cast the offending box a look. Kaito had puzzled over the device after their first meeting, but left seemingly without learning anything. Technology was never one of Diablos' strong suits. He understood the basic concepts, but details slipped past him, and considering he had no idea what the device actually was suggested to him that it had come into the world sometime during his sealed existence.

It looked at first to be simply a box with a transparent side, but that side displayed color and light, but everything was distorted and muffled, and sometimes made irritating sounds like buzzing or popping. It was easy to ignore most of the time, but Kaito's bafflement seemed to be that it was somehow functional without power. Diablos hadn't cared enough to examine it, and neither he nor the box were capable of moving on its...

Wait...

Did it just move?

Diablos blinked, staring intently at the box. Another buzzing of static sounded, but the device didn't move. Yet it was distinctly in a different location than it had been moments earlier. Unless the boredom he was experiencing had gone as far as causing his mind to hallucinate things for the sake of entertainment.

He gazed upon the unmoving device for what felt like hours, but it gave no further indication that anything was amiss. Yet he could sense something regardless, so slight he may not have noticed had he not spotted the earlier movement. His jagged smile curled upwards, and he spoke to the air.

"I know you're there. Come on out, don't be shy."

There was no response, but this didn't bother the Spiritomb in the slightest. The amusing thing was that if no one was actually there, then it didn't matter that he said anything out loud. And if there was, well...that was the whole point.

Another minute ticked by, and Diablos sighed. "Seriously, come out. I can feel your presence, you may as well show me who you are."

Again, there was no response, but Diablos narrowed his eyes. He legitimately couldn't do anything if there was something within the device. He had tried several times during the winter to conjure up typical ghostly abilities like Shadow Ball or Dark Pulse, but found there to be a block of some sort in place. It seemed that all his powers were sealed except for the abilities relating to his souls.

Finally, after an excruciatingly long pause, the box rattled noticeably, and something emerged from within it. Diablos blinked, observing the creature as it untangled itself from the solid object. It had a bright orange body surrounded by a noticeable, pale blue membrane around its main body that seemed to glow with curious energy. Its only appendages were two arms shaped into lightning bolts, making them seem unwieldy, if not incapable, of being used as normal arms.

The orange creature hovered in the air, but was facing away from Diablos, seemingly oblivious to the Spiritomb's gaze. Diablos could see from his vantage point that the device the creature had extracted itself from had gone blank, no longer displaying the fuzzy images or static, but lay there as if the life had been sucked out of it.

"Excuse me," Diablos said, and the creature whirled around, its distinct blue eyes widening in surprise. "Have you been in that thing for long?" the Spiritomb wondered.

"Yup," the creature replied with a small smile, peering at Diablos with great interest. "Have YOU been there for long?"

"At least three months," Diablos confirmed, mildly amused by the look of confusion on the other Pokemon's face. Admittedly, he had at times withdrawn into his Keystone and was not conscious of any possible movement from the device, but it still seemed unlikely that every time it had materialized, they had missed one another.

"Time flies when you're watching reality shows, I guess," the creature lamented. Seeing Diablos' blank look, it smiled widely, showing a surprising number of teeth. "It's one of my hobbies."

"What's a reality show?" Diablos asked blandly. He didn't actually care, but he appreciated the basic ability of understanding people when they talked, and he had a hunch this sort of thing was going to happen a lot.

"It's a program where humans enter a game or competition that pushes them out of their comfort zone and they have to cooperate with one another as a team to beat another team, but there's usually a bunch of-"

Diablos tuned out at this point in the conversation, but kept his attention on the odd Pokemon to at least give the impression he was listening. By occasionally making a sort of verbal noise whenever the Pokemon paused for breath, the rest of the explanation proceeded smoothly.

"...pretty intense!" the Pokemon finished. "What's your favorite kind of show?"

Diablos fought the urge to sigh. He silently reminded himself to remain civil. At the very least, the creature could be useful company during the absence of other allies, and perhaps they could even find some way they could benefit one another.

"I've been a bit...out of the loop," Diablos said carefully. It was an honest response that was aiming to not reveal just how ignorant he was of the subject. "Your...program thing doesn't function when you're inside."

"It doesn't function when I'm not inside, either," the creature pointed out helpfully, gesturing a lightning bolt arm towards the inactive box. "So, I guess I should name my pets, huh?"

"I...what?" Diablos asked, taken aback by the comment, as well as the playfully intrigued expression the other Pokemon was wearing.

"Oh, I've lived here for a looooong time. I've been here since before the old ghost clan moved in a while back. And then they moved out. Yeah, got kind of quiet after that. Sometimes a member of the Eterna Hive crawls in here for a bit. I bet that's why we have so many spider webs hanging around."

"My apologies, but what was the thing about naming?" Diablos asked.

"Right! So because I own the place, all guests are kind of my pets. Or guests, but I like pets more. Still need attention and stuff, but less strain on me to entertain them. Vet bills get kind of pricey, though...would you believe what they charge people who don't have insurance? It's robbery! Dilapidated mansion robbery, I tell you."

The Spiritomb was beginning to suspect that the odd Pokemon had possibly the worst attention span of anything he had ever seen in recent memory. Which wasn't saying a lot, what with his foggy recollection, but it should have.

"So...you want to name me? Because I have one already. It's Diablos."

"That sounds eerie. Makes me think of demons and stuff. You watch the Spanish Channel?"

"What exactly ARE you?" Diablos asked, finally losing enough patience to just ask for the Pokemon to identify itself rather than hope the conversation would actually stay on the subject of names.

"My species? I'm a Rotom. It's 'motor' spelled backwards, which says a lot because we can totally possess electronics and such. Even make them work when they totally shouldn't. Sort of like what I've been doing with the television. And then I can defy physics and piggyback off satellite cable even though the TV isn't even connected to-"

"Do YOU have a name?" Diablos asked, growing increasingly annoyed by how often the subject kept shifting.

The Rotom paused, then seemed surprised. "Huh...nope, guess not! I should probably try to come up with something, so we can do a formal introduction! Hmm...maybe something related to my TV. Like...TV! Or HDTV."

"I'm not going to call you a bunch of random letters," Diablos deadpanned.

"They're not random! They stand for- wait...ooh, call me Plasma! Because I'm made of plasma and there's a type of television known as a Plasma TV!"

"Fine," Diablos said. He wasn't even going to try to debate the validity of a name with the over-excitable electric ghost thing.

"Okay, now the intro! Wish some theme music or something was playing...maybe next time. Hi Diablos, I'm Plasma, nice to meet you!" the Rotom stated, extending one of its lightning bolt arms cordially, as if expecting the Spiritomb to shake it.

"I don't have arms. Or hands. And I suspect it would hurt to touch you," the Spiritomb noted seriously.

"Oh come on, I only caused ONE person to pass out from contact and suddenly no one wants to shake anymore," Plasma complained.

"I don't have limbs," Diablos insisted.

"And it totally ruins the joy buzzer pranks," Plasma lamented. "Have you tried tricking people into shaking a joy buzzer and they instead run from the room? It's like they see it coming."

The mental imagery of the Rotom's statement alone got Diablos to smirk, his previous annoyance fading. There was something contagious about the electric Pokemon's mood and comments. It wasn't excessively chipper to the point of grating, but there was some amusement purely from how openly it spoke and how it moved onto tangents without missing a beat. Frustrating to interact with when seeking specific details, but certainly superior to being bored out of his mind.

"So aside from your...television, how do you keep entertained?" Diablos asked. If the Rotom really had lived here for an extremely long time, then it surely had to have other means of entertainment than just the box, although he simultaneously couldn't rule out that possibility.

"Sometimes I surf the radio stations, too. That can be fun," Plasma answered. "Though I get such a crummy connection in Sinnoh. Jubilife is focusing too much on TV programs and not enough on the good old stuff like epic radio music, and the signals get all crossed and distorted. And then I may as well just hijack the Goldenrod Radio Tower's signal. And sometimes they play crummy tunes, so then I may as well just hijack the stations themselves and play good stuff for an hour or two before they reset the system on me. Ah, the joys of mastering Pokestar Hacking techniques."

"I'm going to assume everything you just said either makes sense, or is supposed to be impossible," Diablos said. On second thought, he'd probably make that assumption every time the Rotom babbled about technology.

"It's not impossible, it just needs me to possess the electronics and bounce my data across-"

Diablos blinked. "Wait...you possess electronics?" he asked. Plasma looked at the Spiritomb oddly.

"Yeah...it's a Rotom thing."

"Interesting...so we're very similar in a way. Both get some extra control and leverage by possessing things. I wonder...do you physically travel to Johto when you take command of their...radio?"

"I dunno, maybe? It's not like the radio's connected to the GPS," Plasma replied. "Although I suppose if I also connected their mainframe to a satellite, I could-"

"Please don't get into that right now. I wonder if you could do me a small favor...just to test out our capabilities to an extent," the Spiritomb murmured, his yellow eyes glinting.

"Sure, what's up?" Plasma asked, regarding Diablos with interest.

"I want to give you this..." Diablos said, and one of his green and yellow soul orbs emerged from the rest of his gaseous body, glowing faintly in the dim lighting. "And then I want you to try to access one of your...technology things. You don't have to do anything specific, I just want to know if it'll work."

"Ooh, possessing an electronics possessor? Cool idea!" Plasma said, his own tone curious and excited. "Sure, let's do it!"

Diablos smiled, a genuine smile lacking any implied malice. "I hoped you'd find that acceptable."


	22. Morning After Tutoring

Shadow jolted awake, and immediately experienced a momentary thrill of panic. His eyes snapped around his surroundings, trying to locate some unknown threat. He saw nothing but unfamiliarity at every glance, and this escalated the terror gripping his heart. Unknown objects littered the area, and there was nothing but hard earth beneath his body, where grass or makeshift bedding would usually be placed.

"Shadow?" Leaf's concerned voice jerked the Espeon's attention towards the Leafeon, and all at once, the panic drained from his body. He remembered where he was now, inside the den of the Kadabra that had agreed to mentor him. He had come here with Leaf, Frost, and Raze the other night, but had not really allowed the fact to sink in before going to sleep.

"Sorry," Shadow muttered, staring at his paws, too ashamed to look around and find out if Raze or Frost had seen his unwarranted panic. He had known his reprieve from the nightmares had only been temporary, but they hit him harder this time. Maybe his brain had been exhausted from the psychic training to properly filter out negative thoughts and memories, or maybe they had just struck harder to make up for the night he had gone undisturbed.

"I was just about to prod you, and whoosh, that bubble thing shoved me good," Leaf said, in a tone suggesting that Shadow had done something incredibly impressive. Shadow didn't answer, silently hoping that he and Leaf were alone at the moment, but still too embarrassed to look up and find out.

Leaf circled around his brother, seemingly unconcerned by the lack of reaction from the ebony Espeon. "So that yellow Daba thing said she had to work on something and she'd be back later," the Leafeon reported brightly.

Shadow furrowed his brow, about to correct Leaf on his pronunciation of A/C's species, but changed his mind last second. It didn't really matter whether Leaf knew what species she was. "What about Raze and Frost?" he asked.

"I dunno."

"They're not in here?" Shadow asked hopefully, looking up and glancing around the den. Sure enough, he and the Leafeon were alone in the den. He glanced towards the den entrance and saw that it was daylight, but the sky was cloudy enough to hide the sun from sight, making it difficult to judge how late in the day it was. He felt exhausted, as if he hadn't slept at all. Hopefully this was just the result of his mental training coming back to bite him, and not because his nightmares had come back.

"Nope," Leaf replied, his leaf-like tail flicking cheerfully. "I was sunbathing just outside when they left, said they'd be back later. Then the clouds took my sun away."

"There's a fun sentence to walk in on," Frost's voice noted as the Glaceon came into the den.

"I have a question," Shadow said, raising an eyebrow at Frost. "How do you even know the way here? We Teleported in before."

The Glaceon raised an eyebrow in return. "Yeah...and I walked out of the den on foot. I used a little trick where you observe your surroundings as you walk, so you remember where things are based on little landmarks. So, when I was coming BACK..."

"I get it, I get it," Shadow grumbled. "Sorry, I just woke up."

"Sleep okay?" the Glaceon wondered, his tone less biting than his previous sentence. Shadow didn't answer, and just let his weary expression tell the Glaceon the story. "Ahh...shame."

"Is Raze with you?" Shadow wondered, realizing the Buizel hadn't followed Frost into the den. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Leaf was sniffing at some of the books scattered around the den.

"Raze gets sidetracked for hours at a time," Frost replied with a shrug. "I can think of maybe four places he might of gone after we split up, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had A/C just Teleport him back to his lake, either."

"And this doesn't bother you?" Shadow asked, genuinely taken aback by Frost's indifferent manner, as the Ice-Type selected one of the books on the den floor and flicked through a few of its layers. He couldn't imagine being okay with a friend or a traveling companion going somewhere without at least notifying him where they were going and whether to wait for them to get back.

"Not particularly," Frost said idly. "Raze is a friend and a sparring partner. He's well aware that we will eventually part ways for days or weeks, so unless we agreed to meet up somewhere or sometime, we don't need the other's approval to go somewhere."

"Seems like a crummy friendship," Shadow muttered. Frost chuckled and he winced. He hadn't realized that Frost could hear him that clearly.

"That's how independance is, Shadow," the Glaceon drawled. "Raze is not dependant on me, nor I dependant on him. We're our own Pokemon. It's only 'crummy' if we make a committment to be somewhere or do something and the other doesn't show up. Raze did what he had offered to do - he introduced you to A/C. What he does now is his choice. And I'm still here, so it's not like you're being left high and dry."

Shadow didn't answer. That was something he'd probably need to think about more. As far as he was concerned, leaving without at least saying good-bye or similar was just rude, and if something happened to them and they needed help, there'd be no sign that something was wrong. He made a mental note to himself to always tell Leaf when to expect him back if he had ever had to leave the Leafeon alone. Not that he was likely to leave the Leafeon alone any time soon.

"I'm bored!"

No bets on who decided to announce that to the air.

Shadow looked over at the Leafeon with a weary look in his eyes. Part of him had hoped that with all that had been going on lately, Leaf would have figured out some way to keep himself occupied, but then again, A/C's den had very little to offer a young Pokemon. Even though Leaf had evolved, he was still only a few months old.

"What would you like to do?" the Espeon asked his brother.

"Go outside!" Leaf answered promptly. This answer confused Shadow. The den wasn't closed off, as Frost had just come in from outside.

"What's stopping you?" Shadow asked, furrowing his brow. "You said you were sunbathing earlier."

"Ah, that was my doing," the Glaceon answered. "When Raze and I left earlier this morning, I told him to stay with you and not to stray from the den entrance without someone else present."

"Oh. I appreciate that," Shadow said, flashing the Glaceon a brief smile and then refocusing on Leaf. "Come on, then, let's go outside for a little while."

"Yay!" Leaf squealed, practically bouncing on the pads of his feet before darting over to the den entrance and waiting excitedly for Shadow to follow. In spite of himself, Shadow couldn't hide his grin at his younger brother's antics.

Frost spared the two only a brief glance before returning his attention to the books, and Shadow took this as a sign that he had no objection to them leaving the den without him. The sky was still fairly cloudy as he and Leaf stepped outside, Shadow blinking in a few times in the morning light. There was a cool breeze, and it smelled vaguely like it was going to rain, but considering the weather the past few days, this was hardly unusual anymore.

The den was nestled on a grassy ledge overlooking a section of the road leading into the nearby human town. The entrance to the den seemed like it would be extremely easy for the eye to pass over from the road, but still close enough to the town to be a reasonably convenient distance. If the Kadabra really did work in the town often, this was a wonderful location, but far too close to the town for Shadow's own tastes.

Leaf ran ahead of Shadow as they descended the small incline leading away from the den, but would always double back before getting too far away, so that they'd be walking side-by-side, only for the Leafeon to run ahead again a few moments later.

"Is there anything you wanted to do specifically?" Shadow asked. Now that he was out in the open again, he started to feel a little apprehensive. Open areas, particularly ones frequented by humans or dangerous Pokemon, always seemed to have this effect on him nowadays.

Leaf considered, then shook his head. "Nope! I just want to be with you."

Shadow blinked. He didn't figure Leaf to be the type to say something like that just to mess with him, but even for Leaf's young age, this seemed oddly weird for him to say. It wasn't even particularly sentimental compared to some of their other heart to heart talks, like the one that had prompted Shadow to evolve.

"You've been with me, though," Shadow pointed out, hoping the Leafeon wouldn't misinterpret this confusion as a flippant remark.

"I know. But I never get to just be around you now," Leaf said, a slight whine trickling into his tone. "There's always someone else, too."

"I thought you liked Frost," Shadow said slowly. Seriously, they only had a third person in their midst for less than two days. That seemed far too early for Leaf to be wishing they weren't around.

"I do!" Leaf insisted. "But I really like spending time with just you, too. I don't want us to stop doing that. I'm becoming tougher, just like I promised, so I can help you take care of me, right?"

Shadow cracked a smile. "Not yet, Leaf. Someday, maybe soon. But we both have to keep at it to get there. That's why we're here, you know."

Leaf smiled and nodded happily, and then cuddled against his brother's chest, nudging him in this manner until Shadow began to stroke a paw along Leaf's head and back. He wasn't sure how long they just sat there, enjoying the closeness and warmth of one another and listening to the subtle purring that accompanied their breathing.

Shadow abruptly flinched, a sensation running through his body. He hadn't noticed the feeling at first, assuming it had been a vibration from his brother's cuddling. It was a mild alarm bell in the back of his mind, vaguely familiar, but easily ignored at first. Now whatever was causing the feeling had come close enough to them for Shadow to acknowledge the feeling.

"What is it, Shadow?" Leaf asked, looking up at the Espeon. His leafy ears twitched and his soft brown eyes gazed around uncertainly, trying to see whatever Shadow had noticed in the area, but even Shadow's gaze found nothing but empty air. "Shadow?"

"I'm not sure," Shadow said, irritation and nervousness seeping into his tone. He looked around, but the danger forewarned by the tingling in his spine was not consistent. It was getting closer, he was sure of that, but the speed in which it approached was not constant.

"Should we go back, then?" Leaf asked, and Shadow was briefly surprised by the straightforward thinking of the Leafeon.

"Yes," he said, and Leaf immediately began to walk back towards A/C's den at a brisk pace. His eyes flitted around the area even as he moved. Shadow followed, keeping a fraction of his attention on the twinges in the back of his mind. Even in a potentially dangerous situation, he wanted to get a firmer grasp on his psychic warnings. The little sensations that offered flickers of insight were nice in their own way, but he felt like the information could still be clearer.

"Come on, Shadow!" Leaf complained, and Shadow shook his head quickly, picking up his pace. Leaf was practically at the top of the incline leading to A/C's den. At least the Leafeon was taking the retreat absolutely seriously this time. Seeing that Shadow was approaching, Leaf hurried inside the den. At the same time, the prickle in the back of the Espeon's mind intensified, and Shadow turned his head in time to see a golden bolt of electricity flying towards him. Acting entirely on reflex, Shadow leapt sideways, and the grass where he had stood a moment earlier became charred by the electricity.

Shadow raised his head and saw a quadruped Pokemon approaching him. It was about the same size as he was, with much of its body covered in blue-grey or black fur, and bright electric-yellow eyes. The hindquarters of its body was covered only in the black fur, and its thin black tail ended with a large yellow star. Its forelegs were decorated with a pair of yellow rings. Aside from the thicker mane of black fur around its face, it looked extremely similar to that one human trainer's Shinx.

"Sparky, what's gotten into you?" a vaguely familiar human voice called, and Shadow's blood ran cold. Moments later, the Pokemon's master appeared in sight. Sure enough, although Shadow had only looked at the trainer briefly the first time, there was no doubting that it was the same one. The same vaguely untidy brown hair, the same youthful features, and even the same clothing.

The human stopped in his tracks, first spotting the electric Pokemon, and then noticing Shadow. His jaw dropped, but was soon replaced with boyish enthusiasm.

"It's that shiny again! Sparky use-"

"Got him!" the Luxio replied, and lunged at Shadow. The Espeon was knocked over easily, so taken aback by the sight of the familiar human that he had neglected to ready himself for an attack. The Luxio's larger mass furthered the Espeon's disadvantage, as it used its forepaws to pin Shadow against the grass.

Moments later, Shadow felt his muscles locking up as an unpleasant tingling sensation raced through his body, and he cursed his luck bitterly.

"Haha," the Luxio taunted in his ear, the Espeon able to feel the electric type's warm breath on his neck, which only frustrated him further. "Pinned and T-Waved, Marcus has got you this time."

"Nice one, Sparky!" the trainer praised. "I need you to move so I can throw the ball, though."

Shadow was already struggling against his paralyzed limbs when he felt the Luxio's weight shift off him, but it was a useless effort. Even if he could move, the electric feline was right next to him, ready to pin him down immediately again.

 _Open the doorway_.

Shadow blinked. That's right, he had a clue on how to use his psychic abilities, but in this situation, it wasn't going to be enough...but it was the only chance he had. He shut his eyes tightly, blocking out the view of the grass beneath him, focusing with all his might on opening the metaphorical doorway indicated by the gem in his forehead.

He heard the human's voice saying something, but he ignored the words, desperately willing his energy to flow through the mental doorway, to protect him from the trainer's grasp. He could feel the energy building within him, and willed it to expand from his body. The pressure in his head built up like the squeezing of a vice, and then released.

The Luxio growled beside him, but Shadow had no idea what had happened. He hadn't felt the impact of a Pokeball against his body, but he also couldn't see whether anything had happened at all. The growl was the only clue, and it was a brief indication of displeasure and wasn't followed by any strange noises or cries like last time, when Leaf had attacked the trainer's Pokemon.

"Uh, let's try that again, I guess. Go, Poke-ack!"

The yelp from Marcus got Shadow's attention, and with great effort, the Espeon managed to lift his face upwards to see the human. There was a Pokeball on the ground a few feet from Shadow's face, and a second, still minimalized, ball at Marcus' feet. From the looks of it, he had literally just dropped it, and the human was clutching his hand with a pained expression. Even from that distance and odd viewing angle, Shadow could see something small and silvery embedded in the trainer's hand.

Marcus winced and carefully plucked out the object and inspected it in the light. His hand wasn't bleeding, so whatever had struck him must not have been sharp enough to really break the skin.

"Ahem. Step aside, Luxio," Frost's voice stated unexpectedly. Shadow nearly twisted his neck in his attempt to turn to face the Glaceon, but the paralysis clinging to his limbs kept him from straining himself to that extent.

"What the- who are you?" Sparky growled, sparks flying from his fur.

"I wasn't requesting for you to move," Frost said dismissively, and Shadow saw the Luxio stumble sideways, as if he had been shoved. A moment later, the Glaceon practically pushed a small red berry into Shadow's mouth. The spicy flavor of the fruit exploded on his tongue, and tears filled the Espeon's eyes, but the numbing sensation holding onto his limbs released their grip.

"A Glaceon, too?" Marcus wondered, as Frost all but lifted Shadow up, the Espeon forced to lean against the Ice-Type for support until he was on his feet again.

"Shadow, back off," Frost said curtly.

"Hm? But-"

"I'll deal with this. Just get out of the line of fire, or you'll just get in my way," the Glaceon insisted, flashing a confident smirk. Shadow bit his lip, but obediently retreated several paces, until he was no longer directly beside either Pokemon. He would have gone towards the den, but didn't want to draw Marcus' attention to it, and part of him wanted to see how well Frost could actually fight for all his confidence.

The Luxio was snarling now, its eyes narrowed with anger, and sparks flying more ferociously from its fur. Frost observed it without even the slightest hint of fear or concern, despite the electric type's proximity.

"Sparky, stop acting on your own," Marcus complained. "Use Crunch!"

Shadow shivered as the air temperature around them plummeted, and a freezing wind whipped past him, surrounding Sparky and Frost in its arctic gale. The Luxio bristled at the cold, and Frost seized that moment to close the distance between the two and sink his teeth into the electric-Type's mane. The Luxio snarled and shook his head forcefully, attempting to dislodge the Glaceon, only to discover Frost had released his bite already and had darted around behind the Luxio.

"Sparky, behind you!" Marcus shouted, but Frost never gave the Luxio the chance to react to the warning. Snowflakes billowed out from the Glaceon's mouth, and another frigid gale tore through the air, scattering the snow over the Luxio, each flake glittering blue. The Luxio inhaled sharply, his yellow eyes widening in agony as the frigid wind struck him. It was as though the thick fur on his body had done nothing to protect him from the icy wind.

Without giving him a chance to recover, Frost darted around Sparky, and immediately slammed his head into the Luxio's face. There was a loud cracking sound, and the electric-type collapsed into the grass, blood spilling from his nose and his breathing becoming shallower. Marcus stared in disbelief at his fallen Pokemon, and Frost looked at the trainer with a challenging smirk.

"Sparky, return," Marcus said in a dejected tone, pointing a Pokeball at the fallen Luxio. A beam of red light shot out from the ball and engulfed the fallen quadruped, transforming it into the same red light and drawing it back into the ball.

"Is that all?" Frost wondered, sounding mildly disappointed. Marcus seemed to be considering his remaining Pokeball, but finally shook his head and began briskly walking back towards the town. Frost watched him leave, then turned back to Shadow and the two of them headed up the slope towards A/C's den. "Not even a fair fight, he's still a rookie."

"How can you tell?" Shadow asked.

"His Pokemon relies too much on his commands to be effective, and is mindlessly aggressive otherwise. I got the jump on him far too easily," Frost replied simply, leading the Espeon into the den. "You're welcome, by the way."

Shadow's irritated retort was interrupted by a flash of light, signaling A/C's return. Leaf squeaked in surprise at the Kadabra's sudden appearance, and she swept the room with her eyes before noticing Frost and Shadow in the entranceway, and focusing on the small scrapes and grass stains on Shadow's fur.

"Hello. Did I miss anything?" she wondered.


	23. Advanced Tutoring

Rather than answer A/C's question, Shadow averted his gaze and focused instead on tidying up his fur. Shame and embarrassment burned inside him so intensely that he felt like his insides were about to catch fire. Black fur or not, he felt like his entire body was blushing and that everyone in the room could see clearly just how uncomfortable he was beneath their gaze.

Why was it that this day had provided nothing for him but fear and embarrassment? He didn't even feel like he could make eye contact with Frost, who had likewise remained silent. Shadow hoped desperately that the Glaceon had the decency not to discuss what had just happened outside. He felt so pathetic now. Every time he had been faced with danger, he found himself ridiculously incompetent in defending himself or Leaf. Every time, he had needed to be rescued by someone else.

The shame gnawed at his thoughts. When the Riolu had attacked him, his parents had protected him. They had trusted him to protect his younger brother, but he was so worthless at this task that he wondered now if they had known this, and had assigned him to it in the vain hope that he would be able to toughen up and not be such a pathetic excuse for a Pokemon.

Then there had been the Beedrill in Eterna Forest. No matter whose fault it was that it had been provoked, he had been useless in protecting Leaf. Had the Kakuna not hatched and called off the attacker, he would have accomplished nothing but sacrificing his own life in the hope that it would satisfy the hornet's bloodlust. He would be a meaningless martyr, condemning Leaf to a guilt-filled life, forced to burden the knowledge his brother had died to protect him.

Even after evolving, Shadow had gotten nowhere as a protector. The trainer had bested him easily, and was about to capture him, if Leaf hadn't intervened. That's right, Leaf, the one he was sworn to protect and raise, had to save his pitiful hide.

And now Frost had saved him from the same trainer, and had inadvertently added further insult by noticing that the trainer was a complete rookie, not even worth considering as a real threat to the Glaceon.

What would it take for Shadow to become stronger? Would he just have to travel with a bodyguard at all times because he was so weak and pitiful that he couldn't hope to survive on his own, much less protect his brother?

Tears clouded the Espeon's eyes, but he wiped them quickly, playing it off as checking his face for any scrapes and grass stains. He didn't even feel like he could look any of the other Pokemon in the eye right now. They'd be able to see the weakness in his gaze, and sense the shame boiling in his heart. And then he'd need to dig a hole to crawl into and hide from the-

 _"I apologize for the mental intrusion,"_ A/C's serene voice stated within his head, and Shadow flinched, but forced himself to relax. _"I can tell that you're troubled by something, and while I will not pry for details, I dropped by to offer more time to mentoring you, if you're interested."_

"Yes," Shadow muttered aloud. Leaf gave him a curious look.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," the Espeon amended quickly, feeling his face grow hot. He managed to raise his gaze to look towards A/C, and saw that the Kadabra was observing him intensely, but her eyes were gentle. Slowly, Shadow stood up and walked towards the rear of the den, as he had done the previous night.

"Let them work, Leaf," Frost stated from the pile of books at the side of the room. A quick glance back confirmed that the Leafeon had started to follow Shadow.

"Huh?" the Leafeon looked at Shadow with wide eyes, his ears drooping slightly. It was ridiculous how good he was at that expression. He recognized it as the type of look he'd give one of the parents if they told him not to do something.

"A/C and I are doing some training," Shadow explained awkwardly, taking care not to look into his brother's pleading eyes. Once you looked into those eyes, it was a black hole of no escape, and one would become compelled to appease the young Pokemon.

"Come over here, Leaf," Frost suggested. "I want to discuss my plans for your training program."

"Oh...okay," Leaf mumbled, but obligingly walked over to the Glaceon. Shadow's stomach churned with awkward guilt. Leaf was so good at manipulating his emotions, no matter the circumstance, but he was only able to overcome the discomfort by reminding himself that the training he was doing with A/C was to help him learn how to use his psychic abilities, and hopefully not be so worthless as a guardian for his brother.

"Once again, I will ask permission to link our minds," A/C stated, sitting in a cross-legged position in front of Shadow, her clawed paw clutching her spoon.

Shadow nodded, more confidently than when she had previously made the request. They had made incredible progress in a short amount of time with this approach, and he had more incentive than ever now to just get the hard part over and done with so he could start honing his abilities. Otherwise he'd be useless forever.

A/C smiled and nodded, her eyes taking on the same soft, alluring pink glow they had the other night, and the spoon in her paw glowed similarly. Shadow took a deep, soothing breath, this time becoming vaguely aware of a light buzzing in his mind. It wasn't noise, but buzzing was the best way to describe it, as if an insect had landed on his head, but wasn't doing anything to irritate him. Was this part of his increased awareness of his psychic power, or was it an actual indicator that A/C had tapped into his mind already? He looked towards A/C's glowing eyes, hoping to spot some telltale sign this was the case, but the glowing made it impossible to read.

"Remember, Shadow, look at the spoon and not my eyes," A/C said aloud, and Shadow flicked his gaze away from the Kadabra's face and instead at the silver object in her paw. He remembered what they had done last time, and he forced himself to relax, until the tension in his head faded away. The tickle in his head became more noticeable, until he could almost pinpoint the moment when their minds had linked.

 _'Are you there?'_ Shadow thought, unsure if it would actually reach the Kadabra, but he could already see a practical use for telepathy in the future, so it couldn't hurt to try.

 _"Yes. Telepathy works easily when minds are actively linked. I can show you later how to do it for someone when your mind is not linked with theirs. It's not much harder, just requires focus."_

Shadow nodded slowly, before realizing A/C's eyes were closed, making the gesture completely pointless.

 _"Before we go on to anything else, I want to refresh our previous lesson. Close your eyes if that will help, and attempt to open your metaphorical doorway."_

Shadow complied, closing his eyes and taking another soothing breath. He had evidently managed to make it work under the severe stress before to somehow keep the trainer's Pokeball from hitting him, but that could have been a fluke, so he wanted to really get the hang of it this time, so that he'd be able to call upon it at will.

He needed that doorway open...to picture it opening...and allowing his energy to pass through it. He felt pressure building within his head again, and at that moment, he realized that he had gotten so accustomed to the feeling that it no longer felt painful unless it had built up for a while. Relieving his stress the other day had done wonders in this regard, but it still seemed to build up in his sleep and- No, no, he had to stay focused.

He pictured energy flowing from his head, like water in a stream. This image had worked last time, and it seemed just as effective now as it had last night. He could feel energy flowing throughout his body, leaving an odd tingling sensation in the wake of its movement. He felt warm and relaxed, but he wasn't sure what to do now.

"Very good," A/C said aloud. "Don't open your eyes yet...now focus on gathering that energy together in one spot, and push it outwards. This may take a few tries."

The Espeon didn't bother nodding this time. The energy was passing through his body evenly, like water swirling in a bowl. It'd tip towards one side, then flow back to the other when left alone. He focused on the image of water flowing, but tweaked it slightly. Instead of just flowing, he wanted the water to stop in one place, like if he was sitting in front of the water's flow, causing it to build up at the point of blockage. A brief smile graced his muzzle at the image, and as he focused on that thought, he could feel pressure building again within him, replacing the tingling movement that had been passing through his body.

 _"Very good,"_ A/C praised from within Shadow's mind. _"Now push it outwards, forcefully. Like you're shoving something in front of you."_

Shadow tensed his forehead, envisioning the blocked energy and then mentally shoving it away, as if it were a physical pile of litter. The pressure in his head released, and a tangible ripple of energy exploded outwards, sending a shiver through him as the sensation passed through his fur. He opened his eyes and glanced around. Even from the distance of across the den, Frost had looked up, and Leaf was looking around in confusion. It seemed that they both had felt the psychic ripple, but it hadn't affected them any more than a momentary sensation.

"Very impressive progress," A/C said, her eyes still closed. "Because you weren't focusing on actually damaging or manipulating anything, the psychic energy released merely dispersed throughout this area. With practice, you'll be able to direct how the energy is channeled. That will be the start of using it offensively. If you try again, and push the energy outwards, but focus on keeping it contained within a ball of energy being fired forward, and you may see different results."

"I'll try," Shadow said, taking another soothing breath. Excitement was gradually starting to replace his feelings of doubt and self-pity. Raze had definitely been right about A/C being a better tutor than Frost, no offense to the latter. Odds are, the Glaceon would not appreciate this thought being voiced aloud. Shadow was willing to bet that if he did say it anyway, Frost would probably sarcastically reply that he wasn't offended now because Shadow had added 'no offense' to the sentiment, just to get the Espeon back for the similar jab the other day.

It was easier this time to reach the step where Shadow could feel the energy flowing through him. It seemed that A/C spoke the truth that the mental doorway was easier to keep open with practice and focus. It took a little more effort to gather the energy up in one spot again, but Shadow had a hunch this had more to do with him becoming mentally fatigued. He had never exerted this much mental effort towards tasks since evolution, and much like physical strengthening, new tasks took more of a drain on a person until the body had recovered. Perhaps this would prove to be things that would gradually improve mental stamina.

 _"You are correct. Oh, forgive me if I distracted you. I just happened to catch that thought,"_ A/C told him, the second half of the telepathy carrying a sheepish vibe to it. Shadow resisted a smirk. The Kadabra's interruption had briefly caused his focus to slip, and the gathered energy to trickle away from the rest, but Shadow tensed his forehead, forcing the flowing energy back together again.

He could feel a trickle of sweat or something forming on his face from the exertion, the movement of the moisture droplet creating a mild tickling sensation, but he shook his head firmly, forcing the thoughts away. By narrowing his mind's eye, he thought only of pushing the gathered energy outwards, but keeping it compacted, as if it was contained in an invisible bubble.

Shoving the mental sphere away was as trying for Shadow as pushing a physical boulder. Check that, pushing a boulder twice his size. Up a hill. He strained against it, breathing heavily from the exertion, every muscle in his body becoming sore and weak. There was something mildly troubling about his mental picture being so vivid with this portrayal. It was as if he was actually physically standing outdoors, shoving his weight against an unmoving rock, as the sun beat down mercilessly on his black fur, draining his strength even faster from the unceasing heat.

The rock occasionally shifted and moved along the hill's slope, but as soon as Shadow released any of his pressure, the rock groaned back into place, and the sun seemed to burn more intensely than ever.

Even in his mind's eye, the Espeon could hear A/C's telepathy gently urging him to keep going, but his will and strength were weakening. It was too daunting a task right now. He needed to rest, to recharge and try again another day. He wasn't ready to tackle it. And yet...

Shadow felt a second presence within his mental scenario, but he was too exhausted to look back and see who it was. But something still told him to keep trying, and as he forced himself to rise to his feet and push against the rock, he saw a second pair of paws join him in pushing. Paws that were brown at the feet and attached to tan fur at the legs. He could hear Leaf's grunt of exertion accompany his dull wheezing, but impressively, the rock moved.

The Espeon smiled weakly. That's right - he was training his mind for Leaf's sake as well, not just his own. It wasn't about being strong and able to control his psychic abilities, it was about being strong enough to protect his brother. And maybe...just maybe...Leaf was onto something when he said wanted to help Shadow take care of him. The Leafeon wasn't even half a year old and he already wanted his share of the burdens.

And how could he insist on struggling alone with that in mind?

Snapping free of his mental image, Shadow focused on nothing but the throbbing pressure in his head. The energy gathered there was at its limit, and putting everything he had behind it, he mentally shoved the energy outwards, contained within its invisible bubble. The pressure hit its peak, and then exploded outwards. Whereas his first success had sent a ripple through his fur, this time the released energy launched forward as a sphere of compressed energy, moving forward with incredible speed.

A silvery barrier formed in front of A/C's body, and the projectile exploded harmlessly against it, causing Shadow to cringe, abruptly aware of how close he had come to accidentally blasting the Kadabra in the face. When the barrier disappeared, however, he could see that the Kadabra was smiling, unfazed by the close call.

"That was so cool!" Leaf squealed, his eyes wide with amazement. Frost stifled a snort of amusement, but he seemed pleased as well, but far more composed than Leaf on the matter.

"That was an impressive achievement," A/C agreed, her spoon and eyes no longer glowing. Shadow nearly fell over on the spot, the reality of how much the session had taken its toll on his mind and body rushing back all at once. The Kadabra winced, but smiled again when Shadow managed to recover his footing. "You will...definitely need to rest after that. If you do practice in the future, do be careful of who is around you, and definitely don't overdo it. You will find it easier and less draining with time, but the same is true for all forms of training."

"I figured," Shadow panted.

"Any questions or concerns?" A/C wondered, idly twirling the spoon in her paw. At one point, Shadow noticed she released her grip entirely, yet the spoon continued to twirl in mid-air until she grabbed it again.

"What about...defensive techniques?" Shadow wondered, making his way towards the side of the den.

"Those are actually easier to produce," A/C mused. "Many psychics find that they are able to erect defensive barriers purely on instinct, when they find themselves in danger. However, it is not advisable to assume you're protected, as all forms of psychic abilities can fail or weaken when under significant stress, and these instinctive defenses trigger at those times."

"Then why mention it at all?" Frost asked. The timing of the question seemed like he was being snide, but his tone was genuinely curious. A/C paused, as if also debating the sincerity of the question.

"It seems such defenses operate more on a subconscious level than most other psychic techniques. It is important that you master the ability to consciously produce defense, but because of how psychics at times produce defensive measures on instinct, they are easier to perform, if still challenging to master."

Shadow frowned, settling himself down on the den floor. It was becoming increasingly difficult to follow along with A/C's explanation. Her words were going in one ear and out the other for all the good it was doing him. Rather than force himself to try to pay attention, he simply nodded. It would be a little embarrassing to admit later that he hadn't understood what she said, but he planned to ask for mentoring on that front anyway.

"Okay. Um...I'm going to take a-" Shadow stopped talking abruptly, and at first no one seemed to notice, perhaps assuming he had fallen asleep mid-sentence. The Espeon's silver eyes widened, various emotions flitting across his face. Confusion, shock, pain, and finally fear. Coldness seeped into every inch of his body, smothering him with an icy chill. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs, and his vision became blurry as tears of pain forced their way free from his eyes. It was as if he had caught an illness and all the symptoms had appeared simultaneously within that very moment.

"Shadow?" Leaf asked, his voice rising in pitch out of concern. A/C and Frost looked over, but Shadow barely noticed. His breathing had become shallow, almost hyperventilating, and coldness continued to spread through him. His paw instinctively came upwards to grasp at his chest. It felt now like something was boring its way into his heart, and fear was rapidly overtaking his mind. A mindless panic that escalated his heart rate. It was as if the nightmares he had suffered from lately had left their mark, yet he knew he hadn't been asleep this time. He hadn't even thought about them since that morning.

And then the feelings vanished. The warmth of the den rapidly flowed through his numbing limbs, and the tightness in his chest and body loosened, allowing air to once again flow freely in and out of his lungs. Yet he twitched, staring blankly into nothingness.

"Shadow? Are you okay? Say something?" the Leafeon whimpered. The Espeon blinked, alertness returning to his eyes. The Leafeon was standing anxiously in front of him, and Shadow felt a heavy twinge of guilt drop into the pit of his stomach at the sight of Leaf's eyes glistening.

"I'm...okay, I think..." he muttered.

"What happened?" Frost asked, making his way cautiously towards the two brothers. A/C said nothing, but her eyes were narrowed in thought, but Shadow didn't dwell on it.

"I don't know," he muttered. Unable to take the sight of Leaf on the verge of tears any longer, he wrapped his paws around the Leafeon and hugged him close. Even with the pain and cold out of the picture, he felt very small and afraid, like a kit cowering in the dark. That fit well, actually. He felt helpless and vulnerable, and had no idea why. It was a nameless terror that had overtaken his mind. The warmth of the Leafeon's body soothed him, like a security blanket clutched close to his heart.

"Panic attack," A/C murmured seriously.

"From what?" Frost asked blankly. "There was nothing remotely panic-worthy happening."

A/C frowned. "Shadow was mentally exhausted. His mental and emotional defenses would have been almost nil. Any form of mental assault would have hit harder than otherwise possible. It could have been an actual mental attack, some lingering traces of my psychic signature, or even something otherwise undetectable, like radio signals."

"That hardly narrows down the list," Frost noted dryly. "Are you sure you're all right, Shadow? Did you have any idea what happened?"

"I'm fine...probably," Shadow said. His brother's proximity was making him feel much better, and Leaf seemed to be enjoying the closeness because he had yet to protest or even try to wiggle away from his brother. "I don't know, maybe?"

"Maybe?" A/C repeated. "Did you somehow pinpoint the source of your...panic?"

The Espeon hesitated before answering. The vibe had been so brief, but he had definitely felt it, just before the panic and pain overtook his senses.

"It's vague. Too vague to mean much..." he said finally.

"Your instincts tend to be very accurate," Frost noted calmly. Shadow winced. Part of him wanted to offer as much insight as possible, but a stronger part of himself felt nothing but fear for the source of those feelings. It was something he felt every time he had his nightmares, a familiar but terrifying vibe. He wasn't ready to face that fear.

"Is it nearby, or far away?" A/C wondered softly.

"Near...but not dangerously so. But too close!" Shadow answered, holding Leaf closer to himself. Why was he feeling like such a coward? Why was he cowering like a kit describing an imaginary threat?

"Oww..." Leaf complained, and Shadow loosened his grip slightly. Leaf adjusted his positioning and began to nuzzle against his brother's chest, the touch oddly soothing.

"Can you give us even a vague direction?" Frost asked, nonplussed. Shadow shut his eyes, taking a soothing breath the best he could, but the air caught in his throat briefly, as if he was on the verge of crying.

"That way," he said finally, pointing his paw towards one of the den walls. All the other Pokemon glanced in that direction.

"That's a wall, Shadow," Leaf said helpfully.

A/C frowned and peered outside, pivoting her body to face the indicated direction. After a moment, she looked back at Shadow.

"Interesting..."

"What is?" Frost demanded, joining A/C at the den entrance. Leaf made to follow, but Shadow tugged him back. He still needed his brother's comfort.

"For several months, whenever I've been working at the Center and listening to the radio that plays in the lobby, I would occasionally get an odd vibe from the Ruins to the east. Distant enough to disregard, but persistently present. I somehow doubt it's a coincidence that when your mind was exhausted, you picked up on such vibes."

"Does everyone have to talk with big words?" Leaf complained.

"I can't understand what you're getting at," Shadow sighed. His brain was so fried he was amazed he was even conscious right now.

A/C tapped her spoon against her chin. "You're pointing at the Solaceon Ruins. Whatever you're sensing is in there."


	24. Runes of Solaceon

Despite serving as one of the more prominent and well-known ruins in the Sinnoh region, the Solaceon Ruins was considered little more than a tourist attraction. It wasn't even a particularly good tourist attraction, either.

This probably had a lot to do with its location. It was the next door neighbor to an extremely small human settlement, whose own greatest feature was the Pokemon Daycare, and playing host to the nearby Lost Tower, the region's memorial to the souls of deceased Pokemon.

The other half of the Solaceon Ruins' lack of traffic was that it was actually very well hidden in plain sight. With such a small town, few people could be bothered to search and explore every nook and cranny of the surroundings, and to reach the Ruins, they had to go through a small forest and traverse a stretch of ledges where one misstep could potentially sprain one's ankle and leave them vulnerable. The combination of these factors meant that the average trainer would never realize the Ruins were there, and the ones who did head that way were more likely to miss the entrance than not.

This suited Lin just fine. It was normally not advisable for three seemingly wild Pokemon to just waltz into a small human town, so she was grateful that the necessary path to access the Solaceon Ruins was just past the town's entrance. The less time spent lingering in the open, the better.

Fortunately, the town did not have a local gym, nor any remarkable trainer attractions, so even if they did attract unwanted notice, it wouldn't really bring down a lot of heat upon them unless they were ridiculously unlucky and a member of the Elite Four or the Champion were visiting. Weirder things had happened. Most human towns tended to treat Pokemon in the area with wary respect, in case they belonged to a famous or notable trainer, or just because it was a bad idea to piss Pokemon off.

Force and Cecilia had miraculously spent the last leg of the journey in almost complete silence. Lin wasn't sure whether to be concerned or relieved about that. She was definitely pleased that Cecilia was more cheerful than before, although this was balanced out by Force being moodier and more introspective than normal. She, on the other hand, only cared about getting to their destination and completing their investigation here as swiftly as possible.

It was about mid-day by the time they reached the looming entrance of the Solaceon Ruins. Even after finding Cecilia back by Celestic Town's west gate, they had traveled reasonably far before inevitably stopping for the night. This was understandable, as Force was unused to traveling for long periods of time, and it was unclear how well rested Cecilia had been if she had actually fought fifty or more Pokemon to usurp the territory she had been using, and even Lin found it practical to rest up so that her mind and body would be at their sharpest for their exploration of the Ruins.

The Weavile's fur had been painstakingly washed and groomed today. Her jet black fur was tidy and stood out in sharp contrast to the colors of spring around them. The crimson feathers making up her crown and tail glistened in the sun. Even the scarf draped around her neck had been washed with utmost care, so that the blue silks shone as vibrantly as the rest of her body.

By contast, Cecilia and Force had both done the absolute minimum required to be labeled as 'presentable', although this was mostly because they had wasted an absurd amount of time debating the etiquette of bathing in front of each other, which somehow segued into a discussion of what relationship tier was needed to access this imaginary privilege and others like it, and even conditions and sub-privileges, like what direction you're allowed to face if you're not quite at the required tier. None of this conversation had anything to do with them being unwilling to bathe with the other present, as neither of them had a problem with that - it was purely for the sake of discussion and arguing about semantics.

Lin made a mental note to never again try to save time by having them do a personal task simultaneously.

They paused at the entrance to the Ruins, and Lin's sharp red eyes skimmed the exterior, verifying that there were no signs or markings intended to serve as a warning or message to visitors or intruders. The Ruins here were different from passages buried within Mt. Coronet that led to ancient ruins, so she couldn't discount the possibility of such inscriptions here.

Seeing nothing of note, Lin led the way inside the Ruins. To her slight surprise, the interior contrasted sharply with the outside. Rather than a cave as she had expected, she found herself standing in a narrow corridor. Directly to the right was a crumbling stone staircase, worn down by age and countless people moving up and down the steps. Another pair of staircases could be seen in the back of the passageway, branching off in different directions.

"Ooh, this is going to be fun!" Cecilia giggled, her flames crackling in excitement as she peered down the nearest staircase, but seemed unable to see beyond the veil of blackness.

"One moment, stay close," Lin said seriously, making her way to the rear of the passageway. Although the sunlight streaming into the chamber was enough to illuminate this section, she doubted this would be the case with the forked pathways. Cecilia would probably manage just fine as a living light source, and her own night vision was spectacular, but Force was going to be the odd one out, and she wanted to keep the group close.

The walls were decorated with various carvings, some purely aesthetic, but many others looked like ancient writing. Distinct runes were etched into the surfaces of faded stone tablets, and several of the symbols were repeated in an uneven pattern, confirming her suspicion that it was probably writing and not just decor.

Lin peered closely at the plaque at the back of the room. Looking this close, she could see a large number of similar markings and runs, and she could even make out that every single rune seemed to share an eye motif of sorts. They were all related to one another in some way, but their meanings were lost on her.

Cecilia and Force came over to where she stood and gazed at the same plaque for a few minutes, before restlessly turning their gazes to the staircases nearby. Lin finally tore her gaze from the plaque and scanned the room again. What was the purpose of this room? It was an entranceway, but considerably less ornate than most of its kind. There was no real imposing atmosphere, so if there was a significance to the Solaceon Ruins, it did not appear to have malicious origins.

"Okay, let's try one of these staircases," Lin said finally. The room had two stairways to the right, but only one to the left. It would make the most sense to go left first, so that after backtracking, they'd have a better chance of narrowing down the possible rooms yet to see. With that in mind, she carefully descended the stone steps, the claws on her feet making an audible clicking sound with each step. Force and Cecilia came after her, their footsteps careful and slow.

Lin emerged in a small, enclosed room. The only thing here was a decorative pillar of some sort, barely more than a shaped boulder in the center of the room. Her eyes narrowed as she swept the room, examining each of the four walls. There was no writing or inscriptions here, and it didn't seem to have much purpose. But then why have it at all? It was too small to be a room to mingle with others, and there were no remains or other evidence that things were stored here, other than the pillar itself, which wasn't even given the same care as other pillars and markings.

"Weird...do you think maybe this was supposed to be an expansion to the Ruins, but it either got abandoned or the project just got cut?" Force wondered, looking as bewildered as Lin felt. Finally forced to concede that the room had nothing to offer them, Lin gestured for them to go back upstairs, her scarf trailing behind her as she followed them.

"Okay, let's try this one, next!" Cecilia chirped, running back towards the sunlit entrance of the Ruins and peering down the nearest staircase.

"Okay," Lin said, and she frowned to herself as the Quilava bounded down the stairs. Force and Lin made to follow, but the Quilava abruptly darted back up the stairs, looking mildly put out.

"Would you believe it's EXACTLY like the other room?" she asked incredulously. "Nothing. Just a big rock and blank walls."

"So if the last stairway is the same thing, are we done?" Force asked, making his way towards the third staircase.

"I have no idea," Lin sighed. This was coming off as anti-climactic already, and that didn't sit well with her. The Ruins had a vibe about them, something mysterious lingering within the walls. She was unwilling to believe that it was nothing but three dead-end passageways. Someone had gone through the effort of building staircases that went nowhere.

However, when they descended this staircase, they found themselves in a different corridor...with another three staircases apart from the one they had come down. No one spoke for almost a full minute, and the only break in the silence was the sound of Cecilia's flames.

"We're going to hate this place, aren't we?" Force deadpanned finally.

"It's a bit early to assume that much," Lin replied, but she didn't sound particularly convinced of her own words. At this rate, the Solaceon Ruins could very well be a gigantic labyrinth with a majority of the rooms being dead-ends, but they were all but required to investigate each of them to be sure they weren't missing something crucial. And it could very well become worse further in, with several of the routes going on for some time and branching out several times before revealing the dead end.

That could be giving the Ruin designers too much credit, but if the site was guarding something important or valuable, then it was a possibility. Even so, there had to be some sort of clue or key to exploring this place.

"So what are we going to do?" Cecilia asked, cocking her head towards the Weavile curiously. "Split up and check each path?"

"No," Lin replied, stepping further into the corridor and examining the area with a critical eye. There were no inscriptions on the wall this time around. In fact, each of the walls were completely blank. There were no markings of any sort beside the staircases, either. This seemed like a crucial detail, but its exact meaning was lost on her. Why did only the entranceway have writing and markings on the wall? Was that somehow going to be the clue to navigating the Ruins? And even if it was, could they afford to not explore every nook and cranny of the Ruins?

"What are we even looking for?" Cecilia asked.

"We don't actually know if anything's here," Force said dully. "Sorin apparently said the Ruins of Alph in Johto has had some odd activity, and Kaito's just sending us here on a hunch that the Sinnoh equivalent might be acting weird, too."

Cecilia wrinkled her nose. "Does he have anything to base that on? Rumors or lore history, or anything? Because I don't want to waste my whole day cooped up in here for nothing."

Lin shrugged. "Kaito considers these Ruins and the Ruins of Alph to be parallels to one another. A development in one could uncover something in the other. That's why we're checking them both out simultaneously. I don't know what he's basing this theory on, but his fascination on the subject makes him a reasonable expert."

"I guess..." Cecilia muttered, her expression still a bit sour. "So how are we going to explore the place? Go down every branch and see how many dead-ends we hit?"

"Doubtful," Lin chuckled, flicking the end of her scarf over her shoulder. "Kaito knows how to make use of our individual skills. He may have taken Iris in his group for the convenience factor, but he left Force with my group for more than just symmetry. Force, can you get an aura read on the area?"

"Oh!" the Riolu's expression lit up and he raised a paw. Within moments, the paw was ablaze with a pale blue glow, casting its dim light over the walls of the corridor. The aura Pokemon remained still, his eyes closed for several moments. Neither Cecilia nor Lin said anything while they waited.

Finally, just as the silence was stretching into awkwardness, Force's eyes opened. Like his paw, his eyes had taken on a blue glow, and he cast his gaze around the corridor before the light in his eyes dimmed.

"Anything?" Cecilia wondered.

"It's a very strange feeling," Force answered slowly. "There is something about this place, but I can't pin it down. It's like I'm getting signals from a dozen different directions."

"Hmm...then let's proceed and see if anything reveals itself," Lin suggested. She gestured for the other two to follow her, and approached the closest staircase. Force was only a pace behind, with Cecilia bringing up the rear. As Lin went down the stairs, she kept her eyes peeled for any unusual markings on the walls of the stairwell, as sometimes explorers and scientists would make chalk markings on the walls of the paths they've tried, to keep themselves from getting hopelessly lost, but she found the walls oddly blank.

They emerged in yet another dead-end room, but this time, Lin patrolled the perimeter more closely, touching and tapping the stone walls of the room. She could still remember the odd feelings within the condemned chamber of Mt. Coronet. The unease that had gripped her heart within that room. She felt nothing of the sort here, but at the same time, she felt like something was watching her. It was a feeling that was nigh impossible to shake.

"Force, is there another aura in this room?" she asked the Riolu sharply. Neither he nor Cecilia had bothered coming further down the stairs on seeing the dead-end, but they remained with her nevertheless. The Riolu took a moment to conjure up his aura flames, and he blinked.

"Yes...but very small. A piece of a larger whole kind of thing. Like a colony of insects surrounding its queen."

"But the queen is not in this room?" Lin asked, vaguely amused by the description. Force shook his head.

"Can you tell where the monarch is?" Cecilia wondered.

"Deeper, I imagine," Force said with a shrug. Lin clicked her tongue in mild annoyance, casting another look around the room before heading back up the stairs. However, she then walked back towards the first staircase.

"Are we leaving?" Cecilia asked, unable to keep the hopefulness out of her tone.

"No, I want another look at the plaque near the entrance," Lin explained, climbing up the second staircase. She didn't look back to be sure that they were following, and immediately turned her attention to the writing at the rear of the room. Thus far, it had been the only markings that had resembled writing, and if she could decipher even a little of it, she may be able to make progress here.

The symbols seemed to stare back at her as she perused the lines of symbols. She tried to read them right to left, and then left to right. Nothing really seemed to stand out to her. Then she tried reading from top to bottom, and then bottom to top. This actually netted a more interesting observation - the same symbol appeared in almost every line of some of the columns. In fact, several of the columns matched in this fashion. And as she inspected this further, she realized that some of the lines were exactly identical to a different line.

But at the very bottom, the writing deviated drastically from the others. The Weavile made a mental note to inspect that closer, but for now, she wanted to understand the relevance of the matching lines of symbols. Was she right about the plaque serving as a key, or instructions on how to navigate the maze?

"Any luck, Lin?" Cecilia asked, coming over to where she stood and peering at the writing.

"Hmm...maybe. Are these symbols identical in these lines?" Lin wondered, underlining those lines with her claw.

"Um..." Cecilia sat back on her hind legs, assuming a close equivalent to a bipedal stance to get a better look. "Kind of? I think so...but I don't know what it'd mean...those aren't very good symbols if they're supposed to be an entire word."

"They're letters," Force said suddenly. Lin and Cecilia looked back at him, startled. "Look at their shapes," Force insisted, pointing at one of the symbols. "That one looks like the letter 'O'...and that one looks like a 'W'..."

Lin peered closer, and then slapped her forehead. "I feel like an idiot now."

"Even if those are letters, some of them are REALLY weird-looking," Cecilia said doubtfully. "Like look at the bottom row. That one looks derpy."

Lin chuckled at her friend's matter-of-fact description. The symbol Cecilia was referring to had the eyeball part of the symbol at the top, with a loop at the bottom. Although the one beside it looked very much like a letter 'E', with the eyeball in the center of a vertical line, and three prongs extending from it, one from the top, middle, and bottom. The third symbol looked like the 'W', as Force had noted already.

"Hmm...I wish I had brought some note paper or something to write these down and see if they make sense together," Lin murmured. It was taking her brain a second or two to figure out the possible letter the symbols indicated, and even longer to piece it together with another deciphered letter.

"Try carving them with your claws," Cecilia suggested.

"Cece, do you have any idea how long that'd take?" Lin scolded. "Okay, let's talk this out together, and try to work it into something coherent. I can't tell what the first letter is, but I'm pretty confident on 'E' and 'W' as the next two."

"The fourth one has to be an A," Force reasoned, tracing the letter's shape over the symbol, illustrating the similarity.

They spent several minutes debating the remainder of the line, usually settling into an agreement, but sometimes being forced to backtrack to a previous symbol when the completed word was nonsensical as a result.

"Okay, what they really needed to do was just write out the alphabet before making their messages," Cecilia sighed, after the eighth revision.

"Okay, I think we got it," Lin said. Despite arguing against the idea at first, she had eventually agreed to write out their deciphered message, but chose to carve it into the softer ground than to work with the stone wall. The three of them peered at the claw-written message scrawled at their feet.

" _Beware our Guardians_ ," Cecilia said flatly. "That's...really creative. Illuminates a lot. Definitely worth the hour or so we spent. Excuse me, I need to step outside and set something on fire."

"Uh, Cece, we're next to a human town," Lin said hastily. "That would be a very bad idea."

"Do the other lines give directions?" Force asked, giving Cecilia a nervous look.

"Nuh-uh, I'm not sitting here and deciphering two dozen more symbols just to get Up, Right, Down, Left, Start, Select or whatever," Cecilia growled, her flames growing in intensity. Lin peered closer at the symbols.

"...oh, you've got to be kidding me," she muttered. She pointed at one of the lines, tracing the corresponding letters over the symbols. "Top Right." She then pointed at the staircase next to them, the one that had led them to the second corridor. It was furthest from the entrance of the Ruins, on the right-hand side.

"I hate this place," Cecilia grumbled.


	25. Restless Downtime

There is scarcely anything more frustrating than an unsolved mystery that has claimed your interest. Worse is if said unsolved mystery is kept purposefully out of your reach like a cookie jar on the top shelf. There's the possibility that the jar is empty, or filled to the brim with undesirable flavors, but you'll never know if you never get the chance to look inside, and the fact you can't reach it to look inside is nearly unbearable.

This would be an accurate, albeit roundabout and unnecessarily tangential, way to describe Frost's current state of mind. The mention of the Solaceon Ruins, and A/C's comment about sensing vibes coming from it, had hooked the Glaceon's interest. He had grown up on Mt. Coronet, a mountain reknowned for being filled with ancient secrets and fascinating legends of the past. His parents had been more fixated on human culture and society, but some of the books they had touched upon the legends humans shared over the ages.

Those tales had fascinated him moreso when he was younger, but something within him had yearned to be a part of such stories and legends. A name or event passed down from generation to generation, briefly lost and reinvented by the span of time, only to resurface and become relevant again.

Unfortunately, Shadow had been in dire need of a nap, which called a halt to any sort of real discussion or suggestions of exploring the Ruins. He hadn't the foggiest clue what could have triggered the Espeon's panic attack or whatever it had been, but if it was connected somehow to the Ruins, he was more than willing to figure out what it was.

For all the Glaceon knew, the vibes were immaterial, and if that was the case, the Ruins could still be a fascinating piece of history to examine and immerse himself in. And if the vibes and panic were well founded and there was something potentially dangerous within, well...he could use a challenge. Ever since he had left home so many months ago, he had sought out numerous opponents and sparring partners, but each had left him wanting more. He was not so reckless to approach Pokemon trainers or territories that had ridiculously low odds of emerging victorious, so it wasn't as if he was truly unbeatable, but he wanted a battle that could thrill him to his core.

Raze had been an acceptably powerful opponent, one that Frost felt could definitely offer him a different sort of challenge. Raze was resourceful, if a touch predictable at times, and his tactics were very different from how Pokemon closer to the mountain fought. The Glaceon and Buizel found it mutually beneficial to use one another to drive themselves to greater heights, and Frost extended the same service to Shadow and his brother. They had significant potential, however untapped, and Frost could easily see them becoming exceptionally strong once they found their niche.

Perhaps even strong enough to rival him, and in turn, motivate him to keep improving and adapting.

One step at a time, though. Loathe as Frost was to admit it, A/C was making significantly more progress with Shadow than he had any hope of doing, but at least Raze was currently absent, so he didn't have to endure the Buizel's smug, knowing grin.

A/C had excused herself from the den, stating something along the lines of completing part of her shift, but had promised to return before long. With her and Shadow currently absent or unconscious, this left Frost unable to leave to check out the Ruins alone, because he certainly wasn't going to drag Leaf along with him without approval, nor did he feel it would be wise to leave the Leafeon unsupervised, even though the little guy was being used as a reluctant pillow for his brother.

Frost restlessly paged through another one of A/C's books, but his heart wasn't really into the contents of the pages. Several times, he caught himself re-reading the same paragraph three or four times, but digesting absolutely none of it. Eventually, he just gave up on getting any reading done. He debated doing a few training exercises to pass time, but the den seemed ill-suited for such things, and ran the risk of reducing the temperature to the point of discomfort. Especially since Leaf was in here, and Shadow was asleep. Neither would appreciate ice or snow being flung around in close quarters to them.

The Glaceon paced back and forth a few times, but to keep from drawing Leaf's curiosity, he'd pause to flip through a few pages of the closest book, only to resume pacing. He hated being cooped up as much as anybody, but it felt infinitely worse when he actually had a specific desired place to be, rather than simply wanting to have freedom and flexibility. Speaking of that unpleasant, but unquestionably familiar feeling...

Frost paused, and made a mental note to later request A/C for a Teleport near Mt. Coronet, and then retrieve him a few hours later, if possible. He hadn't initially intended to go this far away from the mountain for a while, but meeting Leaf and Shadow had complicated that, and it simply wasn't practical to go back on foot, visit for a few hours, and then come back for Leaf and Shadow afterwards. He wasn't even sure what Shadow's travel plans in the future might entail, so he needed to at least make one quick visit to explain his circumstances and make a schedule for future drop-in visits, before dedicating his time to the present task.

That was not going to be a fun conversation.

As Frost turned to do yet another round of pacing, he stepped on the cover of one of the books on the den floor and lost his footing, nearly falling over in his haste to regain his balance. Scowling, and hoping that Leaf had dozed off, he picked up the offending book and flipped through it idly. He cared so minimally about reading anything at this point, that it was at least a minute before he realized the words were hand-written, rather than typed.

The book, on closer inspection, seemed to be a journal or diary of some sort. Each page had the date of the entry, and the content ranged from a few sentences to several long-winded paragraphs. The tone of the entries seemed to fluctuate, some starting off rather enthusiastic-sounding, with an unnecessary number of punctuation marks at the end of each line, whereas others seemed much more somber and restrained, yet the handwriting remaining consistent throughout.

Until a point about two-thirds in, when the handwriting shifted. Whereas the first author had used hasty motions, resulting in sloppy, but legible words, as if they were eager to put all their thoughts on the page as they flowed, the second author seemed to take almost obsessive, unnatural care in each motion, as if every stroke of the pen had every ounce of their focus. Judging by the dates of those entries, the new author had continued the journal the day after the previous entry by the first author.

Frost closed the book quickly, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He didn't even need to read the entries themselves to get the impression he had stumbled upon something incredibly personal or at least of great sentimental value. He may not have been a psychic Pokemon, but he could still relate to the idea of invading someone's thoughts and memories without permission, even if it was unintentional.

Ironic, he had just been dwelling on thoughts he didn't want others to know the details of, and then literally stumbled over a book probably containing thoughts and memories the owners may not have wanted others to know about.

The Glaceon heaved a small sigh, setting the book down among the others, and walked over to where Shadow was sleeping. Leaf had loyally not budged from his spot beneath Shadow's head, and his tail flicked at Frost's approach, only to wince and squirm a little, which seemed to rapidly escalate his discomfort.

"I'm asleep!" he complained to the Glaceon.

"...what?"

"It's really prickly," the Leafeon explained with a whine.

"Oh. What part of you fell asleep?" Frost asked.

"All of them!"

Frost was doing his best not to laugh now. The Leafeon was being completely serious, but the absurdity of his sentences was taking its toll on Frost's ability to keep a straight face. It didn't help that Leaf was somehow insisting on being Shadow's pillow, which restricted him from moving away without possibly waking the Espeon.

"It's a shame you don't know how to use vines yet. Then you'd be able to get feeling back without needing to move," Frost mused.

"...I can use vines?" Leaf wondered, his light brown eyes widening in curious interest. Then he looked confused. "What are vines?"

Frost opened his mouth to reply, then realized he really didn't know how to explain vines without having one physically available to point to. It then occurred to him that he had never actually seen natural vines, only Grass-Types capable of using them.

"I...think we'll have to cover that another day," he said finally.

"Aww..." Leaf sighed, resting his head on his forepaws, then glanced at his still-sleeping brother. As if on cue, the Espeon stirred and his silver eyes blinked open. "Hi Shadow!" Leaf chirped promptly.

"Uhh...hi?" Shadow muttered, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes to dispel his lingering sleepiness.

"Sleep okay?" Frost wondered idly.

"I guess?" Shadow stated uncertainly. "How long was I asleep?"

"Hmm...probably an hour or two, just long enough to be a nap. Makes sense, if you only needed to mentally recharge," the Glaceon supplied. Leaf had scurried out from where he had been laying, and was desperately shaking the tingling sensation from his limbs, something that Frost noted with amusement.

"Oh, that's much better, then," Shadow said, massaging his forehead with one forepaw, but taking care not to touch the gemstone. "I can actually think now."

"Perfect. What do you think of visiting the Ruins that A/C mentioned?" Frost asked. The Espeon froze, looking up at Frost as if trying to discern if the Glaceon was serious or not.

"Why would I want to do that?" he asked slowly.

"Maybe you wouldn't," Frost said dismissively. "But I want to, and if you and A/C are sensing something there, it seems appropriate one or both of you would come along."

"Ooh, can I come?" Leaf asked, his ears perking up and his brown eyes widening hopefully. Shadow winced and gave Frost an annoyed look, to which the Glaceon replied with a raised eyebrow. There was something very strange about Shadow's reaction to the Ruins. He was becoming more evasive than normal, even for what Frost had seen from him already. Something was definitely unnerving the Espeon, but whether the fear had any true basis had yet to be seen.

"I don't want to go there," Shadow said finally.

"Very well, I'll wait for A/C to get back and I'll bring her along instead," Frost said. The unease and uncertainly Shadow displayed wasn't severe enough to be a truly crippling fear, so in all likelihood he just was reluctant, and didn't have a concrete reason to avoid the Ruins. In that case, Frost had a suspicion on how to persuade the Espeon to come along, but it had the risk of backfiring spectacularly.

"But can I come?" Leaf asked, adding a whine to his words.

"Go where?" A/C asked, walking into the den. Frost blinked. He had expected the Kadabra to Teleport inside as she had done each time previously, but it soon occurred to him that she didn't want her Teleportation light to wake Shadow if he was still napping, so she had probably Teleported outside the den first.

"Ah, I wanted to take a look at the Solaceon Ruins," Frost explained nonchalantly. "Not only could it be valuable as an object of study, but I'm curious about what the two of you have been detecting in there."

"And I want to go too!" Leaf said, his tail flicking. "I've had to stay in here all day."

Shadow winced again, but remained silent. The Kadabra considered, touching her spoon to her chin absently.

"I'd be willing to go," A/C answered at last, a faint smile gracing her face. "I used to visit a lot of interesting locations in the past."

"I don't like the feeling from there," Shadow said, but it was clear that his resolve was weakening. It was three Pokemon willing to go against one, and it was obvious from the conflicted look in his eyes that he didn't want to entrust Leaf to them and stay behind, and would likewise be in a poor position to insist Leaf stay with him, but let the other two go.

"I'm sure we'll manage fine with me there," Frost said, flashing a smug smile. "I suppose you could stay behind, if you stay out of sight of trainers and-"

Shadow growled quietly, but Frost had no intention of finishing his thought. He had found the right button to press. Underhanded, perhaps, but Shadow couldn't simply avoid danger forever. He was receiving mentoring specifically to be able to face danger, and if he had allies backing him up, then he was in a better position to enter battle than would be otherwise possible.

"Fine...let's just go, then," the ebony Espeon muttered.

"If you're sure," A/C said. She didn't seem entirely convinced of Shadow's willingness, but Leaf brightened immediately and went nearer to the Kadabra.

"Just do it," Shadow grunted. He took a deep, soothing breath, and then nodded more confidently. "Let's go."

"Very well," A/C answered. She waved her paw and her eyes glowed vibrantly. Frost closed his eyes quickly to protect them from the flash of light, and when the brightness faded from his eye lids, he felt grass beneath his feet, and the sun's rays on his back.

Despite preparing himself for this, Frost still felt disoriented when he opened his eyes. A short walk ahead of them was an enormous cave entrance, but the area was surrounded by trees and grass, almost like a forest. At the same time, he could hear the sounds of humans going about their daily routine, almost as if they were within the town itself.

"Whoa...where are we?" Leaf asked, looking around with incredible enthusiasm. A/C smiled down at him.

"We're just outside the Solaceon Ruins. They're located practically in Solaceon Town's backyard, so if you're picking up unfamiliar sounds and smells, that could be the reason for it."

"I smell fire," Shadow said dully. Leaf flinched. "But not in a bad way."

This just earned the Espeon a weird look from everyone present, and he averted his gaze awkwardly. If not for his black fur, Frost suspected he'd have been blushing, yet he couldn't resist rubbing salt in the wound a bit more, if only to make up for Raze's absence.

"And how, may I ask, can you smell fire in a good way?"

"Hey gorgeous!" a familiar, bubbly voice called. Frost and Shadow both turned in unison, although Frost realized he wasn't the one being addressed the moment he recognized the voice. Sitting a short distance away, her expression one of great surprise, was a familiar quadruped with tan and blue fur. Flames burned from the vents on her head and backside, the sight of which prompted Leaf to duck behind A/C's large tail, to the Kadabra's bemusement.

"Oh, answers that question nicely," Frost murmured from the corner of his mouth, causing Shadow to fidget and look around as if he wished he could sink into the ground and disappear.

"Uh...hey, Cece," he mumbled. Frost raised an eyebrow, but the Quilava simply giggled a little at the nickname. The Espeon cocked his head at her curiously. "You're not following me around again, are you?"

"No, actually," Cecilia giggled. She gestured towards the Ruins entrance. "I'm exploring here with some friends. I just needed to get some air. It's kind of stifling in there."

"Friends?" Frost repeated, growing a little bit impatient at the fact he was being ignored by the Quilava yet again. He was getting the feeling that if he wanted females to pay any attention to him, he needed to stop standing next to Shadow.

"Hi Frostbite," Cecilia said, as if aware that Frost was only interrupting to get some form of acknowledgement. The Glaceon blinked, unsure how to respond to the pseudo-nickname...which he actually kind of liked. "And hi little guy...you're still mad about the burn, huh? I'm still sorry!"

"It's okay!" Leaf said, peeking out from behind A/C's tail, but not moving any closer. "Um...hi!"

"And I...have no idea who you are," Cecilia said, stepping closer to A/C, but giving plenty of room so as not to agitate Leaf further. "I'm Cecilia," she stated, offering her paw to shake.

"Hello. I'm A/C, pleasure to meet you," A/C said politely, but declining the paw shake with a slight wave of her paw. "I take it you're familiar with each other?"

"We've met once before," Cecilia chirped, but then cocked her head at the others curiously. "So why are you guys here?"

"Exploring," Frost replied curtly. "So if you'll excuse us, we'd like to go inside."

With that, he led the way to the Ruins entrance, pausing only briefly to glance over his shoulder to be sure the others had followed his lead. Cecilia had taken his rudeness in stride, and was walking a pace ahead of Shadow, but otherwise bringing up the rear of the group.

The interior of the Ruins was more or less what Frost would have expected. The walls were covered with carvings and runes of uncertain origin. The ground was worn with age and sets of crumbling stone staircases branched off in different directions. Leaf's eyes went wide with interest as he stepped inside, and A/C had to intercept him from leaping down the first staircase he saw.

"Ugh..." Shadow shuddered, his tail twitching as he looked around warily. "What is this place...?"

"It's a stupidly big maze," Cecilia answered with a pout that conflicted with her oddly cheerful tone. She pointed towards the nearest staircase, followed by pointing at the left side staircase near the rear of the room. "Dead end room. Dead end room."

"Seriously?" Frost asked, giving the staircases a cursory look over. "Seems like a pointless feature to have."

"It's stupid," Cecilia repeated. "But we managed to work out some of this writing back here that tells you where to go or something."

The Quilava slipped past Frost and made her way to the back of the room, where the wall was devoted to a large plaque of some sort with various symbols upon them. The other Pokemon followed her.

"Ooh, Unown text," A/C said eagerly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Unknown text?" Shadow repeated, but the Kadabra smiled and shook her head.

"Unown. Those symbols correspond to Unown. The...Pokemon species. Each member is shaped vaguely like a letter of the alphabet, and many ancient ruins are decorated with those symbols," A/C explained, a little surprised that no one else seemed to be aware of this.

"...where were you two hours ago?!" Cecilia griped. "You could have saved us a lot of time and pain. You know how long it took us to decipher that last line?!"

"The last line?" A/C repeated, peering at the plaque. "Um...Beware...our...guardians?"

"Excuse me, I'm going to go set something on fire again," Cecilia muttered, starting to head towards the entrance, but she paused guiltily when Leaf squealed in terror, the young Leafeon cowering behind Frost. She just stared at the Leafeon's reaction blankly. "Wow, that's...accidentally touching my fire was that traumatic?"

"How can you even read that?" Frost asked, squinting at the plaque. "I only can decipher bits of it because I know what it's supposed to say."

"Least it's not in Braille," A/C pointed out. Frost chuckled appreciatively at that one.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one completely lost here," Shadow sighed.

"I'm lost, too!" Leaf answered proudly, poking his head out from behind Frost.

"...very reassuring."


	26. Guardian of the Ruins

Cecilia could scarcely believe her luck. Actually, she had no idea whether it was good luck or bad luck, which may have played a part in her not being able to believe it. Not only had she come across Shadow again, but he happened to be exploring the Solaceon Ruins at the exact same time that she, Force, and Lin were. That was already ridiculous luck on its own, but they also had brought alone a Kadabra that could apparently decipher the Ruins' text with ease.

The problem was she had no idea how to feel about this. They had come after her group had made enough headway on the Unown hieroglyphics to proceed in their exploration, but at the same time this could prove to be useful for regrouping. She had promised Lin and Force that she wouldn't need too much time on her own, and the two of them had reluctantly agreed to meet up further in the Ruins.

Cecilia knew that Lin was worried about her emotional state ever since the confrontation at the Chateau, and that was the only reason the Weavile had agreed to give her some alone time after she had become frustrated over the absurdity of the hieroglyphic messages.

But Shadow's reappearance was going to make things infinitely more difficult. Guilt still writhed in the pit of Cecilia's stomach whenever she set eyes on the gorgeous Espeon, and while she certainly had other feelings and thoughts associated with him, the guilt and sadness were more prominent. How could she smile and flirt with him while knowing she was associated with the one who murdered his parents? Worse, he didn't even seem to know for sure if they were dead, although Diablos had confirmed this information.

What was she to do? Was it worse to keep the information buried, in the hopes he'd never figure out her unintentional part in his life being ripped apart? Could she risk telling him what she knew? How would he react to this? Would he hate her? Would he blame her for what happened? Or would he be grateful she had told him?

No, no, that was stupid, wishful thinking. Why would he be glad to be told that she knew his parents' murderer? He would doubtlessly turn his back on her. Ugh, and then there'd be the messier reprocussions, as any fond memories of her he had would be viewed under a different lens.

But if she didn't tell him, and he found out anyway, then he'd really have a reason to despise her for taking advantage of his trust and not admitting to her sins. He'd have reason to believe she was manipulating his emotional vulnerability for her own pleasure or something.

Damn...it was a lose/lose situation. It seemed that no matter what option she took, it would end with Shadow severing all ties with her, and leaving her behind. She could live with that, even as a personal penance. Damn her weak heart. Even if she could believe it wasn't her fault for his parents' death, the fact she knew their fate and the identity of their killer left her feeling even worse. Before she knew what had happened, she was able to honestly claim ignorance, and could be forgiven for that. She had come to terms with this overnight, after storming out of the Chateau. She could be forgiven for the role she played before. It hadn't been as if she had recommended Diablos attack his family, right? But now that she knew the details, would it be wrong to still pursue Shadow? Would it be worse to tell him or to hide the truth?

She didn't know.

And who would be able to give her advice? Lin was not really a good source for asking about relationships, because she had no interest in them herself. She was certainly wise, but Cecilia couldn't imagine the Weavile giving any better advice than to stop pursuing Shadow entirely, and avoid him like the plague. And Force probably had enough on his mind with his end of the situation to be able to give any sort of useful feedback on her dilemma. What if Shadow decided to turn his wrath on the Riolu simply because he was the puppet?

She was jolted from her thoughts by a rude Glaceon flicking his tail against her nose. She flinched at the contact, but then looked at him questioningly.

"Wrong way," he stated. It took several seconds for her to realize what he was saying. A/C had produced a small notepad from somewhere and had written down the translated instructions. Then, as a group, they had descended down the corresponding staircases. Each time, they emerged in a new corridor with more staircases, and never once hit a dead-end room like before. However, it seemed that when lost in her thoughts, Cecilia had drifted towards the nearest staircase instead of the one indicated by the plaque.

"Oh...right!" Cecilia giggled, managing a bright, sheepish smile. Even when troubled by her thoughts and conflicting emotions, the Quilava did her best to show off a positive demeanor. No one liked a downer, and even if this group could tell she was feeling down, she couldn't tell them what was on her mind, because that was the problem.

Frost gave her a look before turning and walking with the rest of the group. Only Shadow paused at the top of the next staircase for her to come over, a gesture she rewarded with a small smile, allowing herself to brush slightly against his side as she went down the stairs. She felt a twinge of guilt even doing something as innocently flirty as that. If she decided to give up the pursuit, she shouldn't lead him on like this. He seemed to have a bit of a mutual crush on her, and she could tell he hadn't had any serious relationship experience before, so it felt cruel to get his hopes up if she wasn't committed.

Could she even afford to be committed to anyone, even if she wasn't in this awkward position with Shadow? She'd never really taken romance too seriously. Hell, she never even took flings seriously. She just hated feeling lonely and unloved. Ugh, she needed to stop thinking this tripe right now. It was accomplishing nothing but getting her agitated and distracted, and she already was starting to worry about what would happen if Shadow met Force.

Her only hope on that front was that Lin and Force had no idea what Shadow looked like. Lin had adamantly refused to enter the Quilava's den when he was...visiting. And Force was never in a position to see the Espeon after he had evolved. But they both knew Shadow's name, and introductions seemed inevitable if they met.

The group had suddenly stopped, and Cecilia nearly collided with A/C before she realized this fact.

"What's-?" she began, but the reason for the stop was clear enough. They were in another corridor, larger than the others. The stone here was just as worn with age as the rest of the ruins, but the walls were decorated with various Unown symbols, larger than the ones written on the plaque in the entrance. The crumbling of the stairs and walls seemed less extreme than the entranceway, giving Cecilia the impression that this room had rarely been visited. However...

Fragments of bones littered sections of the room. Cecilia was no expert on identifying skeletons or remains, but she could guess that the bones had belonged to small Pokemon that had intruded upon the area. The floor also seemed damaged in areas, as if something powerful had uprooted sections of the rock and scattered the pieces to the wind.

There was only one other staircase, and it was located straight across the room from where they had come in.

This wasn't the real reason why they had stopped, though. The reason for that was hovering in the center of the room. At a glance, it appeared to be a bird, but it was not like any bird Cecilia had ever seen before. It had a sphere-shaped body with jagged green markings sandwiching a black stripe, which reminded the Quilava of a jagged mouth. Two blue eyes peered out from the black stripe, and it had two strange prongs sticking out from the sides of its body like spikes. It had yellow wings with four feathers apiece, each ending in a set of three stripes, alternating blue, red, blue. A third eye protruded from the top of its body on a black stalk, vaguely reminsicent of the Unown symbols, but different. And it had a four-feathered tail with the same color pattern as the wings.

"What is that?" Leaf wondered. Cecilia vaguely realized that the Leafeon did not sound nervous, although Shadow, Frost, and A/C had all tensed, observing the hovering creature uncertainly.

"Sigilyph," A/C whispered, as if afraid a normal tone would prompt the Pokemon to attack. "A guardian of ancient ruins...but very rarely seen in this part of the world."

"Beware our guardians..." Cecilia repeated, and her flames blazed to life. Her blue eyes lit up eagerly, and she stepped forward. A/C made a motion to try to stop her, but she ducked under the Kadabra's paw and kept moving.

"What are you doing?" Frost demanded, but Cecilia didn't bother looking back, instead keeping her gaze on the Sigilyph, which was focusing on her exclusively.

"Don't you sense the psychic barrier?" Cecilia retorted. She had felt the disruption in the air when she had left the staircase, and although it was faint, she could detect a similar vibe on the opposite end of the room, a ward that prevented unauthorized individuals to pass. "It's guarding the way forward."

"So you have to fight it?" Shadow wondered, biting his lip.

"Probably," Cecilia chirped in response. It was strange, though. Lin and Force should have come through this way already, assuming they didn't get tripped up by the directions, yet the Sigilyph appeared perfectly intact. Had they not needed to fight this guardian? Or maybe it was a guardian intended to trap intruders inside, rather than prevent intruders from accessing the lower levels entirely.

"And you volunteer?" Frost mused, placing noticeable emphasis on 'you'. Cecilia glanced back at him, and caught the smug, knowing look in the Glaceon's eye. Oh, so he remembered that she had claimed to be a subpar battler when they last met. He hadn't seemed to buy it back then, but she wasn't really trying to fool him.

"Yeah, I need to burn some energy," she replied curtly, turning back to face the Sigilyph, which was now producing an odd humming sound, its body beginning to glow with psychic energy. Cecilia tensed into her usual battle stance, the flames on her body igniting with greater intensity. Without waiting for a cue, she launched herself at the Sigilyph, her flames growing rapidly until her body was practically surrounded by fire.

The eye on top of the Sigilyph's body glowed with an ominous blue light and Cecilia's lunge paused in mid-air. She was simply immobilized, unaffected by gravity or her own momentum. A moment later, an invisible force slammed into her back, hurling her into the ground with incredible speed and knocking the wind from her lungs.

"Ooh..." Shadow cringed, but Cecilia pushed herself back to her feet. The Sigilyph's middle eyes gleamed and a magenta beam of energy fired from the top of its eye stalk. Cecilia rolled sideways, the beam striking the stone floor and scattering loose pebbles and debris towards the back of the room. The Quilava didn't give the psychic guardian a chance to adjust its aim or switch tactics. Instead, she sped forward, feeling the waves of heat around her as her flames intensified, the heat adding a boost to her running speed. Then she leapt up, but rather than aim for the Sigilyph's body as she had done before, she plowed her weight into the guardian's tail.

It was a remarkably effective tactic. The flames around her body singed the feathers of the bird-like Pokemon, and her body weight threw it off balance. The Sigilyph's Psybeam changed direction erratically, but A/C threw up a psychic barrier to protect the group.

Cecilia landed and pivoted, then opened her mouth and launched a powerful stream of flames at the disoriented Sigilyph, drawing upon her pent-up frustration and emotions. Her flames engulfed the Pokemon, but she soon saw that the Sigilyph's wings were producing odd air currents that redirected the fire away from its body, escaping with only a few singes upon its yellow feathers.

The Quilava's gaze flicked around the chamber. The area was far too open to really take advantage of any maneuvering tactics, but a different idea was quickly making its way into her mind. As the Sigilyph turned its gaze back to her, she darted to the side with blinding speed, just in time to avoid a gust of air that she was sure would have cut through her skin had it made contact. A second razor-edged gust of wind sliced at her right side, but she rolled under it, feeling the current graze along her back, leaving a stinging sensation in its wake.

The psychic creature was pulling out the stops. Cecilia could already see what it was aiming at - it was forcing her within a specific range of movement, and slowly closing in. If she didn't change tactics immediately, she'd fall right into its trap and have nowhere to run when it launched its next attack.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the wind current slash at her hind legs, but this time, she didn't dodge. Instead, she focused all her energy on her rear flames, allowing the vents on her head to flicker out.

Right before the gust of air would have contacted her, she expelled all the pent-up heat from her back vents. The oxygen in the room was consumed at an alarming rate as heat billowed out from her body. The heat consumed the wind, cushioning the force of the strike, but also rapidly heating the current to ridiculous levels, so high that the current itself seemed to catch fire.

And then it hit, and Cecilia's hind legs collapsed, a deep gash forming, but a tiny wound compared to what would have happened otherwise. Furthermore, the heat passed onto the current met the heat-absorbent fur of the Quilava, and Cecilia felt wonderful warmth spread through her body. With so much heat within her, she grinned. Now for the best part.

Ignoring the pain in her legs, she leaned back, so that she was looking directly up at the Sigilyph. Its eye on top of the stalk blinked once, and then the guardian was consumed by a massive stream of fire, boosted to incredible power by the heated air that Cecilia had absorbed into herself. The Sigilyph's humming cut off abruptly, and several of the runes decorating the room lit up.

When Cecilia ceased her flames, the Sigilyph was gone. Not even a trace of the guardian was left, but the Quilava didn't let this detail concern her. It was incredibly unlikely that the creature had literally been burned to ash.

Cecilia was panting heavily, as often happened when she overexerted herself by spitting flames. The flames on her body had settled down into a quiet simmer, and she was acutely aware of the pain in her hind legs. On the bright side, she no longer could detect a psychic field protecting the stairways.

"There...that was fun," Cecilia giggled, looking back at the group. With a slightly guilty twinge in her stomach, she saw that the intense heat produced in that skirmish had taken its toll on the other Pokemon. Leaf was panting as if he hadn't had water in days, Frost's fur had lost much of its icy qualities, and Shadow looked like he was going to pass out. A/C was the only one who seemed like she was coping well, but Cecilia suspected the real problem hadn't been the heat itself, but rather the lack of ventilation within the underground chambers.

"That was...impressive," A/C noted. "Are you all right? You appear injured..."

"I can't actually tell how bad it is," Cecilia admitted, straining to see over her shoulder. After a few moments of struggling, and finding the vantage point lacking, she started to shift onto her back before deciding that it'd be more appropriate, in present company, to let someone else judge the extent of the injury rather than becoming a contortionist to see it herself.

"Allow me, I work at the Solaceon Pokemon Center," A/C said, coming closer and inspecting the Quilava's wound. Cecilia cringed when the Kadabra lightly brushed the gash. "Could be much worse," A/C reported. "Some bandaging is all you'd need. Hm, but I'd need to get some fireproof ones from the Center. Would you mind terribly if I took you there to get patched up?"

"Um...I guess not?" Cecilia said slowly.

"Hmm...and Leaf, you look like you need water," A/C said, giving the Leafeon a concerned look. The young Pokemon nodded eagerly, and the Kadabra glanced at Shadow, who shrugged. "Does anyone else want to be taken out of here for a few minutes?"

"I'm fine," Frost said, blowing an icy wind over his fur, restoring the sheen to the needles. Shadow seemed tempted by the offer, but then sort of sighed and shook his head.

"Very well, we shouldn't be long," A/C said with a smile.

"Wait," Cecilia said, a bit of desperation trickling into her tone. The Kadabra blinked, but the Quilava focused on Shadow. If Frost and Shadow were going to remain in the Ruins, even for a few minutes, the odds of them running into Lin and Force were much higher, and she needed to get some sort of a message across. But what was she going to say? "Um...can we talk later?"

"...sure?" Shadow answered, giving the Quilava a blank look.

"I'll try to explain later, sorry," Cecilia finished weakly.

"Okay," the Espeon said, still looking confused, but accepting the answer. "Uh...it's a date?"

In spite of herself, Cecilia giggled. Frost rolled his eyes, but A/C seemed a little amused, observing the interactions with a faint smile. Leaf was busy keeping A/C's body between him and Cecilia's flames, and therefore was oblivious to the entire conversation. After a moment of silence, A/C's eyes glowed and the three of them vanished in a flash of light, leaving Frost and Shadow alone.

"Don't even start," Shadow growled to the Glaceon, who was smirking widely.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Frost drawled, and began walking towards the opposite staircase, the one leading further into the Ruins. Shadow cast the ice Eon a suspicious look and hesitantly followed. Uneasiness was growing rapidly in his chest, but he didn't want to be alone in this room.

* * *

"Find anything, Lin?" Force asked.

Lin shook her head. The room they now stood in was massive compared to the more compact nature of the previous corridors. The walls displayed innumerable carvings, each adorned with the same hieroglyphic text as the plaque upstairs, but the room itself felt odd. There was an odd sense of foreboding in the atmosphere, vaguely reminiscent of the Mt. Coronet chamber where they had uncovered the Keystone fragment, but not as intense nor as obvious.

Several decorative pillars, which may have once held significant objects, stood in the center of the room, but they were bare now, and Lin doubted she and Force were the only ones to ever find this room.

Needless to say, she had immediately recommended Force to do an aura scan of the area, while she took the more traditional route of walking around the room and inspecting almost every square inch of the walls and carvings for clues. Much like the Coronet chamber, she felt like something was hidden here, and that the ornate nature of the room was intended to be a ruse. Something obvious and expected, to draw attention away from the real purpose of the room. Even the pillars and their presumed previous contents seemed like a ploy for treasure hunters to simply grab the shiny loot and flee without really searching the place.

Force's aura had confirmed her suspicions - there was definitely something amiss here, but it was more time consuming to narrow down his range, what with the vibes around them that something was watching their every move.

"Ugh, what's taking Cece so long?" Lin sighed, impatiently staring at the winding staircase that she and Force had come down from. The Quilava had been so frustrated after deciphering the plaque that she had gone outside to get some air, but even for her, the absence was becoming excessively long. She knew how to decipher the text, so she should have been able to follow the directions and meet back up with them by now.

"She was coming closer just a moment ago," Force said, but Lin didn't like the hesitant way he worded that statement. He was staring at his glowing paw with a puzzled look.

"And then what happened?" Lin prompted.

"I...don't actually sense her aura here any more," the Riolu said carefully. "I might just be getting too much interference, though...I'm picking up some different auras...hmm..."

The blue glow around Force's paw began to pulse oddly, remaining primarily blue, but occasionally flickering with a black aura. Force gazed at this phenomenon intensely, but did not comment. In the odd lighting of the room, it seemed that his red eyes were flickering as well, shifting from red to yellow and back again, but every time Lin tried to get a clearer look, they appeared normal.

"Should we be worried?" Lin asked finally.

"I'm not sure, they're coming closer," Force said. He turned back to the wall he was inspecting and waved his aura-engulfed paw absently. At that moment, several of the room's runes lit up, and a dull groaning sound echoed throughout the room. "Ooh! Lin, I think I found something!"

"Really, what?" the Weavile asked, making her way across the room to where the Riolu was standing. The section of the floor at his feet, marked with several unusual runes, had slid partially open, and Lin could see the steps of a small staircase leading down. "A hidden trapdoor...interesting," she murmured.

It took the two of them combined to pull up the floor panel and set it aside. Inky blackness awaited them below, and only the first few steps of the stairs here served as an indication that this was an intentional passageway, and not just a hole in the ground. However, Lin was more transfixed by the runes inscribed upon the trapdoor. They were not the same symbols that decorated the walls, and had an ominous vibe about them. More unnerving was she could not figure out what had prompted the door to open in the first place, and the runes that had lit up around the room had faded once again, leaving no clues on that front.

"Should we go down?" Force asked, shooting a look at Lin.

"I want to wait for Cece," Lin said seriously. "We could probably use her fire."

"Sounds good, I'll just...um...Lin, something's coming," he said, casting a nervous glance at the staircase leading to the upper floors. The aura flames in his paw again pulsed between blue and black colors, and the Weavile turned towards the stairs, her red eyes narrowing. Force was definitely right, she could hear the sound of voices and paws on the stairs, but they weren't Cecilia's.

A few moments passed, and two Pokemon emerged from the stairway. One of them was a quadruped with light blue fur, easily identifiable as a Glaceon due to the species' distinct dangles framing its face. The other caused the Weavile to do a brief double-take. What she initially assumed was a Dark-Type of some sort was instead an Espeon, but its fur was jet black.

Both Pokemon gazed around the room, awed by the size and beauty of the room. Behind her, Force grunted in pain, and she looked back at him in alarm, seeing that he was clutching his chest with one paw, but as quickly as it happened, the discomfort seemed to fade away, but he eyed the other Pokemon warily. Neither of them had seemed to notice the two of them, but Lin stepped forward, clearing her throat loudly to draw their attention.

"Are you two the reason for Cece's delay?" she demanded, using a firm, no-nonsense tone she reserved for when she had no intent of letting someone avoid an answer. The two Eons blinked at her, the Espeon in particular looking alarmed.

"Huh? No...Cece's fine, she's..." the Espeon paused, and Lin narrowed her eyes and flexed her claws. On one hand, no one other than her ever referred to the Quilava by the nickname Cece. Even the other members of their group seemed uncomfortable calling her that. His hesitation was another matter, and she didn't like that sort of reaction under the circumstances.

"Pokemon Center, getting bandages for a small injury she picked up fighting a Sigilyph. You must be one of the friends she mentioned," the Glaceon interjected, and Lin turned her gaze to him instead. He had a dismissive tone in his words, as if he considered the matter completely trivial and not worth discussing at length.

"I am," Lin confirmed, flicking one end of her scarf over her shoulder and fixing the Glaceon with a cool glare. "And how exactly do you know Ce-" she blinked, her sentence dropping off mid-word. She took a moment to examine the Glaceon more carefully, observing his stance, the look in his eyes, and his facial expression. All of this took roughly a second of time, but the information each detail gave her was incredibly important.

She pegged the Glaceon at roughly four years old, probably a little less. He had significant battle prowess, justifying his confident demeanor, but the demeanor extended too far, making him prickly and arrogant. His eyes were bright and eager - he was in good spirits, and enjoying the conflict between them despite the potential to escalate into violence. He was already shifting into a battle stance, a foolish move if he was going to talk down a potential foe. He was watching her just as closely, so he knew how to get a read on people and their intentions, but the little smirk he wore was proof that he overvalued his ability to do so. To act like he was in control of a situation like this...how foolish. And yet it was the last detail she needed to confirm his identity to herself.

"Hm...it's been a long time, hasn't it, Frost?" she said quietly. The Glaceon lost his smirk at once, and his dark eyes widened in alarm, but then composed himself.

"Do I know..." he began, but then his eyes fell upon the blue scarf draped around her neck. "Oh, of course. Lin, right? It's been almost a full year, I believe. Or has it been longer?"

"Longer," Lin replied. "You never saw me after I evolved. I left the mountain soon after."

"You know her?" the Espeon wondered, taken aback. Lin glanced at him briefly, but immediately labeled him as no threat. That was not to say she would underestimate him if he attacked her, but he was a psychic type with very little battle confidence, and his body was inadequately physically trained to suggest high stamina or strength. He was definitely younger than Frost, and probably a recent evolution.

"Yeah, she was a Sneasel living up on Mt. Coronet near my parents' den," Frost replied with a smirk. "She took me under her wing for a while. Said I had incredible potential. I can't credit her for all my training, but she certainly helped."

"Your arrogance is unbecoming," Lin stated stiffly. "I'd hate to see how you talk to people you don't know."

Frost scowled and his eyes narrowed slightly. "And I suppose you're one to talk?"

The ebony Espeon, as if sensing the situation escalating, began to inch away from the Glaceon, but neither ice Pokemon paid him any further attention.

"You don't have to take it personally," Lin said, keeping her voice calm and even. "But the way you talk and hold yourself is uninviting and arrogant. Dismissive, even. These are signs of poor self-esteem, for you force-feed others a vibe of confidence you don't possess."

"Excuse me?" Frost snorted. "Are you saying I don't have the right to be confident in my strength?"

"Confidence in itself is an indicator of strength. If you are confident towards your strength, you are becoming conceited. Arrogance is unbecoming and limits your growth. Do you really believe you've reached the peak of your strength?" Lin replied crisply. "If you've adopted such an attitude towards battle strength, then perhaps I was rash in judging your potential so favorably."

These words had a profound impact on the Glaceon, but unfortunately only served to demonstrate her point. Anger flashed behind Frost's eyes and the temperature of the room plummeted, so that every breath either of them took released icy mist into the air. Being an Ice-Type herself, Lin was unfazed. If anything, she found the temperature to be quite underwhelming, for she had been born and raised to endure the harshest cold Sinnoh had to offer.

"Is that so? Then fight me, and see for yourself how strong I am now," Frost growled.

"Idiot," Lin spat, genuinely disgusted by her protege's response. "You rush into battle over a petty wound to your pride? Is your ego really so fragile that you'd misjudge your opponent's strength so rashly?"

"No matter how much you preach, I don't see rejecting my challenge to be a display of your confidence, Lin," Frost retorted smugly. "Are you afraid I'll make you eat your words?"

Lin frowned. "I see. There's no dissuading you...a shame, I used to like that quality in you."

A small smile flicked across her face as she flexed her claws, already feeling the familiar thrill of battle rushing into her.

"Then again, you always did need to learn things first-hand."


	27. Master vs Protege

Frost stepped further into the room, his dark eyes never leaving Lin. The Weavile stepped a few paces backwards, but allowed her gaze to glance about, judging her location relative to the pillars and space in the large chamber. The innumerable eyes of the runic symbols on the walls seemed to follow the two of them as they moved.

From the corner of her eye, Lin could see that Force was lingering in the back of the room, next to the concealed staircase leading to the floor below. The ebony Espeon had chosen a spot in the opposite corner of the room. This was beneficial, for Lin preferred to not have distractions or possible casualties involved in this battle.

Although Frost's demeanor had shifted from angry to smugly confident, the temperature in the chamber did not return to normal. It remained cold, and the temperature seemed to lessen further with time. As a fellow Ice-type, Lin didn't mind. It would benefit them both to battle in low temperatures.

The Weavile adjusted her scarf idly, allowing the ends to trail down to her knee-level, but verifying the loop that kept it in place around her neck. Once satisfied, she made eye contact with Frost and held it for several seconds, reading whether his battle preparations were likewise concluded. Then, she raised her left paw openly in front of her, and snapped her claws loudly, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent room.

Frost acted immediately, firing two spheres of purple energy from his mouth in rapid succession. Lin's reflexes were superb, and without taking a step, she swiped at each projectile with her own claws, purple flames erupting from her paws just before impact. The Shadow Balls were sent spiraling off course, colliding with the chamber walls and exploding.

Frost charged forward during this moment, his tail glowing white before he spun to strike her with it. Lin leapt over the Glaceon's charge, raking her claws across his back and landing behind him. Bright crimson scratches had appeared across the Glaceon's cyan-colored fur, and he stumbled for a moment, disoriented by the mixture of pain and misplaced momentum from his failed Iron Tail.

Lin darted forward and drove her fist into the Glaceon's side, then immediately flipped backwards, dodging the intended retaliation. Frost growled, and Lin felt the temperature of the chamber drop drastically. The Glaceon exhaled forcefully, and a powerful gale of wind billowed forth, sending the tails of her scarf flapping behind her as snow and ice joined with the wind, creating a miniature storm of ice that grew stronger with each passing moment.

The Weavile slashed her claws forward, stepping into the Blizzard. Her claws cut the air with incredible force, creating a blade of opposing air current that split the Glaceon's storm in two, the halves of the storm passing on either side of Lin as she strode forward in the air current's wake.

Frost's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, but the force of his Blizzard had left him momentarily winded, and Lin was too fast to evade. She struck him once, twice, a third time, her blows aimed at his shoulder, foreleg, and side, respectively. The Glaceon lost his footing and fell, but rolled sideways to dodge another punch, returning to his feet in the process. He staggered briefly as his muscles protested this method of recovering, but his eyes burned with a desire to keep fighting.

Lin smiled internally, but an external version of the same was beginning to emerge. Excitement was building within her, fueling her adrenaline and own lust for combat. She no longer cared about Frost's petty reasoning for challenging her. His eyes blazed with a battler's fervor, and she could see in his stance that she had matched or exceeded his expectations. He was finished feeling out his opponent, so it was time for him to get more serious.

Frost flashed the Weavile a smirk, then spat several spheres of shadow energy as rapidly as he could. Each Shadow Ball was smaller than average, charged less than usual to compensate for the firing rate. Lin leapt backwards, the first few spheres exploding at her feet. She pivoted to the left, another Shadow Ball whizzing past her shoulder, and then she dove to the right, smoothly tucking her body into a expert somersault and returning to her feet behind the shelter of one of the room's pillars, a barrage of Shadow Balls exploding harmlessly along the floor in her direction, and she even felt a few of them shake the pillar she was behind.

The Weavile's ears twitched, disliking the moment of silence that followed the barrage. There was no sound of a winded Glaceon, so she doubted that the attack had stopped for this reason, and while the pillars in the room served as acceptable cover, they were neither hiding spots nor vantage points.

What she didn't expect was for a number of star-shaped bolts of light to strike the area, many of them disappearing harmlessly into the stone, but several others changed direction and went around the pillar to strike her in the stomach. Lin doubled over, gritting her teeth in discomfort. She had to admit that this had been a clever follow-up move on Frost's part, to use Swift to flush her out of cover.

Now that the initial pain of the attack had faded, Lin's smile manifested unquestionably for the first time. The excitement that had been building since they began had intensified into a giddy enthusiasm. Her red eyes glinted, and she flicked her wrist, bringing two jagged shards of ice into her paw, clenched between her claws. She darted out from behind the pillar and hurled the shards in the Glaceon's direction. Frost seemed to have expected such a move, because he dodged with ease and retaliated with a barrage of icy needles from his fur.

Lin pitched herself forward, tucking her body into a grounded somersault as she landed, her momentum bringing her several body lengths nearer to the Glaceon by the time she completed the roll, but she stumbled on the landing. The floor of the chamber was hard and slightly uneven, making it a less than ideal surface for such maneuvering.

Unwilling to leave herself completely open, Lin slashed her claws towards Frost, but he ducked under the strike and slammed his weight against her unbalanced leg. The resulting blow sent her tumbling to the ground, yet she tucked her body tightly, the momentum of her fall serving a similar purpose to a deliberate somersault, and she was back on her feet much quicker than otherwise possible.

Her red eyes glinted with excitement, and she was breathing harder, icy mist clouding the air with each exhale. The chamber was freezing cold by this point, but the Weavile didn't notice or care. Her blood was pumping now. She could see Force from the corner of her eye, watching her with awed disbelief, his mouth hanging open slightly from the latest display of her acrobatic recovering techniques. Such maneuevers had been the pride and joy of the Sneasel pack she was raised in. Everyone had learned such tricks, but it was so difficult to master and utilize without injuring oneself that few were ever able to go past aerial flips and such for evasion and offense.

Yet Lin had seen more potential in those techniques, and went further than the others in pursuit of mastering them. Speed and aggression were vital components of a Sneasel's tactics, and if a member of the pack was knocked down in battle, it was likely they'd lose if the opponent was quick in pressing their attack. The faster that one could rise to their feet, the faster they could swing momentum back in their favor.

Frost seemed a bit taken aback by the speed of her recovery, but the fire had not vanished from his eyes. That suited her perfectly fine. He had gotten more serious earlier. Now it was her turn to do the same.

The Weavile adjusted her scarf slightly, and noticed that Frost's eyes flicked towards it. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head. She flexed her claws and darted forward.

An intense gale of ice and snow roared around Lin, and she braced herself, shielding her eyes with one paw like a traveler would shield their eyes from the glare of the sun, and despite the wind tugging at her scarf and whipping the ends around her face, she stepped forward one pace. And then another.

The blizzard howled around her, the snow sticking to the stone walls and floor of the chamber. With each step Lin took against the storm, her excitement intensified. Frost had not been idly boasting. He had gotten stronger since she had seen him last, although this amounted to little. It never had been a question of his strength, it was a question of his attitude.

This storm was nothing to her, even if the Glaceon was weaponizing it. She alone had been able to wander the raging winds and storms that plagued Sinnoh that past winter. The human weather reports according to Cecilia had been accurate, and not even the bravest and most reckless of human trainers had dared to set foot outside in that blizzard, no matter how many layers of clothing they had cloaked themselves with.

Lin grunted, the force of the wind pushing her half a pace backwards, but her grin returned soon after. Frost was not a force of nature or an Ice-Type Legendary Pokemon. He could not keep up this storm for long. He would tire, his energy would wane, but she would endure it.

Snow coated and clung to her black fur, the flakes ingraining themselves in the fibers of her scarf. A thin blanket of white was coating the chamber floor, but she remained steely focused. The wind was growing louder in her ears, and the barrage of snow and ice was intensifying, confirming that she was approaching the source. The cold stung her eyes, but she continued regardless, shielding her eyes from incoming projectiles and focusing her hearing ahead to judge her proximity to the Glaceon.

As expected, the storm eventually died down, and she could hear the sound of the Glaceon panting. The air around them had gotten so cold that a white fog had encompassed the entire room, making it difficult to see anything further than an arm's distance away. Her years of training during Mt. Coronet blizzards had paid off, for even without a visual lock on Frost, her senses could pinpoint him with ease. Wasting no further time, she flexed her claws and darted forward.

Before even coming in range of Frost, she swiped her claws forcefully, directing power into her claws until they glowed with eerie black energy, which then expanded, becoming an extension of the claws themselves. Frost saw her coming and his eyes widened in shock. She slashed at the Glaceon viciously, alternating her paws with each strike, moving so quickly that the Glaceon could only focus on dodging and retreating, lest a moment's distraction leave him in tatters.

The Glaceon's eyes were becoming panicked as Lin pressed her relentless Night Slash assault, at times scoring enough of a nick that it left a crimson mark in the Glaceon's body, but she was not aiming to strike anywhere vital, so even if Frost failed to dodge, he would not be in life-threatening danger. They were rapidly approaching the back wall of the chamber, so Frost was running out of room to dodge. Then she could play around with him a little more, make her prey curl into a ball by the end of it and just huddle in anticipation of her next strike, which would never come.

Lin's grin faltered and she ceased her assault at once, the black energy dissipating from her claws. Her lust for battle was still as intense as ever, but she needed a moment to mentally regather herself. Weavile were hunters, and she had recognized the warning signs of her hunter instincts becoming active. Her mind had started to label Frost as 'prey', mingling with a desire to toy with him and savor his panic and humiliation before crushing him underfoot. That mindset was unacceptable to her.

It was one thing for her to get excited and enthusiastic in battle, but she would not allow herself to give in to her species' primal desires to torment and humiliate weaker opponents. To hold back her fighting skill at this point would be an insult to her former protege, but to go all out would just utterly humiliate him. This was no longer a battle worth fighting - the outcome was absolute.

"Yield," she ordered the Glaceon, who was looking bewildered at her sudden pause, despite having his back pressed against the chamber wall.

"What?" the Glaceon forced a laugh, as if he wasn't sure if she was jesting, but his eyes betrayed his true thoughts. Disbelief and frustration shone from his dark eyes, and his jaw was clenched, struggling to keep his thoughts from boiling over into his facial expression and reveal how much he was struggling to keep his composure.

"There is no reason left to continue this fight," Lin stated seriously. "You know as well as I do that you're outclassed. I will not indulge your stubborn pride just to rip your dignity to shreds."

Frost glared at her, and the temperature of the room dropped further. His eyes seemed to become icier as well, but none of these could match the coldness in his tone. "So you're taking pity on me, hm? Calling off the match because you think I can't take a loss? That my fragile, fragile ego would shatter if I lost to the one who trained me originally? How little do you think of me?"

"I think very little of anyone who insists on fighting for no reason," Lin replied curtly. "This battle has nothing of value at stake. Accept the outcome as it stands."

Frost opened his mouth to argue, but then sighed, exhaling a cloud of mist into the air, his body practically deflating. "Whatever. You win. Big shock, I know."

"I will accept your inevitable future challenge when you're ready," the Weavile said, brushing snow from her scarf idly.

"...how the hell did you get so strong?" Frost demanded, his fur bristling, but the fight had taken its toll on him. He seemed years older now, consumed by weariness and disappointment.

Lin considered him for a moment. "You lack purpose. You need a reason to grow stronger. Something that will drive you to keep going in the face of adversity. As it is, you fight only for your ego and pride, and you are satisfied with your strength so long as you keep winning. That is why you'll never beat me."

Frost scoffed. "And what drives you? Last I checked, you trained for the privilege of mate selectivity, so none of the pack males could court you until you made up your mind which to pursue. That hardly seems like it has any right to grant you an instant win over me."

Lin chuckled. "A lot has changed since I was a Sneasel, Frost. I'll share the details another time, though. Hm...now where did Force go?"

"Who?" Frost wondered blankly, looking around the chamber. The icy haze formed by his prolonged and intense Blizzard had gradually dissipated, allowing clearer vision of the room. "Hmm...no idea where Shadow went, either. He couldn't have gone back upstairs, but where else could he have gone? There's no other way in and out of this room."

The Weavile tensed, then turned her gaze to the Glaceon again. "Wait, 'Shadow'? That's...the black Espeon's name?"

"Yeah," Frost confirmed, then looked at her with slight concern, noting her tension and anxious glances towards the trapdoor she and Force had found earlier. "What's wrong?"

* * *

 **This was a chapter I had been looking forward to writing for a while. Also, I'd appreciate any feedback you may have on the story, characters, battle scenes, etc. thus far. I'm thankfully past the stage of my life where my motivation relies on reviews, but I figured that I can ask for something every once in a blue moon.**


	28. Beneath the Ruins

Icy chills assaulted Force's body as he made his way down the stone steps leading into the infinite blackness below. His arms wrapped around his chest in a vain attempt to stave off the piercing cold. He had stuck around to watch Lin's battle so that he could finally witness with his own eyes just how strong Lin truly was, but the last Blizzard by her Glaceon opponent had been far too much for him to endure.

A Riolu's fur was not for protection from the elements, and the staircase leading up had been too far away. That left only this unexplored corridor, as uninviting as it was. Even without his aura powers active, Force could feel the foreboding vibes this passage contained. It reminded him of the infamous chamber beneath Mt. Coronet, but not nearly as powerful.

Another wave of shivers wracked the Riolu's body, and he stumbled at the bottom of the steps, grasping the stone wall to keep from falling over. His eyes were useless for penetrating the blanket of darkness all around him, and he was abruptly grateful that these steps had been completely intact and didn't have massive gaps in them, otherwise his reckless descent could have ended far more messily than it did.

Force took a few moments to regain his bearings. It was too dark down here to be sure of what he was dealing with, and without Lin to guide his movements or Cecilia's fire to light the area, he was ill-suited to exploring this area alone.

Ugh, he wouldn't even mind Cecilia invading his personal space at the moment. Her warmth would like be a blessing from Arceus in his current state, to say nothing of how much he'd appreciate light.

Taking a deep breath, Force focused his energy into his paw, until blue flames erupted from around the paw, casting a blue flickering glow upon the stone walls around him. His aura provided some relief from the cold threatening to freeze him from the inside out, but it was nothing compared to the sun's rays or actual fire.

Cecilia's absence was starting to concern him the longer it took for her to reappear. If the two Eons had been telling the truth, she would be fine, but what sort of injury could she have picked up while exploring here? He and Lin had encountered nothing remotely dangerous. If it weren't for the oppressive sense that something was watching them, he would have assumed that the Ruins themselves were entirely abandoned, but why did he sense the presence of other creatures, always lurking just out of sight? Every level down had heightened this feeling, but now he felt completely alone.

Except...that ominous prickle in the back of his mind. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it was always there. Ever since he, Lin, and Cecilia had arrived at the small town and the neighboring Ruins, he had become aware of the prickle. It was the same feeling he got whenever he was in the presence of the Spiritomb, but whenever he was away from it, the feeling had faded away.

The aura flames in his paw pulsed outwards briefly, shifting color from blue to black and then back again. It reminded him of a visual representation of a Zubat's sonar abilities. A pulse outwards, and then a ping when it struck an object. Rinse and repeat. And then the prickle in the back of his mind would be pushed to the front, like a recurring headache, only to fade away again. It was maddening, and Force had never experienced anything like it before, even when first learning to use his aura abilities.

Eager to keep his mind from dwelling on the various prickles of discomfort creeping over him, Force stepped forward into the darkness of the corridor, lifting and lowering his paw so that the glow would cast enough light on his surroundings to be confident in taking his next step. It was slow progress, but Force pressed on regardless. He half hoped that he'd find nothing but a dead-end, so that this whole little adventure could finally come to a close, but he doubted this would be the case. This corridor had been hidden in what outwardly appeared to be the Ruins' deepest chamber, so there was almost no chance that it would turn out to be meaningless.

At the end of the stretch, Force found himself standing in another room-like chamber. It was taking his eyes a long time to adjust to the faint lighting that his paw provided, but it appeared to be a vaguely circular room. Whereas the corridor leading this far had been plain and void of decoration, Force could make out faint shapes and drawings on the walls, accompanied by the entire alphabet of symbols stretching from one side of the room to the other. The eyes of the sigils seemed to follow him as he stepped further into the room, and he became uncomfortably aware of the prickle in the back of his mind beginning to intensify, like the legs of an insect crawling across his brain. Even the imagery of that thought alone gave him the shivers.

"What is this place?" Force asked aloud, but he was scarcely aware of saying it. He felt distant from the rest of his body, like an observer of a film that was playing in the background.

Something near the back of the room caught his eye, and he walked closer, moving without consciously willing himself to do so. It was the most unnerving sensation he had ever experienced. He was performing the actions, and knew he was doing them, but it was like moving on auto-pilot. No conscious thoughts or effort involved, just following the programmed plan.

Force shook himself firmly, dispelling the odd sensations in his mind. He had to stay focused here. For all he knew, those innumerable eyes in the room were putting him under a Hypnosis or something and commanding him to do something. He had enough issues with the Spiritomb possessing him previously without falling prey to another spell of that sort.

The Riolu focused his eyes on the rear of the room. Even without the prodding in the back of his mind, his aura was sensing something there, but the light was far too faint to make out what it was. He stepped closer with tentative strides, the glowing from his paw gradually illuminating a simple stone pedestal of sorts, several unreadable runes marking its base. The glowing of his paw intensified, casting more of its light upon the room, until at last he stood before the small pedestal and examined the peculiar stone placed upon it.

It was an orange stone, small enough to fit into the Riolu's paw, but large enough to be a gemstone of some kind. It was mostly transparent, with a distinct cats-eye sigil in the center. Standing this close to the gem, Force could sense power emanating from it, beckoning him to pick it up. Suspicious of such a sensation, Force moved his glowing paw nearer to the stone, focusing on the power surging within his paw. To his surprise, his paw glowed with intense blue light, filling his body with incredible warmth and banishing the lingering cold from his chest.

The Riolu frowned, allowing the aura to dispel from his paw, but then rolled his eyes as he was cast into complete darkness once again. Right, the only light here had been from his own aura production, but he found it much more difficult to produce the aura flames a second time. It was as though his body had become curiously fatigued.

After three successive attempts to rekindle his aura, Force gritted his teeth in frustration. Was he really this pathetically weak without using the Spiritomb's accursed power? He never remembered struggling this much to produce aura flames, even before accepting Diablos' so-called 'gift'. The only thing he could justify his impotence on now was that he actively had been resisting the additional power, ever since Diablos had revealed that he had been able to possess him.

Whatever. He didn't need the room to be lit to make a decision about the stone he knew was literally inches from his face. It didn't have the same malevolent black aura that Diablos' Keystone had, so that should be enough of a justification to consider it unrelated to the Spiritomb. Yet the Riolu had fallen prey to the temptation of power before and look where that landed him. All his life he had been reminded that he was weak compared to his peers, and any attempt to disprove the taunting resulted in him being trounced and mocked even more for being so clueless.

Before he had met Kaito, Cecilia, and Iris...especially Iris...he had barely been able to ignite his aura beyond the scope of a candle's flame. Battle after battle had ended in humiliating defeat, until at last he was on the verge of not even caring anymore. Training had done nothing to strengthen him, it only made him more resilient to being knocked around like a rag doll. He had survived that long simply because being trounced so often had hardened his body.

Tears filled the Riolu's eyes as bitterness welled up in his chest. He had dreamed of becoming strong ever since he was a kit. Originally, he had dreamed only of subjecting bullies to the fate they inflicted to others, but Kaito and the others had directed that passion and desire to more productive goals. He still needed to be strong, through. Strong enough to not only deflect his tormentors from himself, but to spare others the same suffering. The world would never be perfect, but to be able to save as many people from unneeded suffering as possible...for allowing abuse to exist was only allowing its pain to spread.

Iris had helped to heal some of the pain in his heart. She never expected him to be some uber-macho tough guy, or be some badass show-off in battle, crushing people left and right. She understood his pain and he could relate to her own sorrows.

Force wiped his eyes hastily. He didn't want to reflect on this right now. Whether he took the stone here or not, Lin would doubtlessly follow him down here and she would probably want to bring the stone back to Kaito or Diablos to figure out its purpose. There was no real choice here.

Paw shaking, Force reached over and felt the cold, smooth stone of the pedestal. After a moment of fumbling, he clasped his paw around the round gemstone. Immediately, warmth spread through his body and he gasped, his entire body starting to feel jittery, as if he had eaten way too many sweet berries in the last hour. At the same time, he felt rejuvenated, the fatigue vanishing from his body and his senses becoming heightened to everything around him. He could sense the aura he associated with Lin upstairs. He could once again detect Cecilia's aura within the Ruins themselves, and the auras of several other individuals, all vaguely familiar, but not as intimately recalled as that of his closest friends.

One of the auras was approaching his location, though, and with his senses heightened as they were, he picked up on a vaguely familiar, ominous presence mingled with the natural aura of the approaching Pokemon. It was the same feeling he felt within himself when he had tested his own aura earlier that day, but not as strong. Each step the other Pokemon took filled his heart with greater dread and unease.

Force clutched the small stone tightly in his paw, and blue aura flames erupted from his paw again, bathing the entire circular room in intense light, far stronger than any he had ever produced before. The Riolu shielded his eyes with his other paw, blinking several times to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness.

It seemed that the other Pokemon had also been startled by the sudden brightness, for it entered the chamber with great hesitation, and Force could see it clearly for the first time. It was the Espeon from upstairs, but now they were close enough to one another that Force could see the details of its body for the first time. He had thought the Glaceon's partner had been an Umbreon originally because of the jet black fur covering its body, but the silver gemstone in its forehead and the long, forked tail were dead giveaways to its true species. Silver eyes blinked back at Force for several moments. Neither of them spoke, they just sized up one another.

"Uh...hi?" Force said finally, not exactly sure what else to say. The Espeon did not relax in the slightest. If anything, he tensed further, his stance becoming even more aggressive, and Force noticed the Espeon's gaze was on his glowing paw. "It's just aura," Force said quickly, hoping to placate the psychic Pokemon. "It's a Riolu thing to-"

"Your eyes. Look me in the eye," the Espeon commanded, his tone like ice. Force felt for a moment as if the words themselves had a physical impact that left a cold chill in his mind. The Espeon's gemstone was glowing faintly.

"Um...okay?" Force said nervously. This command was reminding him unpleasantly of how Cecilia had confronted him back at the Chateau, by forcibly staring into his eyes and demanding he look at her. He made eye contact with a nervous smile, and the Espeon's gaze intensified, even at this distance. "Are you trying to read my mind?" the Riolu asked abruptly, feeling an uncomfortable tickle in his mind. "I only let Iris-"

"Who are you?" the Espeon demanded.

"Um...I'm Force...nice to meet-"

"We've met."

Alarm bells were ringing in Force's mind, and an expression of horror was making its way across the Riolu's face. The vibe he was picking up from the Espeon was too unpleasantly familiar, and while he certainly had no memory of ever meeting this Pokemon before, he had a feeling he knew exactly what-

 _He's bluffing._

Force's eyes widened. That voice was echoing within his head. It sounded like-

 _Don't lose your cool, Force. Play dumb with him._

"What do you mean?" Force asked, wincing when he realized he had spoken the words aloud. He had meant to address the Spiritomb's voice within his mind, but at the same time was relieved that his statement didn't sound stupid in the current context.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" the Espeon snarled. "That weeks of reliving those moments in my dreams wouldn't let me recognize you regardless of your eye color?"

Force gaped at the Espeon wordlessly, his mouth moving in an attempt to object, but his heart was plummeting into his stomach. The pain in the psychic type's eyes, condensed into empty rage, hit him all too deeply. There wasn't even true hatred or anger in the Espeon's words, only desperation and pain.

 _He's grasping at straws. He is not certain of your identity. He's aiming to intimidate you into confessing. Implant even the slightest bit of doubt and his conviction will crumble. That will be my moment to strike and complete the transfer._

Force opened his mouth, his tongue forming the first syllable of a contradiction, but he paused. He wanted to be rid of the Spiritomb's power, to be freed from the curse of carrying the fragment of the Spiritomb within him. But could he really go through with this plan to extract it and place it in someone else? Even at the cost of freeing himself from this burden...to allow the Spiritomb to possess and manipulate someone else, someone who didn't willingly enter into a covenant with the malevolent spirit...

 _You're remarkably weak-willed, Force. I'd like to be free of this arrangement as well. It's quite restrictive in its current form. Would you prefer to absorb his fragment back into yourself and give me full access to your body again?_

The Riolu gritted his teeth. "No."

Shadow's silver eyes narrowed. "No?" he repeated, sounding confused.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Force retorted, without thinking. Shadow growled and his gemstone flashed.

 _...you're quite stupid. If you're going to give the game away, then I'll sub in...does it matter what sport, Plasma? ...no, don't explain. I need to focus..._

Before Force could even form a coherent thought in response to this, the prickle in the back of his mind exploded into a full-fledged headache, so intense that his legs buckled and he collapsed to one knee, his breathing becoming labored. And then his body relaxed, his mind becoming blissfully blank, no longer concerned about anything around him, or even what had been happening moments ago.

In his mind's eye, yellow eyes gleamed in front of his vision, and the Riolu drifted into a state of blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

Shadow's intense glare had faltered for a moment when the Riolu had practically collapsed. For a few seconds, he had been convinced that he had accidentally unleashed a psychic assault, but the aura Pokemon had recovered almost immediately and returned to his feet.

Then they made eye contact. Silver eyes met yellow, and intense fear gripped the Espeon's heart. A vaguely amused smirk flashed across the opposing Pokemon's muzzle.

"Hello again, little one. I suspect we have SO much to catch up on."


	29. Facing the Demon

**Writer's block is a terrible, terrible thing. Thankfully, I managed to produce a chapter I don't hate! Only took four complete rewrites and me punching Shadow every time he decided the best course of action in the situation was to do literally nothing.**

* * *

Shadow was no stranger to fearfulness. If anything, he and fear had become best buds ever since he had met the Riolu and been forced to flee his home and look after Leaf. It had been maybe two weeks ago, yet it was becoming increasingly difficult to remember a time when he wasn't Leaf's primary caretaker.

On a nightly basis, fear visited his mind, reminding him of all their fond memories together by way of a recurring nightmare. Every morning, Shadow would awake and remember his best friend in the world, the fear that would never let him be. Panic would grip his awareness for seconds, or even minutes, after waking, creating a claustrophobic feeling all around him of danger hiding in every shadow.

But all that fear and anxiety was nothing more than a reminder of a past event. A shadow of the event that blocked out the light in his life, but harmless on its own. The nightmares were terrible to relive each night, but as time went on, the intensity of them was beginning to fade a little bit. Just a little, but Shadow expected a day would come where the fear would vanish entirely.

Yet as the Espeon stared into the familiar yellow eyes of the being from his nightmares, the intensity of his fear returned in full force. Those eyes carried more power to inspire terror than the dreams ever could. The nightmares were symptoms...but those eyes were the cause. This wasn't a dream, but a reality...and reality could still hurt you while nightmares could only torment you.

The Espeon's legs were shaking, and it was taking a good amount of his focus to keep him from buckling and falling over. It was as if he once again was learning how to stand and walk after evolving, but worse. His breathing was shallow, each inhale feeling like it was being forced through a narrow tube that prevented the oxygen from truly filling his lungs, and his exhales were desperate efforts to inhale again.

"Deep breaths, cleansing breaths," the Riolu instructed with a wry smirk, then began to demonstrate taking deep breaths, using his paws to imitate air entering and leaving the lungs, like a parent teaching their child how to combat frustration and temper tantrums. "Breathe in...and out...breathe in...and out..."

"Get away from me," Shadow snapped, tensing his body and baring his teeth, not caring how stupid the stance probably looked when done by an Espeon. Of all the things to fall back on from his time as an Eevee, it was just his luck he carried over the aggressive stance. Even as an Eevee, the look was more adorable than intimidating, but it was all Shadow had.

"Ah yes, you were quite the rude little Eevee. A shame evolution doesn't carry maturity with it," the Riolu lamented, reaching his paw forward as if about to pet Shadow's head. "Are you quite sure you didn't expect to be an Umbreon, because everything about you right now reminds me of-"

Shadow snapped his teeth at the Riolu, forcing him to pull back his paw to avoid the bite, but the aura Pokemon looked incredibly amused, rather than perturbed, which in itself made Shadow more anxious. His fur was bristling, and he could feel psychic energy building within his head, ready to be called upon if needed.

"Perhaps you have some Umbreon traits in you, after all," the Riolu chuckled. "Your anger right now is much more genuine than when you were blindly throwing accusations around. You were bluffing, then. Had Force not been so taken aback, a simple contradiction would have shattered your facade."

Shadow blinked, but remained tense, his silver eyes never leaving his foe. Was he really that transparent? He had even surprised himself at how aggressive and forceful he had managed to make his voice sound, but if he had been so obvious about bluffing, then why...?

"Who are you?" Shadow demanded, narrowing his eyes. He may have only been guessing as to the Riolu's identity before, and hoping that he was mistaken and the Riolu had just been a bystander, but the prickles in the back of his mind had told him otherwise. He had enough experience with those sensations now to know he could trust them.

"Oh dear, it seems I slipped up and referred to Force as a separate entity, didn't I? Very well, I am known as Diablos. I trust this satisfies your inquiry?"

Shadow scowled at this answer, the pressure in his head intensifying. There was something about the name that sent uncomfortable prickling sensations down his spine, but he didn't recognize it as having any significance to him. The answer had only raised further questions, and the aura Pokemon's dismissive attitude was more grating to his nerves than Frost ever could manage.

"What are you? What do you want?" the Espeon growled, dimly aware of the gemstone on his forehead beginning to pulse, the flash just within his peripheral vision to be noticed.

Diablos' yellow eyes flashed as he turned his gaze to meet Shadow's eyes. "Regrettably, you have so many questions, and not nearly enough time for me to address them. Look at me..."

The eyes gleamed at the last sentence, and Shadow recognized the phrase a moment too late to consider shutting or averting his eyes. He felt locked in place, unable to move his head or his eyes away from the Riolu's eye contact, the yellow eyes burning into his brain.

"Relax, this won't hurt you," Diablos murmured, raising his paw, which began to glow with blue aura flames. The Riolu blinked abruptly and turned his focus to his paw with a confused expression. The moment the eye contact was broken, Shadow found himself able to move again. Without taking even a moment to consider the consequences, he focused his energy, mentally condensed it into a crude sphere, and launched it at the opposing Pokemon.

The psychic bolt hurtled through the air and struck Diablos in the chest, and in that moment, Shadow could see the reason for his foe's distraction. An odd stone of some sort had been clutched in the Riolu's paw, but upon being hit with the psychic blast, the stone flew free of its owner's grip. Diablos was flung backwards with surprising force, striking the back of the chamber with a deafening crash, his body sliding to the ground limply.

The relinquished stone bounced across the stone floor, each bounce producing a light clicking sound, and then rolled against the perimeter of the room, seemingly undamaged by the rough treatment.

Shadow blinked at the fallen Riolu, taken aback by the sheer firepower of the psychic blast, but he made no move towards his foe. Reliving the same scene over and over again and given him more than enough reminder that his enemy was incredibly agile and durable. Getting close against such an opponent would not be wise, but neither could he afford a drawn-out fight.

The Espeon's gaze flicked back towards the passage he had come from. Frost was sure to be upstairs still, and the Glaceon should be strong enough to hold his own against the Riolu...but memories of his parents rushing to his rescue made his heart sink. What if Frost wasn't strong enough to fight this enemy, either? Diablos had fought both of his parents simultaneously and two weeks later seemed none of the worse for wear, yet Shadow still hadn't seen or heard from his parents...there was almost no question who had won that battle.

The sound of chuckling from the back of the chamber tore Shadow away from his thoughts, and he glared at the Riolu as Diablos slowly pushed himself onto all fours, the laughter echoing in the otherwise silent chamber.

"Impressive, so impressive!" Diablos stated to the air, a smug grin crossing his features as he looked towards Shadow. "You're so much like your parents, Shadow. To think all three of you would successfully strike me in the chest with an elemental attack while I'm distracted...now all we need is your younger brother to do the same and I'll have taken a blow from the whole family with no ill-effects!"

"Is that a threat?" Shadow demanded, narrowing his eyes. No one would lay a paw on Leaf while he still drew breath to prevent it. No matter how strong Diablos was, if he even considered targeting Leaf, then he wouldn't leave this room alive without stepping over Shadow's dead body first.

"Pfft, like I'd bother with some small-fry darkness in a young kit's heart," Diablos snorted, and like before, this response only made Shadow more aggravated. It was like half of everything the Riolu spouted was nonsensical gibberish.

"Why would you bother with us at all? What the hell do you want from me? Why did you-"

"Once again, the number of questions is disproportionate to my interest in answering them, Shadow," Diablos interrupted.

"Then kiss the floor," Shadow snapped. Diablos looked momentarily bemused by the comment, perhaps assuming it to be some childish retort, but the next moment, a psychic force shoved Diablos's head downwards, striking the stone floor with a thudding sound.

Shadow recoiled from the sight, immediately regretting his reaction. He felt sick just thinking of ways to damage his opponent, and more terrifyingly was that he was having no difficulty producing psychic power right now. A/C had never taught him how to use his psychic abilities to manipulate objects yet, only how to form an offensive burst like before. Yet somehow, just thinking of shoving the Riolu's mouth against the floor had enabled him to do so.

Diablos coughed, blood trickling from the aura Pokemon's mouth, but he seemed otherwise unharmed, if slightly cross-eyed. The yellow eyes he turned upon Shadow were anything but amused now. They had an intense, aggressive look to them, a look that sent cold shivers through every fiber of Shadow's body.

"Emotion is the antithesis of psychic power, how do you draw so much power from them?" Diablos whispered. A tiny smirk flashed across his features. "Perhaps your inner darkness is better nurtured than I thought."

"Piss off," Shadow growled, turning and taking brisk paces back the way he came. He didn't want to stay in the room with that Pokemon, didn't want to dwell on the sight of his teeth striking the stone, or reflect on the miracle that he hadn't chipped any teeth...followed by a sympathetic internal wince at how incredibly painful it would be to chip one's tooth in such a way. He didn't want to feel those yellow eyes burning into his mind. He wanted to get as far away from here as possible.

 _What happened to your parents?_

Shadow tensed. There was a small voice echoing within his head. It was similar to A/C's telepathy, in that it wasn't his own internal thoughts, but it didn't seem to belong to another person, either. It wasn't the voice of the Riolu behind him, nor did he recognize the tone from anyone else.

He shook himself quickly, feeling his eyes beginning to water. His parents had never caught up with them. If Diablos was still alive and well...there seemed little chance that they had survived. Such a twisted, malicious vibe from a Pokemon implied that much in his mind.

 _But you don't know that. You never found out for sure._

Shadow gritted his teeth and continued walking, but his tail twitched and the tingle in the back of his mind warned him of danger. He dropped his body down low, and a blue sphere of energy struck the wall directly above his head, shattering and sending shards of stone over his body. He whirled around, his eyes narrowed at Diablos, who was standing upright again, watching him with an amused expression.

"What do you want?" Shadow demanded, his body tensing into an aggressive stance once again. Pressure was building up rapidly in his head and he was not in the mood to deal with this diplomatically. If blasting the damn Pokemon through the wall would get him out of the Ruins unharmed, then he was going to do it.

Diablos opened his mouth to reply, but then his yellow eyes flicked to something past Shadow. At the same time, Shadow felt another tickle in the back of his mind, the presence of another individual, but his ears caught the sound of two different Pokemon moving through the passageway behind him.

Confused by the indiscrepency of his senses, Shadow chanced a glance behind him and spotted both Frost and the Weavile the Glaceon had been fighting, the latter Pokemon seeming to have no problem navigating the pitch-black corridor, and Frost seemed to be holding onto the Weavile's trailing scarf to assist with his navigating.

"Frost, off," Lin ordered, like one might command a small animal. Frost immediately released the clawed Pokemon's apparel and she stepped past Shadow, her red eyes fixed on Diablos. Shadow flinched as the Weavile flicked her wrist, two jagged shards of ice now clutched between her claws. "I could have sworn you said you couldn't possess Force anymore. He doesn't want you doing that, so neither do I."

Diablos scowled slightly, yet his entire demeanor had shifted. He looked now almost like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but trying to play it off as something innocent and not related to cookie-stealing.

"I said as long as the fragments...wait, are you threatening me?"

"Very astute. Extract your fragment, or Ice Shard between the eyes. I recall you don't want Force to die, right?"

Diablos stared at her. Shadow glanced at Frost, and saw that the Glaceon was just as confused and bewildered as he was at the exchange, without the benefit of recognizing Diablos.

"Rather...extreme...isn't it?" Diablos said, but his yellow eyes watched Lin's paw warily.

"Careful what you wish for," Lin stated, in an odd tone, as if echoing back some meaningful statement whose significance was utterly lost on Shadow. The significance didn't seem to really click with Diablos, either, but the ends of his mouth twitched briefly.

"You could simply allow me to transfer-"

"Three...two..." Lin began counting loudly, ticking down a claw on her other paw with each number. The Riolu scowled, and his yellow eyes burned in Lin's direction. He raised his paw and grunted slightly, the intensity of his eyes gradually dulling as a small green sphere emerged from his body, hovering before his paw. Tiny tendrils of black lightning crackled around the sphere, and Shadow felt a dull ache deep within his chest, painful enough to stagger slightly, but brief enough that he had to question whether it was just a normal ache flaring up for a split second. After all, he had fought that Luxio earlier today, and maybe his muscles were still a bit twitchy.

"Satisfied?" Diablos panted, his eyes flickering between yellow and red for several seconds at a time.

"Almost," Lin replied curtly. "Why are you still in control?"

"Because I'm holding onto it, obviously," Diablos retorted. He yelped in pain as an Ice Shard struck his hand, and he fumbled the sphere. The yellow eyes immediately disappeared, and the Riolu collapsed to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The green sphere immediately flew towards Shadow, and he shut his eyes, too startled to do anything more productive. There was a loud crackling sound, like electricity erupting directly in front of the Espeon and as he opened an eye, he found the green sphere struggling against a nearly transparent barrier of light in front of him. After a second or two, the sphere rebounded, hitting part of the wall and merging with one of the odd symbols decorating the wall. It did not reappear, and when Shadow relaxed, the barrier disappeared along with it, the pressure in his head relieved without him even realizing it.

"I am dying to make sense of what the hell just happened," Frost said with forced brightness in his voice.

"No, you're not," Shadow muttered darkly, earning a curious glance from the Glaceon. Lin didn't comment, instead stepping forward and scooping up the unconscious Riolu in her arms, the task posing no difficulty despite the aura Pokemon being similar in size to her entire body.

"Frost, take that stone over there with us," she commanded, spotting the gemstone that Diablos had been holding earlier.

"Yes, mistress," Frost said sarcastically, nevertheless walking over to the object in question. "Is there any greater honor than doing your bidding?"

"You got to touch my scarf," Lin retorted with a completely serious expression. "I'd say you're doing rather well for yourself."

Shadow gave the two Ice-types a bewildered look. "I'm going to want an explanation to this eventually."


	30. Aftermath Tension

One might think that the return trip from the Ruins would have been a soothing experience in the wake of recent events, but Shadow found it to be almost unbearably tense. The few seconds of relaxation had only paved the way for anxiety to find a better grip on his thoughts and emotions.

The first hurdle to overcome was the long passageway leading back to the staircase that Shadow had taken to get down here. The problem was that Shadow didn't want to turn his back to the Weavile and, by extension, the unconscious Riolu. Neither of them rated high on his trustworthiness list, if such a list actually existed, regardless of Frost's familiarity with the Weavile. For that matter, Shadow had no idea how their battle had ended. If he really had to guess, he'd have placed his bet on Lin, but his reasoning was based entirely on the fact Frost was acting unusually submissive around her.

Furthermore, he was uncomfortably aware that he couldn't sense Lin at all. Despite obtaining greater awareness of his psychic abilities and what the various prickles in his mind and body meant in relation to things around him, Lin was completely absent from this mental radar. No, that still wasn't the most accurate way of putting it. Rather, it was that his mind registered her presence as a void. A mental blind spot, but still detected by his normal senses. The indiscrepancy was incredibly off-putting, and Shadow suspected that he would need to consciously train his mind to recognize such voids, because otherwise, he would be ridiculously prone to ambush from Dark-type Pokemon.

Shadow's other concern with this corridor was that he didn't want to take the rear of the group, either, in the event that odd green sphere that Diablos had extracted from himself would reappear and assault him again from behind. Yet Frost had the issue of lacking the same level of night vision as Shadow or Lin, meaning he needed one of them to guide his steps.

Ultimately, Lin accepted the lead, with Shadow guiding Frost a few paces behind her. They walked in silence, which only added to the tension in the atmosphere. Shadow had tried not to be obvious about his apprehension towards Lin or the Riolu that she was carrying, but something told him he had failed in that endeavor.

No one spoke until they emerged in the upstairs chamber, and Shadow immediately began to shiver. The entire chamber was frosted with snow and ice, a remnant of the battle waged between Frost and Lin. An enclosed, underground room far from the sun or other heat sources would probably remain this frigid for some time, and Shadow's teeth began chattering as cold pervaded his body.

"It's a beautiful look, at least," Frost noted, gazing around the room with a small smile. Shadow just gave him an annoyed look in response. "Not to your liking, huh? Shame, I'd love to decorate a den like this..."

"Ice dens aren't practical, even for Ice-types," Lin replied curtly, the blue scarf around her neck fluttering in the icy breeze that somehow still rippled around the room. She didn't pause her stride, but continued directly towards the opposite staircase.

"Really? Why not?" Frost wondered, reluctantly following after the Weavile, practically wincing at the footprints the three of them were making through the otherwise settled and unblemished snow.

"Unless you need to store only frozen items and materials, cold sucks the moisture from the air. What you want is an insulated den, so that you can maintain a comfortable temperature inside, and then chill it slightly for your comfort," Lin said.

Frost nodded slowly, and silence again settled over them as they made their ways up the stairs. Lin's pace slowed significantly as she attempted to climb the winding stairs without bumping the Riolu's head against the walls. Shadow silently took notice of the Weavile's careful attention to detail. Cecilia had mentioned her friends earlier, and clearly they were the ones she was referring to, but he didn't like the implications this gave him now.

Downstairs, Lin had spoken to Diablos, clearly aware that Diablos was a separate persona than Force. In that sense, Lin knew more about Diablos' nature than Shadow did. Yet if Lin and Force were friends of Cecilia, did she also know more about the situation than he did? How much did she know? How were any of them associated with the one who attacked his family?

He had so many questions now, so many concerns that needed to be addressed. Yet no one seemed particularly forthcoming with information. Diablos had brushed off the questions, and now Shadow had even more uncertainty than before. One thing was certain, though...he couldn't afford to be ill-prepared next time. He would need to master his abilities. Not just learn how to use them, but actually train himself to be able to use them for survival. Frost was so much stronger than he was, and from what he had seen from the match against Lin, the Weavile was stronger than Frost.

"We're back!"

Shadow snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of A/C's voice, and found that the three of them had reached the top of the steps. They were standing in the chamber where Cecilia had fought the Sigilyph, and on the opposite side of the room stood A/C, Leaf, and Cecilia.

"Did you guys just stand there for a while or something?" Frost wondered, stepping past Lin and giving the other three Pokemon an amused look.

"Are you all right?" A/C asked, peering at Frost carefully. "You've got significantly more scratches than last time I saw you."

Shadow winced slightly. There was the one scratch along his back that he had seen Lin deliver early into the fight, but now that he had a better look at the Glaceon, he saw a number of similar cuts along his shoulder and forelegs. Clearly, he had been on the receiving end of quite a few hits.

"Flesh wounds, don't concern yourself too much," Frost replied, giving himself a brief glance over. "So what kept you?"

"I mis-Teleported originally," A/C explained with a sheepish smile. "The Ruins don't seem to allow you to Teleport into a specific room, but has no issues with Teleporting outside. We had to re-navigate from the entrance."

"What happened to Force?" Cecilia asked, her voice jumping half an octave in alarm, spotting the unconscious Riolu still held in Lin's arms. The Quilava dashed over to the Weavile and peered closely at her charge, giving the aura Pokemon light prods.

"He'll be fine, Cece," Lin said, sounding vaguely annoyed by Cecilia's invasive inspection. "At least wait until we're outside before you start prodding him."

"Fiiiiine," Cecilia complained, then turned her attention to Shadow, her expression shifting to nervous concern, and Shadow blinked, realizing how intensely he had been watching her. "You okay, uh, gorgeous?"

"Um...probably," Shadow mumbled, averting his gaze. He didn't know how to answer that question. He had a lot on his mind, and much of it had to do with Cecilia and her friends, and where they stood in these circumstances. Why had they come to the Ruins? The fact they were here, and the vibe Shadow had picked up earlier, all combined with Diablos reappearing...it was either one hell of a coincidence, or there was a connection that he couldn't quite put his paw on.

"You look okay," Cecilia said, adding a bit of perkiness to her voice again. "Well, more than 'okay', if you follow," she added, giggling a little. Shadow managed a tiny smile in response. There was something contagious about the Quilava's bubbly mood at times, or maybe he just enjoyed the flattering comments and attention from her.

"Thanks. Uh...and how are you?" he asked, awkwardly aware of Lin observing the two of them, although the Weavile made no comment.

"I'm good now! Center patched up my injury in a jiffy," Cecilia replied brightly. "They're fireproof, so my flames won't incinerate them. See?" she asked, pivoting to display two white bandages wrapped tightly around her hind legs. Shadow felt his face grow warm, and he glanced at the ceiling awkwardly for a moment. Somehow he doubted that Cecilia had genuinely overlooked how much of her figure she'd end up displaying alongside the bandages.

"Cece!" Lin scolded sharply, and the Quilava turned back around, her blue eyes widening innocently. Lin just fixed Cecilia with a serious look, then turned her focus to the Kadabra. "Excuse me, but could you offer us a quick trip outside?"

A/C blinked at the Weavile, taking note of the Riolu cradled in her arms and the blue scarf around her neck. "Oh, is your friend injured? I could take you to the Pokemon-"

"That won't be needed, thank you," Lin interrupted. "He's tired out, but unharmed."

"Very well," A/C answered, and her eyes closed in focus. Without prompting, Lin stepped nearer to the Kadabra, and Shadow did the same, moving nearer to Cecilia to better bask in the warmth of her flames that dispelled the lingering cold in his body.

Shadow shut his eyes in preparation of the flash of light from A/C's Teleport, and didn't reopen them until he felt grass beneath his paws instead of stone. Glancing around, he found that they were not directly outside the Ruins, as he would have expected, nor were they directly outside A/C's den, although this at least made sense in that the other Pokemon were not friends of A/C, and therefore the Kadabra was unlikely to bring them to her doorstep.

It took the Espeon a few moments, but he eventually managed to identify their location as being on the outskirts of the small human town, roughly a mid point between A/C's den and the town. More surprising to him was that the sun had since passed the mid-point, and was actually beginning to descend towards the horizon. A surprising amount of time must have passed while they had been inside the Ruins.

"Will this do?" A/C asked. Lin glanced around for a moment, then gave a nod and a word of thanks. "You're welcome. Have a good evening."

"Likewise to you," Lin replied with a slight bowing motion. She spoke in Cecilia's ear too softly for Shadow to catch, then turned on her heel and walked over to the shade of a tree, setting Force down on the grass beneath it. Cecilia went over to where Frost was standing and said something, and after a short pause, Frost produced the small stone he had taken from the underground chamber and passed it to Cecilia, who took it carefully in her mouth before dashing over to the tree that Lin and Force were beneath.

Shadow stared at Frost, trying to figure out how the Glaceon had managed to transport the stone with no obvious means of carrying it excluding his mouth, which seemed unlikely due to earlier being able to talk. The only idea he had at the moment was that maybe the dangles of his head could carry things, but if that was true, he didn't see HOW that was possible.

"I will need to return to the Center to complete my shift today, but you may use my den," A/C said, addressing the three Eons. "Did you need a Teleport there or...?"

"We can walk," Frost replied promptly. A/C smiled and disappeared in a flash of light. Leaf just looked around uncertainly. He had been surprisingly quiet for a while, or maybe Shadow just hadn't noticed him talking much. "Leaf, want to use the last hour or two of sun for a training session?" the Glaceon asked.

"Sure!" the Leafeon replied promptly, his tail flicking a little bit. "Are you going to watch, Shadow?" he asked, looking over at his brother hopefully.

"Um..." Shadow began, but Frost shook his head.

"Not this time, Leaf," the Glaceon replied. "Shadow has a talking date or something." Shadow frowned, but Frost simply smirked in reply, nodding towards Cecilia pointedly. Leaf whined a little, but he didn't make any real objection. "He'll watch the next one, promise," Frost said, stroking the young Leafeon's head, the action relieving any complaints the younger Eon had.

"Uh...thanks?" Shadow said, frowning and glancing towards Cecilia, Lin, and Force uncertainly. He really wasn't sure if he wanted to talk with any of them right now. He did want to know what they knew, but something kept holding him back. They made him uneasy, and part of him didn't want to risk finding out something he'd regret knowing.

"We'll be right here," Frost said, giving Shadow a serious look. There was something in his tone that gave Shadow the feeling that Frost wasn't simply telling him where he and Leaf were. It was more like he was suggesting that they were nearby if Shadow needed them in a hurry. Hm, maybe Shadow really was that transparent with his feelings, if Frost had so easily identified his unease.

Shadow pushed that concern aside. He didn't need to dwell on that sort of thing now. He took a deep, soothing breath, much like how he began his training sessions, to push aside the feelings of anxiety and fear. After another two or three similar breaths, he made his way slowly over to the trio of Pokemon.

It seemed that Force had awakened for the most part, because he was sitting up with his back against the trunk of the tree, and his eyes were open. Even at this distance, Shadow could see his eyes were red, like they had been earlier, but they were also slightly unfocused, as if he was barely awake. Cecilia was talking to him, although Shadow couldn't catch any of the conversation, and he seemed to be alert enough to reply in some form.

Lin was inspecting the odd stone closely, but her gaze flicked towards Shadow as he approached. She cleared her throat quietly and made a subtle gesture with her claws. Cecilia looked over, but Force didn't seem to have caught the exchange, because he didn't react at all. That suited Shadow fine - he preferred to interact with Cecilia.

"Hey gorgeous, what's up?" the Quilava chirped, but her smile seemed a little forced, as if she wasn't sure whether she was supposed to be smiling. He was also aware that she was watching him more closely than usual.

Shadow hesitated for a moment, attempting to ignore the presence of the other Pokemon. "Um...you said before you wanted to talk later? Does...now work?"

Cecilia's brow creased in thought, and she glanced back at the other two Pokemon. Force was blinking a few times, his gaze becoming more focused, whereas Lin was all but ignoring Shadow's existence entirely in favor of turning the smooth stone over in her paws.

"I'm...not sure. Um...I wanted to make sure Force is doing okay and figure out what's going-"

"That's why I want to talk now," Shadow cut in, and Cecilia twitched. She was definitely looking uncomfortable now, and her flames were crackling with greater intensity. Shadow held his gaze on her for several seconds, and finally, the Quilava heaved a sigh.

"Okay, fine, can't say I didn't expect this," she said, her tone becoming slightly bitter, but she looked Shadow in the face. "What do you want to talk about?"

The Espeon raised an eyebrow slowly. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked. "You said back in the Ruins, you wanted us to talk, and you'd explain later."

"Right, but you came over and said you want us to talk now," Cecilia said, confusion spreading over her expression.

"But you wanted to talk first. We made the whole plan to talk later. It's a date or whatever, remember?" Shadow argued.

"Am I still asleep?" Force wondered, staring at the two quadrupeds with a bewildered expression. This snapped them out of their deadlocked debate rather quickly, but as Shadow glanced towards the Riolu, his jaw tightened and his patience broke.

"Just tell me what's going on!" he snapped, the sudden shift in tone causing Cecilia to flinch. Lin looked up briefly, but remained unperturbed. Force joined Cecilia in looking incredibly uncomfortable, but no one replied. Shadow growled in frustration, his silver eyes narrowing.

"Shadow," Cecilia began, her voice practically pleading. "I just...I don't want you to be mad or...I dunno..."

"Hate you?" Shadow finished. Cecilia blinked, staring at the Espeon in confusion. "That's what you were going to say, right? You don't want me to hate you?"

"Um...yeah. How did you-?" she asked, her eyes darting to the sides. "Are you reading my mind? Can you tell what I'm thinking right now?"

Shadow growled in exasperation. "No, I can't tell what you're thinking! I just guessed! Why are you changing the subject?!"

"Okay, I'm going to insist that you calm down now," Lin said, getting to her feet in one fluid motion. Her red eyes gazed into Shadow's with such overwhelming intensity that he instinctively retreated a half-pace. The Weavile was not taking an aggressive stance, nor did she seem to be threatening him, but her eyes carried a commanding pressure to them that he was immediately cowed. She did not break eye contact, and after several seconds, Shadow looked down, shame replacing his anger. It was just like back in the Ruins, when facing Diablos. His anger and frustration had driven him to use his psychic abilities in a brutally aggressive manner that made him feel ashamed afterwards. Before, his emotional state had been rendering him almost useless in combat and made him a pushover in conflicts, but now...why was he feeling so aggressive?

"Shadow..." Cecilia said finally, and Shadow looked up at her. "This probably isn't the best time for us to talk."

Shadow gritted his teeth so tightly that his jaw began to hurt. He could feel his psychic power building within his head rapidly, but Cecilia stepped closer and nuzzled him. The warmth of her fur was oddly soothing, but he pushed her away gently after only a few seconds. He knew she had only done it to try to calm him, rather than her usual flirting. It reminded him of his parents, and how they would embrace him and stroke his fur when he was particularly agitated. Or when Leaf was particularly agitated. It had been effective enough then, but he didn't want to get distracted from the current subject, nor did he want to dwell on memories of his parents.

"Then when?" he asked seriously.

Cecilia considered, then glanced towards Lin questioningly. "Tomorrow morning?"

"Whatever you want," Lin answered indifferently. "No plans or schedule until Kaito gets back to us."

The Quilava nodded slowly, turning back to Shadow. "Tomorrow morning? Over breakfast or something? Shut up, Force, that's not what I mean!"

"Just something in my throat," the Riolu said innocently, producing several fake coughs to conceal his previous snickering. Shadow ignored him.

"Fine," he grunted.

"I'm really sorry about this, Shadow," Cecilia said quietly. Shadow just grunted again in response, and walked away. If he felt bad about this interaction tomorrow, he'd apologize then, but right now, he just didn't give a damn. This was one of the worst days he'd experienced in a long time, and he doubted it was going to get much better anytime soon. Under normal circumstances, this would be a day to just go to bed early and let sleep wash away his problems.

It just sucked that recurring nightmares was kind of a thing with him these days.


	31. Boredom Beneath Johto

To select individuals, there was nothing more fascinating and interesting than the ruins of a culture or society long since vanished. It was an indescribable thrill to be able to gaze upon the artwork of the past, to view the various murals and carvings that decorated the ruins of the fallen society, and to examine the relics left behind. It was a fascinating experience to examine the ancient writings and wonder whether the people that had carved or written their words had a language that evolved into what modern people spoke now, or if it was a different language entirely, insufficiently maintained to leave any impact on future societies.

To others, the entire affair was a tedious, unengaging waste of time and energy that could be better spent doing any number of other activities.

Aureia belonged unambiguously in the latter category, so it was genuinely baffling to her that Adrian had chosen her to accompany him for his work assignment. The Vaporeon knew perfectly well that Ember and Avis did not need to remain in their Pokeballs, and Adrian carried those wherever he went, so there wasn't even that excuse. Sure, she didn't mind being outside the ball and allowed to wander around or sunbathe under normal circumstances, but they were presently in an underground cavern of some sort, far from the sun's inviting rays or the refreshing crispness of a water source. Even an empty patch of grass would have been better.

Yet here they were, in a rocky underground chamber. The coarse, unpolished look of the walls and crumbling stone floor stood in sharp contrast to Aureia's sleek, elegant figure. Whereas she had obviously been groomed and maintained frequently, the surrounding area had not, but evidently this was the point. The Ruins of Alph was not a fancy hotel or vacationing resort, which was a shame, because Aureia wouldn't have minded a luxurious swimming pool right about now. Soft pillows and cushions adorning every surface of a high-class room, and flocks of room service personnel catering to her every whim.

Unfortunately, Adrian did not seem to share her mindset, leaving her to be bored out of her mind while he eagerly walked around the perimeter of the massive room, occasionally jotting down notes on a pocket-sized notebook, completely oblivious to the exasperated looks she kept sending his way. Was it really so hard to notice that she was bored? She still didn't know why he had brought her along. The Ruins were all but empty. They had chosen the main chamber specifically to avoid the plethora of overexcitable labcoat-wearing nerds. Those were obviously her words, not his, but if someone dedicates their adult life to studying symbols on a wall and babbling about Arceus and other absurd mythological figures with the same enthusiasm as a child babbling about the cartoons they watch on weekends, then they deserved whatever judgment she chose to bestow upon them. They should be grateful she was too bored to think of more creative or offensive insults than 'nerd'.

On the plus side, she reasoned, they were unlikely to ever contribute to the continuation of humans as a species. Then again, the human race wasn't exactly on the brink of extinction, despite the humans that dedicated their lives to expanding the Pokemon species still being curiously oblivious to how Pokemon reproduced. The lesson to probably draw from this was that if you dedicate your life in a field to the exclusion of everything else, the genepool probably wasn't missing much without your contributions. Your fellow humans probably aren't missing much by your absence at social events, either.

Even delivering vicious insults in her head to anonymous people she knew nothing about was nowhere near enough entertainment to keep the Vaporeon from wanting to bang her head against the nearest wall, if only so that seeing stars or other shapes would be more fun than her current boredom.

It was almost a shame that Adrian wouldn't buy her Fake Tears routine. Her trainer had a very good understanding of her behavior and mentality, as well he should, with the time he had spent caring for her. He was unusually gifted with handling difficult Pokemon, and she herself could confirm the tales. He had managed to tame Ember over the course of several months, which was no easy task. Aureia still had a few of the scars to prove how volatile the Charmander was, and even now that Ember had mellowed out significantly, she was still very aggressive when provoked. Regardless, Adrian would see through such a blatant display of emotion from Aureia, so that option was out.

Even whining or similar would be too emotional for Aureia's tastes. Her best bet was just to shoot water at him, but the more likely result would just be getting withdrawn into her ball, and she wasn't yet that bored to consider it a desirable outcome.

Ugh, it would be much better if he had one of his other Pokemon out with her. At least then she'd have someone to talk to and pay attention to, but Ember had been moody recently, as expected. Early spring and bits of winter always took a toll on the Charmander's mood, and Aureia seemed to have an inadvertant knack for pissing her off, despite otherwise being very close friends. Even Avis would have been an acceptable companion at this time. Granted, getting into another argument with the Snivy would be infinitely more enjoyable than staring at rocks, but this still felt like saying death by falling off a cliff would be more enjoyable than death by stab wounds. It was technically true, as the rush of adrenaline and fear on the way down would be a thrill right before a hopefully swift demise, as opposed to slowly agonizing and feeling one's lifeforce seep from their body.

Aureia blinked and shook herself quickly. Her thoughts were getting a little too morbid for her taste. She heaved a small sigh and looked over at her trainer. Adrian was standing at one of the walls of the Ruins, tapping the corner of his mouth with his pen absently, his eyes inspecting row after row of runic symbols and shapes. Okay, she hadn't missed much from when she last looked his way.

The real shame of this situation was that she was missing out on the best hours of the day. It was one thing to bore her out of her mind in the early morning, when she'd be justified in going back to sleep, or late at night, when she'd also be justified in going to sleep. But to waste her afternoon hours, when the sun was warmest and the skies clearest and the water...no, the water was always good no matter what time of day. To waste those hours was just grating.

"Aureia, you okay, girl?" Adrian called, and she blinked, refocusing on the young man. He had apparently turned towards her when she was distracted, and noticed that she was looking at him with a vacant expression.

Aureia's stomach squirmed. What she really wanted to do was mold her expression into a pitiful expression and silently plead for him to take her out of this hellishly dull environment. He would definitely get the message, but to give him a sign of weakness like that might encourage him to seek out other ways of bringing out her emotions. He would never do such a thing for kicks, or even purposefully make her miserable to draw out these reactions, but it was all part of his methods of developing closer bonds with the Pokemon under his care. She was steadfastedly guarded with her feelings, even to him, whom she trusted above all other humans and most Pokemon. She was not about to show such weakness even if it would immediately resolve her suffering.

The Vaporeon pursed her mouth slightly. It seemed a bit of a contradiction even in her mind that Adrian would definitely see through her theatrics, but showing the same feelings when prompted to was a sign of weakness. And it WAS. No matter who tried to tell her otherwise, Aureia would stick to that belief. Adrian would not abandon her, but she wasn't going to pour her soul out on that faith alone.

"Aureia? Everything all right?" Adrian asked, now looking concerned as he stepped nearer to the Vaporeon. Aureia mentally cursed herself for zoning out again almost immediately, but couldn't think of anything to reassure her trainer before he had closed the distance between them. He knelt down to her level and began stroking her head gently, taking care around the fins that adorned her head. Experience had taught him that she was not too fond of having them touched.

Aureia allowed the stroking, but gave no outward sign of enjoying it. Not that it was difficult to feign indifference. All she really had to do was remind herself that the time they were spending down here was insufferably dull, and she could resist the urge to purr or lean into his hand.

"You're livid with me, aren't you?" Adrian asked, sounding a bit sheepish. Aureia glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but gave no reply. "Ouch," he said with a chuckle. "Silent treatment, huh?"

Aureia bit the inside of her mouth to keep from making a sarcastic retort. Adrian was way too good at reading her, and even better at tripping her up and revealing more than she wanted to. True, she was the Pokemon he had cared for the longest of the three he currently had, but he really seemed to get her mindset better than the others. Well, no one really understood Avis' mindset yet, as she was the most recent acquisition, and Ember shifted too often for Adrian to yet have her completely pegged, but he was well on the way to acheiving that.

Adrian continued to pamper the Vaporeon in silence, his eyes scanning the walls of the Ruins. Maybe that was his way of staying productive when he was feeling awkward, but having even his unconscious attention was a step up from being completely bored out of her mind and ignored, so Aureia could at least appreciate that. Her trainer had moved from simply petting her head to petting down her back, again taking care of the ridge that trailed from the base of her neck to the fin on her tail.

"I know this isn't exactly an island resort," Adrian said, smiling faintly, his voice soft and soothing. "I just needed to get some notes for the work assignment. It beat sitting in the office, you know?"

Aureia gave him a look, but didn't say anything. Despite this, Adrian seemed to get the message all the same.

"Why did you need to come? You didn't. I just wanted some company," he admitted. "But I guess it really isn't your scene, huh?"

At this point, Aureia was finding it increasingly difficult to be non-responsive. Adrian liked to end a lot of his sentences with a confirming question when talking to his Pokemon, which had the interesting effect of eventually wearing down the will of the Pokemon attempting to give him the silent treatment. Combined with the gentle pampering, it was definitely starting to work its magic on the Vaporeon, try as she might to resist it. Still, she said nothing, although Adrian seemed to detect her weakening resolve. Maybe he could feel the reduced tension in her body or something.

"Tell you what, it'll just be a little longer, then we can do whatever you want for the rest of the day, okay? Anything I can do to make the wait more tolerable?" he asked, watching her closely.

Aureia gave a little sniff of indignation and looked towards the opposite wall. Adrian chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, you're less than thrilled," he said, shaking his head. "You want to risk Ember's company?"

"Meh," Aureia grunted, but her tail's flick betrayed her real thoughts. Adrian raised an eyebrow at that response.

"Okay, just remember that she's been extra moody lately. I took the assignment instead of a lunch break, so she hasn't been to the rec room today," the youth warned, carefully withdrawing a small Pokeball from his jacket and enlarging it with a tap of the button. He considered for a moment. "Maybe I should let Avis out, too?"

"Meh," Aureia repeated dully. Her tail did not flick, a detail that did not escape the notice of her trainer.

"Then I'm letting them both out, okay?" Adrian said, watching the Vaporeon with a faint smile. Aureia didn't respond. "All righty, then," he said, shaking his head. He reached into his jacket again and withdrew a second miniaturized sphere which, when enlarged, was clearly labeled with a green icon, opposed to the first ball's red marking.

Adrian tapped the button a second time, and a white light emerged from the sphere, forming into a slender Pokemon. When the light faded, a short, bipedal reptilian Pokemon stood before Aureia. Most of its body was green, but its chest and stomach were cream-colored, and it had yellow markings around its eyes. Yellow leaf-like curls decorated either side of its neck, like the collar of a cape or similar garment, and a yellow stripe bisected its back down to its tail. It had tiny arms with tiny fingers, but Avis kept them so closely to her sides that they weren't immediately noticeable.

The Snivy took a moment to look around, finally focusing on Adrian.

"Hey, Avis," the youth said with a smile. "I'm studying the area for a work assignment, and I'm letting Ember out to keep Aureia company. You mind working your magic with Ember?"

Avis cocked her head to the side, then flicked her right arm upwards into a military-like salute. Aureia rolled her eyes, already feeling a bit of annoyance towards the grass Pokemon. Avis was nothing short of an enigma at times. She could be ludicrously formal, or she could be obnoxiously silly. This particular example was a perfect blend of the two - she was being obnoxiously silly by acting ludicrously formal.

Adrian tapped the second ball without further fanfare, the white light that emerged formed into another bipedal lizard Pokemon, almost identical in size to Avis. However, its scales were orange with a cream belly, and it lacked some of the more puzzling aspects to its anatomy that the Snivy had. Its arms and legs were longer and more distinct, ending in claws, and its tail was longer, more slender, and ended with a burning flame.

Yet one of Ember's most notable features was her sharp blue eyes. One might consider them to be very pretty, but it generally was a bad idea to stare into Ember's eyes for any length of time, so it was hardly a sight anyone was going to be admiring.

The Charmander's body tensed the moment she had emerged, but after a glance to the left and right, and finding nothing remotely threatening, the fire lizard relaxed her stance, now looking a little miffed as she crossed her arms and turned towards Adrian.

"Sheesh, I should have just let you out at once and saved myself time explaining things," Adrian sighed, kneeling down to the Charmander's level. "I'm doing a work assignment and Aureia's mad about it. Keep her occupied for about twenty minutes, okay?"

"You get mad?" Avis asked, looking at the Vaporeon with incredulous interest. Aureia ignored her.

Adrian spoke quietly to Ember for a few moments, too quietly for Aureia to catch the details, but soon straightened up and walked towards the back of the chamber, peering through an archway and then passing through to examine the rest of the chamber.

"What was that about?" Aureia wondered, raising an eyebrow at Ember. "The little private chat?"

"Don't worry about it," Ember replied rudely. She looked around, then leaned her back against the wall of the chamber, arms still crossed. "Why are we even here?"

"That's the big question for the day, isn't it?" Aureia answered blandly. "He didn't even explain what the assignment was about."

Avis considered for a moment, her expression alone enough to make the Vaporeon's heart sink. "Maybe...there's been something stolen from here," she suggested in a dramatic whisper.

"Adrian isn't a police officer, it wouldn't be his job," Aureia said.

"Maybe he's reporting on the incident," Avis argued, frowning at the water Pokemon. "Why else would he be at a...museum or...where are we?"

"Ruins of Alph," Aureia answered dully. "It's a research site. All I gathered was he's writing something about something here, but it doesn't require the input of the nerds."

"Drop it, Avis," Ember grumbled when the Snivy began to reply.

"Is everyone going to be cranky today?" the Snivy asked, sniffing haughtily. "Well, then, if my presence is so intrusive, I'll go somewhere else."

With that, the Snivy turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction, towards the end of the chamber furthest from where Adrian had gone. Ember and Aureia exchanged uncertain looks. It was probably not the best idea to get separated from one another. Sure, Adrian wasn't far away, but in an unfamiliar area, there was no telling what Avis might stumble upon or fall into that would make it much more difficult or problematic for them to regroup.

"I hate her," Aureia muttered, getting to her feet and giving Ember a look. The Charmander frowned slightly.

"She's never done anything to you," Ember said testily. "You just try to-"

"I'm so not in the mood for this. Lecture me later, okay? I'll even remind you to lecture me, 'kay?" Aureia said impatiently. The Charmander rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Call her back, then."

"Why me?" Ember asked, confused.

"Because she won't answer out of spite. Just like I wouldn't answer her out of spite if- forget it. Let's just walk over there. It's a dead-end corridor."

Ember shrugged, but straightened up, brushing a little bit of dirt from her shoulders absently, then led the way in the direction Avis had gone in. Her tail flame cast a pale glow over the symbols on the wall, the light flickering in time with the movements of her tail as she walked. Aureia followed in silence, restlessly gazing over the symbols and writing. Every so often, she thought she caught a glimpse of light, but a double-take found nothing, so she eventually concluded it was just her eyes playing tricks on her due to Ember's tail flame.

"Avis, where the hell did you go?" Ember wondered to the air, her gaze flicking towards the stairway leading out of the main chamber. "Not there, right?"

"Ugh, I'd hope not," Aureia muttered. "That's how Adrian and I got in here."

Ember paused. "Do you hear something? Like someone talking?"

The Vaporeon blinked, but fell silent, cocking her head to the side. It was still a little faint, so the speakers weren't raising their voices too much, but she could definitely make out the sounds of chatter. She gave a brief nod.

"That way," she said, jerking her head towards the stairs. Ember frowned, but shifted her route towards the rays of sun shining down from the exit. As they got nearer, Aureia could definitely make out Avis' voice, as well as an unfamiliar voice or two. The noise was too garbled by the enclosed walls and distance to readily identify.

As they turned the bend, they found the Snivy standing in front of a trio of other Pokemon.

"You may call me Avis," the Snivy was saying, adopting an extremely formal tone and giving the Pokemon a deep bow. As Aureia and Ember drew closer, the Snivy looked their way and eagerly gestured for them to approach. "And I have my friends over here!"

Aureia frowned slightly. Of the three Pokemon, two of them she vaguely recognized, although she couldn't place from where. One of them was humanoid and the only ground-bound one of the three, with green hair adorned with pink clip-like structures, and seemed to be wearing a white dress. The second had an egg-shaped body with small arms and legs, an oddly long neck and a pair of wings. The third, and unfamiliar of the three was blue and bird-like with enormously fluffy wings that resembled clouds.

"Aureia, this is Kaito," Avis said, pointing to the fairy-like Pokemon. "That one's Iris," she continued, gesturing to the humanoid biped. "And the one that looks softer than the Pillow of Arceus is Sorin."

"Okay," Aureia responded blandly.

"The rude Vaporeon is Aureia," Avis continued, without missing a beat. "And this bright girl is Ember. Ember, these are-"

"You've got to be kidding me," Sorin deadpanned. Avis gave him an annoyed look, possibly mistaking the reaction as commentary on Avis introducing them again, but Sorin continued after a pause. "Adrian chose to go to the main area. I should have guessed."

"You know Adrian?" Avis asked, surprised. There was a momentary awkward pause.

"I know... _of_...Adrian..." Sorin answered slowly.

"Wait, you're Ember?" Iris asked curiously, peering at the Charmander. Ember nodded slowly. "I'm Iris, nice to meet you!" she said, extending a paw politely. Ember hesitated just long enough for the offer to be awkward, but then finally extended her own arm to shake the Kirlia's paw. She let go extremely quickly. Iris smiled at the Charmander, then focused on Aureia. "Hi! I saw you on the way here. You were walking with uh...Adrian, right?"

"As fun as this conversation is, I'd like to get through to examine the area," the fairy-like Pokemon, Kaito, said. His voice was pleasant, but brimming with impatience.

"Kaito, you're hovering higher than their heads. Nothing's stopping you from getting past," Sorin pointed out.

"Touche," Kaito noted, and moved forward, continuing without pause further into the Ruins. Aureia frowned again.

"I think we should head back towards Adrian," she told Avis and Ember firmly. "Before he notices we wandered off."

"You mind if I tag along?" Iris asked cheerfully. "I'm curious about you and your trainer, and Kaito's...interests...are nowhere near my tastes, so it'll give me something to do in the meantime."

"If we say no, will that stop you?" Aureia deadpanned. Iris blinked, her smile faltering slightly.

"Um...yeah, probably," she said awkwardly. Ember winced slightly and gave Aureia a look, to which the Vaporeon pretended she hadn't noticed. Why did everyone take her so seriously all the time?

"Told you she's rude," Avis chirped.

Avis wasn't helping.


	32. Discovery and Development

Despite the initial friction, it became clear to Iris that Aureia had no genuine objection to her presence, for she said nothing further on the matter as she led the group along the passageway. Iris allowed her gaze to wander a little bit, studying the layout of the Ruins area. According to Kaito, this was the main chamber of the Ruins of Alph. It was a large underground chamber, forming several long stretches instead of individual rooms, and supposedly the cave-like chambers, such as the one she and Kaito had examined before coming across Sorin, were set somewhere above this larger room.

It hadn't really made much sense to Iris when the Togetic first explained it, and realistically, it still didn't make much sense, but now that she was able to see just how large the underground section was, she could roughly guess that it extended far enough to have some section of its corridors directly beneath the respective research areas.

The walls were heavily decorated with runic symbols and occasional statues, every surface faded with age, if not outright crumbling, but there was still a sublime beauty to the area, a reminder of an age long past, but whose legacy remained, however cryptic it may be. If she really wanted to, Iris could probably relate this to some aspect of her own life or the world in general and build a deeper meaning and greater appreciation of the Ruins, but in truth, she really didn't want to do that.

Maybe she was simple-minded, but she felt that connecting with the present and looking towards the future was better than clinging to and dwelling in the past. It was why she had joined with Kaito and the others - to build a better future for herself and for others, and to surround herself with the caring bonds of people who understood the hardship that many had to go through.

Sorin had followed Iris somewhat reluctantly, and seemed to be deliberately keeping his distance. This behavior admittedly intrigued Iris. She had only met the Altaria once or twice since she had met Kaito, and she rarely had the opportunity to really talk to him and figure out the little details of his life and interests, without the distraction of others around. He and Kaito seemed to know the Charmander, yet she had given no indication of recognizing them, but likewise no indication that she didn't know them.

The rest of the group was just as fascinating to the Kirlia. Aureia seemed to be the leader of the three, or at least the one with the most experience. However, Iris still could not pick up any significant emotional vibes from the Vaporeon. She had been curt, but there was no anger. She had been a touch dismissive, but there was no arrogance or malice. It was the strangest thing, as if the water Pokemon was perpetually neutral, rarely shifting moods. Then there was Ember, who was possibly the exact opposite. She gave off an aloof demeanor, but emotion was constantly brewing beneath the surface, and ever-changing. There were flickers of anger and frustration, yet also a pronounced calmness that kept the other emotions at bay. When they had shook paws, however briefly, Iris had felt an odd vibe of happiness from the Charmander, as though the specific attention towards her had sated some unknown craving the fire lizard had.

Lastly, there was Avis. Iris really wasn't sure what to make of the conflicting vibes she was picking up. It was almost as if Avis herself wasn't sure what emotions she had, because they shifted unnaturally. Then again, Iris suspected that the Ruins were interfering with her usual ability to sense the emotions of others. Down here, she could once again detect an unnatural vibe from the area, as if hundreds of minds were scattered around her, each with their own thoughts, but no emotion or malice.

Iris shook herself. Regardless of the cause of it, she could tell that she was going to be getting an inaccurate vibe if she continued to feel around with her emotion sensing abilities. She had not spent nearly enough time honing and perfecting her technique, so it was easy to mislead her judgment of a person's personality or feelings if the vibe got distorted or if the person was particularly emotional for some reason.

After going around several corners and stretches of passageway, the three trained Pokemon came to a halt, and Iris could see a human youth pacing before a stretch of wall, occasionally pausing to jot something down and move on to the next section. Aureia muttered something to her companions, which was met by a shrug from Ember before the three of them settled down. Aureia sat down where she was, indifferent to the fact she was literally in the middle of the passageway, requiring someone to brush past her if they wanted to get through. Ember leaned against the wall nearest to the 'doorway', her arms folded over her chest. Avis seemed to consider before opting to sit down cross-legged roughly an equal distance from both Aureia and Ember, so that their group formed a triangle.

"Is that your trainer?" Iris asked, nodding towards the human.

"Yup!" Avis replied. Iris sat down carefully, wincing a little at the coldness of the stone on her legs, but otherwise making herself comfortable and regarding the three Pokemon with interest. The fact that they were all different types, and indeed types normally regarded as forming an elemental triangle between them, intrigued Iris slightly. Was this a deliberate choice by their trainer, or was it a coincidence?

It then occurred to the Kirlia that she really didn't know anything about their trainer, other than that his name was Adrian and he apparently was skilled at handling difficult Pokemon. Sorin hadn't even elaborated on what that meant, so...

"How long has he had you guys?" Iris asked, her pink eyes widening with interest as she looked between the three Pokemon.

"Two years," Ember stated stiffly. She was looking at her claws idly, but she glanced up momentarily when answering.

Aureia blinked, realizing attention had shifted to her next. "How long? A little longer than two years, I think...longer than Ember, at least." She frowned to herself thoughtfully, but then shrugged.

"I'm new to the team!" Avis said brightly, playing with her leafy tail absently as she spoke. "Couple weeks, tops?"

"Oh, so there's quite a gap between you two and her? Any reason for that?" Iris asked, adjusting her skirt slightly as she shifted her sitting position.

Aureia glanced at the Kirlia with a hint of annoyance, but her tone remained flat and indifferent. "Adrian doesn't capture Pokemon. He is usually asked to take care of them, depending on circumstances."

The Kirlia blinked. "I don't understand. What kind of circumstances?"

However, it was Sorin who answered this. Iris had almost forgotten that he was behind her because he had been so quiet until now.

"Pokemon that have been abandoned, or are being rehabilitated," the Altaria said seriously. "Many such Pokemon have bad habits or are simply too aggressive, even traumatized, to safely be released or passed to other trainers."

Aureia gave a curt nod, indicating the accuracy of the dragon's statement. Ember didn't react at all, and Avis just smiled.

"Ohh...would it be inappropriate to ask your circumstances?" Iris asked tentatively.

"Yes, it would," Aureia said flatly. Iris winced, despite the fact that Aureia hadn't raised her voice or harshened her tone. She had suspected that the question might be treading over the line, but having it confirmed so bluntly still touched a nerve within her. It reminded Iris of the days when she was so weak and helpless that getting on anyone's bad side was to repeat the cycle of being unable to do anything but flee.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend-" the Kirlia began, but Aureia shook her head.

"I'm not offended," she said, placing the emphasis on herself. "I was abandoned by my first trainer. Then recaptured by a member of Team Rocket, who proceeded to botch his first field assignment and ended up in custody. I was presumed stolen and confiscated."

"O-oh...um...thanks for sharing," Iris said, biting her lip nervously. She would have liked to ask more questions, but for the first time since meeting Aureia, she was picking up an emotional vibe from her. It was definitely not a happy one, but neither was it aggressive. It was cold and bitter, although the Vaporeon's expression and tone gave nothing away, Iris could feel it. Aureia did not like her past memories, and although she had overcome enough of the issues to speak of the past nonchalantly, there was still pain burrowed within, surrounding her heart.

A glance towards Avis and Ember confirmed the opposite - neither of them were willing to reflect on their circumstances. Ember was gazing at her claws intensely, and the flame at the end of her tail was burning noticeably stronger. Iris had spent more than enough time around Cecilia to judge the meaning behind the strength of a fire-type's external flames.

"So um...what do you do...I mean, like, how does he train you?" Iris wondered. It didn't seem like Adrian, with his reputation, was the type to enter the competitive environment, but it confused her as to what sort of training might be involved. She was no expert, but Aureia and Ember in particular had the sort of figures she'd expect from Pokemon that were excellent fighters, and Avis was a coin flip that could go either way.

"I'm guessing you don't have a trainer," Ember stated from her corner, lifting her gaze from her claws. Iris shook her head, and the Charmander shrugged. "He often gives me access to a gym or a rec room for training and observes me, occasionally giving me advice on my form. Every so often he's able to arrange a spar or other battle, but I'm usually on my own."

Iris looked blank. "So you don't train against other Pokemon? Even friends? Or one of them?" she asked, nodding towards Aureia and Avis, who were observing the exchange with mild amusement. Clearly, they knew something Iris did not.

The Charmander snorted, but her tone lacked any arrogance. "Why? It wouldn't be a fair match-up. Aureia auto-wins in water. Outside of water, she's a good opponent to train my reflexes and counterstrategies, but she's not an equal."

"What am I missing?" Iris asked, now becoming annoyed by the amusement on the other Pokemon's faces.

Avis giggled. "Sorry. Guess you wouldn't know this, but...Ember specializes in claw combat. Aureia and I don't, so we'd only be useful to hone her skills in getting close to opponents that can't face her head-on. And then we'd promptly lose because once she's close enough, she wins."

"Ooh..." Iris whispered, then tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I guess that's the same reason Lin doesn't spar with us."

"Who?" Sorin asked blankly, again startling the Kirlia into remembering he was there.

"Kaito's never mentioned Lin?" Iris asked, taken aback. She knew the Weavile and Sorin had never met, but for the Altaria to not even recognize her name was weird to her. "She's a Weavile, and-"

"Oh right, no, he's mentioned her name, but I don't remember everything we've ever said. I remember faces better," Sorin explained hastily.

"A Weavile?" Ember repeated, and Iris twitched. Even without looking, she could sense the eager interest radiating from the Charmander. "Is she any good?"

"Um..." Iris began, but then realized she literally had no idea what the answer was. She had never seen Lin in combat, not even casual battles or spars.

"You'd be no match for her," Kaito stated, and Iris flinched, pivoting around wildly until she located the Togetic. He had somehow returned from whatever section of the Ruins he had been studying, all without any of them noticing.

Ember gave Kaito a death glare. "And how would you know?" she demanded. A tiny wisp of flame escaped the corner of her mouth as if to punctuate the question further. Kaito didn't even flinch, his eyes scanning the wall next to the Charmander's face.

"For one, she's an evolved form of a species that has devoted claw battlers among the majority of their members. She's trained under harsh conditions few could dream of even enduring, and that's just credited to her species' lifestyle. Her personal drive and skill goes well beyond that."

Ember scowled. "I'd still WANT to face her."

Kaito shrugged slightly. "Yeah, maybe I'll mention it to her in a week or so." He muttered something further under his breath that Iris couldn't catch, but the glare Ember gave Kaito intensified.

"Um..." Iris began, and she fidgeted awkwardly. The tension in the room had just jumped several points purely because she had mentioned Lin's name in passing. "Any reason why you specialize in claw battling?" she asked, hoping this would distract the Charmander long enough for her growing aggression to simmer down.

"Yes."

Silence followed that statement, and Iris very quickly abandoned the subject. Aureia had tensed up, and Avis was looking worried. But these signs paled in comparison to the feeling that Iris was picking up. Similar to Aureia's brief flickering of pain and anger when touching upon her past, Iris was able to identify a similar vibe coming from Ember. Except it was infinitely stronger. So strong that the Kirlia was actually starting to feel nauseous.

"Can someone else talk now?" she squeaked finally. Ember hadn't done anything. She hadn't glared at her or made any threatening motions, but the shift in her emotional state had been so intense that Iris was terrified that the next thing she said might set off the Charmander's rage.

"You knew that Adrian works with Pokemon that have past trauma or excessive aggression," Kaito said quietly as he floated over to Iris, keeping his voice soft enough so that the other Pokemon couldn't overhear. "Why would you ask probing questions about their past or motivations?"

"I...was just...curious," Iris began to stammer, but the Togetic shushed her gently, bestowing an extremely brief smile upon her, then floated over to Sorin and conversed with him quietly.

Avis had gotten up and had walked over to Ember. From Iris' current angle, she couldn't see if Avis was saying anything, but Ember was definitely focusing on the Snivy, and the tension in her body was gradually fading. Aureia glanced at the two bipeds and shrugged to herself, turning to face Adrian with blatant impatience. Iris didn't really mind the lack of attention on herself, but it was awkward to be aware that literally no one was paying attention to her. With Force absent, the fact she got minimal attention in a group was more noticeable than usual.

Just when the awkward silence had stretched past the breaking point, Aureia perked up slightly, and Iris saw Adrian walking towards them, and she rose to her feet, drifting over to Sorin and Kaito. Adrian cast the three of them a curious look before focusing on his Pokemon.

"Everyone doing okay?" he asked them. He wasn't talking loudly, but he wasn't bothering to conceal his words from the unfamiliar Pokemon, either. "Okay, we're just about..."

The human broke off, casting a glance sideways. He gave that area a puzzled look for several seconds before turning back to his Pokemon.

"Did anyone hear that?"

The human now had Kaito's full attention, whereas she and Sorin remained baffled. Judging by the expressions of the other Pokemon, they had no idea what Adrian had possibly heard, either.

"Hm...anyway, as I was...wait, is that my phone?" he muttered absently, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small device. He peered at the display for a moment, then glanced upwards in confusion. "Why'd my ringtone change? I didn't change any of the settings, I just set the alarm for twenty minutes."

Now that Iris could focus her hearing, she was starting to understand the human's bafflement. The device he was holding was emitting an odd tone, the likes of which Iris had never heard before. It was eerie, like the compilation of several sounds distorted until they were no longer recognizable, yet still feel vaguely familiar.

Adrian shook his head and pressed something on his device, the tone ceasing at once. "Whatever, not important. I'm ready to...seriously, again?" he complained, pulling out his phone and examining its display, the device again emitting that same eerie tune.

That's when several of the symbols on the wall lit up. One by one, each of the alphabetical sigils scattered around the passageway began to glow with a pale blue light, and Iris shuddered, abruptly aware of dozens of different vibes surrounding her. Individual minds, but only tiny pieces of a greater existence.

"What the...?" Adrian wondered, his eyes widening in surprise and confusion. The glowing symbols began to slowly emerge from the wall, separating from the stone entirely and leaving the space of the wall they came from completely bare.

"Unown," Kaito said, his eyes lighting up with eagerness. For such a normally jumpy creature, he was taking the alarming situation quite well. Everyone else seemed bewildered and even a little afraid. The living symbols swirled around the group, then began to move away, phasing through the nearby wall and disappearing from sight into the neighboring corridor.

"Can we go home now?" Aureia muttered. Adrian had stared at the wall for a moment, then began jogging towards the doorway leading into next corridor. Aureia sighed, but immediately followed, walking at a far brisker pace than she had earlier. Ember and Avis wordlessly followed suit, and before Iris could even ask the question, Kaito had beckoned for her and Sorin to likewise pursue.

Moments later, they found themselves in the last stretch of corridor on this side of the Ruins. There was no doorway leading beyond this point, only stretches of wall, but the glowing symbols had nevertheless gathered at the far end of the corridor, merging with a blank section of the wall and leaving behind glowing imprints in the same shape as the Unown themselves had been.

"What was that about?" Sorin asked, confused. Iris could understand the fluffy Pokemon's bewilderment. For all intents and purposes, the Unown had materialized, done some flashy dance, gone into the next room, and then returned to the stone walls for no reason.

Adrian paced back and forth before the stretch of wall, writing frantically in his notepad. He paused only to flip to the next page and then resumed scribbling. Kaito paid the other Pokemon no attention and hovered over to the now-carved wall, tracing his paw over the lettering.

"Could this be the sort of activity that's been happening at the Ruins?" Iris wondered to Sorin. That was the whole reason she and Kaito had come here - to investigate the strange activity. If this didn't count as strange activity, then she couldn't imagine what could.

"Possibly, but it's different somehow," Sorin said thoughtfully. "Except for this example, none of the scientists mentioned Unown actually appearing. Only signs, like glowing and things appearing or disappearing. And if it was all the work of Unown, what's the purpose behind it? What are they trying to show us?"

"Or hide from us," Avis suggested. Aureia gave the Snivy a look, but didn't comment.

"Doubtful it's to keep something hidden," Kaito argued, shooting Adrian a resentful look as the human gently nudged him aside to better peer at the writing. "It's been going on for three months, remember?"

"No, I don't remember," Avis said blankly. "When did it start?"

Kaito looked over at Sorin. "Mid-December?"

"The seventeenth, probably," the Altaria answered with a shrug. "But I don't see the significance, it's an irrelevant date-"

Iris felt the explosion of emotion a split second before it happened. With no time to think of anything else, she acted purely on her instinctive reflexes and Teleported to a spot four body lengths to the right of where she had been standing a moment before.

SLAM!

Iris had never been in danger, fortunately. Yet the incredibly loud slamming sound caused everyone to jump (Kaito flinching in a far more undignified manner), and everyone's eyes turned towards the source, to find that Ember had slammed her claws with reckless force into the wall, purple flames surrounding the paw, which probably was the only reason she hadn't broken every bone in her paw.

"...what the hell was that for?" Adrian asked, staring at the Charmander in alarm. "Good lord, are you okay?"

"December...seventeenth...is not...insignificant," Ember snarled. She was breathing harder, obviously in a great deal of pain from the strike she had just performed on the stone wall.

"What?" Aureia said blankly. The Vaporeon and Avis both looked completely stunned by Ember's reaction. In fact, only Kaito and Sorin seemed to realize what had set the Charmander off.

Sorin looked horrified. "Oh shit...no, no, that wasn't a slight against..."

"Idiot," Kaito muttered. "Of all the ways to put that sentence you had to...hm?" the Togetic stopped, staring at the section of the wall Ember had struck. The purple fire surrounding her claws had become absorbed into the wall, and several runes glowed, this time with a matching purple light to the flames that Ember had produced. With a groaning sound, a panel of the wall slid to the side, exposing an opening.

Adrian blinked, clearly torn between curiosity at the discovery, and wanting to be sure Ember was okay, but also wary that Ember might turn her rage on him if he got too close to her.

"Are you okay, girl?" he asked the Charmander softly. He began to reach to touch her back, but then withdrew his hand uncertainly, repeating his attempt two or three times before finally steeling himself and lightly touching her shoulder. Ember growled, but turned and offered him her paw, averting her gaze shamefully. Adrian nodded and very gently touched her paw, examining the digits and claws with expert familiarity.

"What happened? What'd you do?" Iris asked Sorin, her gaze flicking between Ember and the Altaria in bewilderment. Sorin was looking absolutely terrified, and he just shook his head, unwilling to elaborate.

"I'll explain later, when she's not around," Kaito whispered. "It's not something we should discuss around her, as you can probably imagine."

Iris nodded silently, looking over at Ember again. Adrian had finished inspecting her paw and was talking to her in a soothing tone as she continued to look away from anyone attempting to meet her eyes.

"Okay, let's see what's beyond here," Adrian said, stepping over to the newly unveiled opening. "And then we're done here, promise."


	33. The Hidden Chamber

Iris hadn't been sure what to expect from the newly opened passageway. Part of her expected to find a massive labyrinth leading further and further downwards until all memory of sunlight and fresh air were banished from their mind. The other part of her expected this to be little more than a dead-end. The method of which it had been opened brought to mind the idea of a panic room, or some similar type of room meant to be used in emergencies to hide vulnerable individuals or precious objects when the area was under siege.

The biggest problem was that the passageway was uncomfortably small. Not quite claustrophobic, but Adrian had to bend down to get through, and he wasn't considered a large human, even by their standards. It was also narrow enough that it was safer to go through one at a time, so Ember was chosen to go in first, so that she could use her flame to light the way. Adrian followed her, possibly to better direct the Charmander if necessary, and Aureia followed immediately after that for no reason at all.

No one had really explained the exact reasoning, so Iris had come to this conclusion on her own. Sorin was actually incapable of going through the passageway at all, due to the bulk of his wings and the size of the passageway making it impractical for him to move. He didn't seem too disappointed by this, but Avis still opted to remain behind to keep the Altaria company.

Iris knew full well Kaito had no intention of passing up the opportunity to examine a previously undiscovered section of the Ruins, so she reluctantly went after him. She wouldn't have minded lingering behind with Sorin and getting to know the dragon Pokemon a little better, and maybe even get some insight into why he seemed so adamantly afraid of Ember, the fire lizard's volatile temper notwithstanding. However, she disliked the idea of being completely out of the loop with Kaito's situation and wanted to be able to use her Teleportation abilities to aid the Togetic if the passageway led somewhere dangerous.

It wasn't a particularly long passageway, but it was very dark compared to the previous chamber of the Ruins. The Kirlia couldn't be sure if the lighting in the main area was natural lighting or if it had been added to the area by Pokemon or human scientists, due to the frequency of tourists and research, but it made the absence of light all the more disorienting.

The narrow passage eventually expanded outwards into a surprisingly spacious, circular room that was tall enough for Adrian to stand fully upright. For some baffling reason, it seemed that everyone had decided to remain where they were until Kaito and Iris caught up, but Iris quickly noticed that Adrian cast a puzzled look into the passageway when she had come out.

Iris' gaze swept the new room quickly. At even a basic glance, there didn't appear to be any alternate routes in or out of the room, almost confirming her suspicion that this passageway may have been intended to be a panic room or storage area, yet it was curiously empty. There were no runic writings along the walls nor murals of any sort.

Despite this, Iris shivered intensely. There was a different sort of vibe within this chamber. Whereas the Ruins as a whole had been giving her strange feelings and impressions of the emotions and minds of the individuals within, there was something much worse within this room, and only this room. It was the feeling that something was _wrong_.

"Kaito?" Iris said quietly, her eyes darting around the room and sneaking glances at the others.

"I feel it, too," the Togetic said. His expression was set into a serious, nervous look and he too was looking around uncomfortably. Even Adrian and his Pokemon didn't seem to be entirely immune to the feeling of unease that lingered in the air like ghostly fog.

"It's different, though," the Kirlia insisted, biting her lip. "It's not the same doom sensations that go along with Diab-"

"I know," Kaito said, cutting her off and shooting her a meaningful look before gesturing pointedly at the other Pokemon nearby. Iris blinked, but nodded. For whatever reason, it seemed that the Togetic did not want to explicitly mention the Spiritomb around others. That was fine with her, although it'd have made more sense to have said as much before now.

"So...it's an empty room," Aureia deadpanned. "Can we leave now?"

Adrian set down the bag he had been carrying on his arm and fumbled into one of the pockets before finally withdrawing a rod-like object. The next moment, a beam of light lanced out from one end of the rod, casting an illuminating circle on the wall across from them. He shifted the light to his other hand as he pulled the bag back onto his shoulder, and then slowly let the beam of light travel over the curiously blank walls.

"Why is no one moving?" Ember grumbled, giving everyone a weird look. Iris blinked. She hadn't really noticed that everyone had been standing in one spot since they got into the room, but she could attribute that to the incredible sense of unease that the room gave off. Something about the place felt wrong, and it seemed like a bad idea to run around in such a place, in case the place was loaded with traps. According to Kaito, it was not entirely unusual for ancient sites to have measures in place in the event of robbers and other undesirables breaking into the area.

"Maybe what we're looking for is concealed," Kaito suggested, although he seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else, and he slowly moved forward. "Lin said something about a barrier that kept her from seeing the Keystone piece...is the same security in place here?"

Aureia gave the Togetic a weird look, but didn't comment. Ember looked over at Adrian, but found him too immersed in directing his beam of light upon the walls and floor of the chamber to notice.

"Do I need to Shadow Claw a wall again?" the Charmander asked sarcastically. "Mew knows that's the only way I get attention."

"Technically, that's what you did to open this area, so this could be considered your fault," Aureia noted. Ember's reply was entirely nonverbal, and Iris quickly returned her attention to Kaito, her cheeks burning. Unwilling to let the two trained Pokemon notice her reaction, she stepped nearer to the hovering Togetic.

"Anything I can do to-" Iris' sentence cut off with a loud scream as her foot touched the ground, and then phased right through it. Unprepared for such a drastic imbalance of weight, her body pitched forward, and she tumbled to the ground. Pain erupted from her leg, and tears rapidly filled her bright pink eyes.

"What the-?" Kaito gasped, staring at Iris, or more specifically, at her leg. Looking down, Iris could see the chamber floor, but her injured leg was seemingly swallowed by it. There was no hole in the ground, but half of her leg was clearly below the surface of the floor. It was like stepping into a deep pothole in the ground, and then filling the hole with her leg still inside.

Adrian and his Pokemon had spun around at the Kirlia's scream, but all of them were looking at the Kirlia with the same befuddled expressions. Well, Aureia's expression was significantly less expressive, but the way she kept blinking and refocusing her eyes was more than enough to confirm her confusion.

"Are you...stuck inside the ground?" Adrian asked, stepping closer with concern, but Iris shook her head hastily, still choking back sobs. The human blinked in confusion, and Iris carefully pulled her leg closer to her body. It slid through the floor easily, phasing through what seemed to be solid rock without any difficulty or damage to the ground.

"I don't get it," Kaito said blankly, floating down to the ground and cautiously prodding the space of ground that Iris had stepped on. To his surprise, his arm phased through the rock just as easily as Iris had, and his expression hardened. "It's an illusionary floor."

"An illusionary floor?" Iris repeated, rubbing her injured leg in a vain attempt to cease the painful sensations.

"Yeah...this one doesn't seem very deep, but there's a small pit here," Kaito confirmed. He swept his gaze around the room. "That could pose a problem, if there's a whole bunch of pitfalls or hazards here that we can't see without falling into."

"What are they talking about?" Adrian asked, directing the question to Aureia. The Vaporeon rolled her eyes and responded by tapping her paw against the ground, moving it forward slightly after each tap, then abruptly jerking the paw downwards to illustrate a sudden drop. The human blinked and eyed the ground warily. "Hidden pitfalls, huh?"

"Wow, I definitely need to invite you to play Charades with me and Force sometime," Iris said, distracted from the pain in her leg and giving Aureia a smile, which the Vaporeon did not return.

"And what am I, chopped Tentacool?" Ember asked irritably. Iris was mercifully spared from answering by Adrian rummaging around in his bag again, which took Ember's attention away from the conversation.

Iris rubbed her paws together and focused her energy through them, then began to massage her injured leg again. A faint white glow surrounded her paws and before long, she sighed in relief, feeling the pain fading away and the scrapes mending themselves. Heal Pulse was a technique that many young Ralts were urged to learn before evolving, because it was a technique that required a strong sense of empathy for others. It was an ability most commonly used by Pokemon that worked with injured people and Pokemon, and so was at its most effective when sincerely caring about someone else's well-being. It could be harnessed for oneself, but it was significantly less effective to the point of being nearly useless for larger wounds. Despite that, it seemed more convenient to mend herself of such a minor injury than to ask Kaito to use his energy for her sake.

"Better?" Kaito asked, taking note of the mending skin on her leg. Iris smiled and nodded before climbing carefully back to her feet. The unnerving feeling within the room was growing stronger, but now she was suspecting that the false floor may have been a contributing factor to the sense that something was wrong.

"Aureia, could you fetch Avis, please?" Adrian asked the Vaporeon, closing his bag with a heavy sigh. The Vaporeon gave him a look, but stood up and disappeared down the passageway. Ember gave Adrian an inquisitive look. "I think Avis' vines could be useful for finding the pitfalls. I had hoped to have my umbrella in here, but I must have left that at the apartment," he explained to the Charmander.

"Definitely a better idea than walking around blindly," Kaito admitted. He tapped his chin with a thoughtful frown. "False floors are not something I've come across in any of the other Ruins before," he murmured, again talking more to himself than anyone else.

"I'm not sure how such a thing can even exist," Iris agreed. "At least...not like this, you know? I can imagine regular pitfalls, where the ground gives out under you, but..."

Kaito nodded and gazed around again. "I can't think of the purpose of a room like this. I'd normally think a treasure chamber. The Ruins of Alph are said to be hiding many secrets in little chambers guarded by sliding puzzles and instructions in Unown hieroglyphics, but yet...this room doesn't fit the pattern. There were no instructions, there was no puzzle. And then this room is seemingly empty but has invisible holes..."

The Togetic trailed off and glanced towards the passageway as Aureia returned, with Avis hitching a ride on the Vaporeon's back, much to Aureia's chagrin. The Snivy promptly slid off once they were both inside the chamber.

"Okay, Avis, this is going to seem weird," Adrian said, chuckling and scratching the back of his neck. The Snivy cocked her head curiously. "Apparently...some of this floor is fake and hides pitfalls. Could you use your vines to test the ground so we know where it's safe to walk?"

Avis blinked several times, and then extended a vine from the pseudo-collar around its neck. She prodded the ground with the vine a few times, then slowly began to wander the room, prodding each section of the floor before stepping on it.

"Why are we even here?" Aureia muttered, fidgeting restlessly and casting increasingly annoyed glances at Adrian. If the human noticed, he didn't react, for he had taken out his notepad again and was scribbling something.

Avis abruptly flinched and peered at the ground, then poked it with her vine, flinching again when the vine phased through the ground. "Ooh...there are hidden pits here!" she marveled, extending her vine to judge the depth of the hole, and then prodded around until she likewise could determine the size of the pit.

Once satisfied, the Snivy detached the vine from herself and placed it in a loop around the pit, something Adrian noted with a smile. The grass lizard seemed slightly pleased by the approval, but didn't dwell on it, instead extending another vine to continue her search.

"Even if we know where the pits are, what's the purpose of being here?" Iris asked Kaito seriously. "There aren't any runes or carvings to examine, so..."

"I think that there might be some sort of barrier here that's concealing what we're here to find," the fairy Pokemon explained. "The vibes of this room are still as strong as ever, and dismantling the uncertainty of the floor should help."

"What's even causing the fake floor in the first place?" Ember demanded, clearly irked at how the situation was shaping up. Aureia was fidgeting out of boredom, but Iris could sense the restless energy within the Charmander. It was gradually overwhelming her and making the fire lizard twitchy and moody.

"We don't know, it's something I've never come across in a site like this," Kaito said. "We want to err on the side of caution and take the time to-"

"Blah blah blah," Ember interrupted. "Is it caused by Unown or whatever those things are? Ghost-Types? Because if it's that unusual, it's probably being maintained by something actually HERE, in the room, that we can't see. So you should be able to disable it somehow."

Kaito stared at Ember, his mouth beginning to form the words of a response, but then he floundered for a moment. "Well...damn."

The Togetic took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His wings began to flutter more gently, and a pale blue glow began to surround his body. Then his eyes flew open, now glowing with the same blue color as the rest of his body. The energy around him expanded outwards in one large pulse, washing over the entire chamber.

As the light filled the room, holes emerged in the floor where there previously were none, including one marked by Avis' vine length. But most interesting was at the back of the chamber, the area where none of them had ventured close to due to discovering the pitfall. Standing next to a stone pillar engraved with runes was a tall bipedal fox-like Pokemon.

Its body was covered in dark gray fur, with a long red mane adorned with black tips trailing behind its back, tied near the bottom in a ponytail-style. The Pokemon had nasty-looking red claws at the end of its paws and feet, and bright blue eyes that gave off an eerie vibe when Iris looked at them, as if the eyes could see something truly ethereal.

The bipedal Pokemon's gaze flicked around the room, observing the transformation in the surroundings, then focused its ghostly eyes upon Kaito, before hastily slipping one of its paws into its mane, as if depositing something deep within the fur.

"You're such a spoilsport, Kaito. To raise the curtain on my performance so suddenly...this isn't Oz, you know."

The Togetic visibly recoiled on seeing the other Pokemon, but regained his composure quickly, a brief scowl flitting across his face.

"Hello, Kuro," he stated in a tone that could only be described as borderline hostile.

"Is that a Zoroark?" Adrian wondered aloud. The black Pokemon spared the trainer a look, a smirk flashing across its face.

"Still...I can hardly credit your own intellect in unraveling my little game, Kaito. Let's hear a round of applause for Ember here. You were brilliant, dear," the Zoroark chuckled, clapping its paws together quietly. The Charmander narrowed her eyes, but said nothing, her body tense.

"What are you even doing here, Kuro?" Kaito demanded. Iris could feel an odd emotion welling up within the Togetic, something she wasn't used to detecting from him, and couldn't immediately identify. Kaito was excellent at hiding his emotions, even if he was more open around her, and Iris still couldn't shake off the unnerving vibes of the room.

"Putting on a show, of course!" Kuro stated, spreading his forepaws out dramatically, indicating the entire room. "I've had quite the audience of scientists and scholars, all entranced by my performance here. So many interpretations of my dance, too...ah, but alas the Unown won't let me take it on tour...shy little buggers, I'm afraid."

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Ember growled.

"Ooh, but let's not forget the winner in the Best Supporting Player category," Kuro said, his smirk widening as his eyes flicked back to Ember. "That claw slam to the wall, dear, was brilliant method acting. You really FELT the anger within you, and that was the key...your anger opened this door, after all."

"Does _anyone_ know what he's talking about?" Avis asked, the grass-type looking completely lost. Iris was just as clueless as the rest of them.

"Does HE even know what he's talking about?" Aureia muttered.

Kuro chuckled and stepped nearer to Ember, the Charmander tensing and flexing the claws of her left paw, the one she hadn't recently slammed into a stone wall. The Zoroark paid this no attention.

"I cannot imagine why one would seal a door with an emotional lock, much less requiring anger as the key. The Unown are stubborn little sigils. They claim that I, as a master of the stage, have no true emotions, only acting. The door would never unseal for me...ah, but for you, my dear...that flimsy lock shattered with ease. Truly a beautiful performance..."

The Zoroark gently stroked beneath Ember's chin with a claw, only for the Charmander to viciously swat his arm aside.

"Get away from me," she snapped, readying her claws. The tension in the room skyrocketed, causing Iris to cringe prematurely. Kaito had narrowed his eyes, and Adrian had stiffened. Aureia had taken a pace backwards, giving Ember more room if a fight did break out, whereas Avis was watching the events with open fascination.

"Lovely, lovely," Kuro whispered, gazing at Ember's face fondly. "You do deserve a prize for your performance. I've outmaneuvered Kaito this time without incident, so my show is lacking a climax. Perhaps I can interest you in taking the stage with me-"

Ember's claws lashed out with impressive speed, striking the Zoroark's face with vicious accuracy. Kuro yelped in pain, a deep gash appearing on his right cheek, blood trickling down to his chin. He staggered back, but he did not clutch the wound nor did his expression change very much. His blue eyes glinted a little, and his smirk expanded into a grin.

"I do like a good battle tango," Kuro murmured in delight. He flicked his claws outwards, before adopting a mimicry of Ember's current stance. "Let's dance, deary."


	34. Exit Stage Left

Ember didn't need any further encouragement. The moment the Zoroark had issued his challenge and assumed a mockery of the Charmander's battle stance, she darted towards him with unexpected agility, bringing her left paw up to strike at his shoulder.

Kuro pivoted his body and slapped her arm aside, her claws narrowly grazing his shoulder. He then swept his leg behind hers, kicking her feet out from under her and sending her crashing to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Whoa, be careful, girl!" Adrian shouted, his alarm clearly represented in his voice, although Ember didn't bother to acknowledge the shout. Kuro had taken a step backwards from her and calmly waited for her to rise to her feet, his eerie blue eyes watching her with idle fascination.

As soon as Ember was upright again, Kuro closed the gap between them and swiped towards her chest. Ember jerked her arm up, knocking the Zoroark's paw aside similarly to how he had deflected her earlier blow, but followed up by pitching her head forward into his chest, connecting with a satisfying thumping sound.

Kuro staggered backwards, visibly surprised by her reflexes and tactics. This wasn't an unusual reaction. To many Pokemon, Ember's battle style was considered unorthodox by the opponents who expected her specialize in the typical fire-spitting strategies that many fire-types were known for. Even those that knew she specialized in claw combat were caught off-guard by how damn fast she was, especially when she was full of energy or aggressiveness.

And right now, she was brimming with both. Adrian didn't even seem surprised that a fight had broken out between her and a random Pokemon, and he wasn't fool enough to try to break it up. As far as he knew, the Zoroark was hostile or otherwise dangerous, and it would be unwise to lower their guard by calling her off. The only way to really end the battle without fighting was to withdraw her into her ball, and if he did, he knew she'd be beyond pissed the next time he let her out.

No one ever interrupted her fights. Not with impunity, and not when she was feeling scrappy. Adrian had neglected to give her an outlet for her pent up energy today, and so she was more than willing to use Kuro as a release.

From the corner of her eye, Ember noticed that Kaito and Iris had wisely chosen to back away from the center of the room. Much like Aureia, they were giving her and Kuro the maximum amount of space, but yet remaining close enough that they could theoretically step in if things escalated too far.

Kaito had recognized the Zoroark, but Ember had not. Being addressed by name by a complete stranger, especially one as obnoxiously dramatic as this one, was something Ember didn't care for. Having her personal space invaded and showered with flattery and compliments was even worse. She was not in the mood to deal with such situations tactfully.

Yes, even Adrian was sure to have picked up on the context that justified her aggression towards the Zoroark. He was not attempting to call her off, but he was definitely monitoring the situation. Despite his laidback nature when it came to training, Adrian was not neglectful or reckless. He knew how to handle his Pokemon and their temperaments, even in situations like this.

Kuro had recovered his footing by now, and his eerie blue eyes glinted as he watched her, a slow smirk making its journey across his muzzle.

"I see I've chosen a most talented co-star for this dance," he stated, clapping his paws together softly. Ember growled and stepped forward with every intention of ripping the smirk from his face, but she paused when he raised one of his paws over his head, her eyes watching his paw warily. She was aggressive, but she wasn't stupid.

The Zoroark snapped his claws loudly, and the entire chamber began to shimmer. The dark stone floor disappeared, and instead bright yellow sand appeared beneath their feet. The walls of the chamber brightened in color until the previously blank stone was now yellow in color, almost perfectly matching the color of the sand, decorative runes and markings carving themselves into the curved architecture. A silver guardrail-like fence popped into existence, separating the two combatants from the onlookers.

The Charmander looked around in bewilderment at the alterations to the chamber. She then stared in bafflement at the sand underfoot and lightly prodded the ground with the toe of one of her feet. The sand felt completely real, and even adapted to the Charmander's touch the same way that sand on a beach would, forming an indentation in its grainy, yet smooth-looking texture. She could even feel the particles of sand sticking to the spaces between her feet.

"The hell?" she managed finally, returning her gaze to Kuro, whose smirk had widened into a proud grin, delighting in her reaction. "How did you...but this feels real!" she protested, bending down and seizing a pawful of the sand, and then opening her paw, the grains sifting through her grasp. If there was any difference between illusionary sand and real sand in appearance or behavior, she certainly couldn't spot it.

"Our rehearsal has ended, and I've set the stage for our true performance!" Kuro announced, gesturing to the makeshift arena with wide, grandiose movements. "In this colosseum, we will enthrall the audience with our dance, exchanging blows and passionate words until only one remains standing. To the victor will go the spoils of our venture, and as you made this discovery possible, it is you that I deem worthy of facing me in this battle."

Ember glanced around, scowling slightly. As stupid as she found the Zoroark's constant analogies associated with performances or acts, or whatever the hell his potentially deranged mind was pulling the words from, she had to admit that he didn't settle simply for passing marks when he made illusions. The arena was pretty impressive and detailed, and the sand was a very nice touch. Certainly more interesting than stone floors, at least.

"Focus, Ember!" Adrian warned, snapping Ember from her appreciation of the Zoroark's craft. "Don't get sidetracked, it leaves you open. Hit hard and fast and don't give it an opening!"

Ember turned her head and fixed Adrian with a silent glare. Her trainer winced, faltering slightly under the intensity of her stare.

"Heh..." he said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Or whatever strategy you think is best..."

"Thank you," Ember muttered, turning back to Kuro, who seemed mildly confused by the interaction between her and Adrian. She wasn't going to admit it aloud, but Adrian actually had a fair point. She needed to keep her wits about her, and she could definitely agree that while Kuro lacked the finesse of a competent claw combatant, he was extremely fast. The ability to create illusions, even if used for the sake of setting, was something to be mindful of.

"Shall we dance, deary?" Kuro asked, extending a paw towards her invitingly. Ember snorted, exhaling a small plume of smoke from her nostrils.

"When I dance, I do it alone," she retorted. As she spoke, she swayed her body slightly from side to side, the movements very subtle, but clearly well practiced. Kuro observed her with a mixture of amusement and confusion, doing nothing to interfere with the movements. This was exactly what Ember had been counting on, and as energy began to course through her body, a grin flashed across her muzzle.

"I'm not familiar with those steps," Kuro remarked. "It is oddly alluring, yet I..." the Zoroark broke off abruptly, realizing that Ember's eyes had taken on a feral edge, her pupils widening noticeably and her movements became faster. Furthermore, her tail flame had shifted from being a mixture of orange and yellow to a mixture of pale blue and white. A faint fiery aura surrounded the Charmander's body before fading, filling her with a surge of energy.

Ember's grin widened at the Zoroark's speechlessness. "You wanted to dance?" she asked, flexing her claws. Blue flames erupted from the claws, surrounding them in an alluring aura. She glanced at her left paw, and purple flames rose from them, and she assumed her battle stance once more.

"You certainly have a taste for spectacle," Kuro conceded, imitating her battle stance and then extending his paw towards her. After a pause, he flexed his claws into his paw, gesturing for her to make her move.

He would regret that motion. Ember rushed him, her movements fluid and nimble, much faster than she had been mere minutes before. Kuro pivoted hastily, bringing his claws up to guard against the Charmander's attack, but found that her claws cleaved through his defense effortlessly. She struck down his arm with one paw, then drove the other one home without hesitation. A deep gash formed across his chest, yet the flames surrounding her claws cauterized the wound before any blood could be lost, yet this seemed to only intensify the agonizing pain he experienced.

The Zoroark clutched at his chest, staggering backwards, his blue eyes widening in disbelief. Yet Ember didn't hesitate to press her attack, and again she slashed at him, alternating her paws with equal finesse and force, and Kuro was forced to constantly backpedal if only to avoid the blue and purple strikes that seemed to dance before his vision. He raised his arms and claws in an impotent attempt at defense, yet Ember's speed and power were overwhelming and battered down the feeble obstacles as quickly as he could bring them up.

As well they should be, Ember mused to herself. Aureia and Avis had not been exaggerating when they reassured Iris that her battle style granted her unquestionable victory against an opponent unsuited to her combat tactics. Kuro was not a claw battler, and by facing her using an insulting imitation of claw combat, he found her impossible to overcome.

Kuro lashed his foot out in desperation, sand flying up and scattering over Ember's scales and although she flinched upon contact, she realized that the sand had no effect on her eyes. They didn't burn or become irritated as they usually did when struck by sand or wind, but the fact Kuro had aimed to blind her with sand fueled her aggression further. She closed her left paw into a fist and slammed it into the dark fox's nose, sending him tumbling backwards into the sand. He scurried backwards desperately, but she refused to let him get more than her arm's length away.

"Yield! I yield!" the Zoroark shouted, waving a paw in front of himself desperately.

Ember halted her assault, breathing harder, but savoring the waves of satisfaction and pleasure that radiated within her body. Her tail flame still burned with the beautiful blue-white flames, and energy still coursed through her body.

Kuro's delighted and playful expression had long since twisted into a look of frustration, his blue eyes glaring into Ember's own. He snapped his claws resentfully, and the sand arena faded away, returning to the plain stone-floored chamber it had been before, potholes and all.

"Must you bring down the curtain so swiftly, my dear?" Kuro murmured, his expression relaxing as he climbed to his feet, and he gazed at Ember with wary admiration. "A beautiful performance. So brief, so fleeting...but very precious all the same. Like the blooming of a rose before a sudden frost, you-"

"My Dragon Dance hasn't worn off yet, want to shut up now?" Ember growled, flexing her claws. Kuro blinked, but then smiled. He seemed about to say something, but his blue eyes flicked towards Ember's claws before reconsidering. There was a tense pause, then Ember turned and walked back towards Adrian.

"Feeling okay, girl?" the human asked with a gentle smile. The Charmander's tail flame had simmered down again, returning to its original color, and her body was relaxing, the tension and hostility disappearing gradually. Ember gave a slight nod, her eyelids drooping a little. It was the expected downside of using her Dragon Dance technique. While it offered considerable boosts to her agility and power, it used up her energy reserve at an alarming rate, making it perfect for battles that she needed to vent a lot of aggression for, with the obvious downside of making her ludicrously dangerous in that timeframe, and very docile afterwards.

Aureia stepped over to Ember and sat down beside her, allowing the Charmander to lean against her body for support. Ember flashed the Vaporeon a tiny smile, then relaxed, all but cuddling into the Vaporeon's shoulder.

"That's adorable," Adrian chuckled. Aureia shot her trainer a pointed look and he held up his hands as if attempting to show that he was unarmed and compliant. "Hey, hey...sometimes it just needs to be said."

"No, it doesn't," Aureia muttered. Adrian couldn't understand her, but he smiled, undoubtedly getting the gist.

"Okay, a promise is a promise," he conceded, looking around the chamber curiously. The only remotely interesting sight was the Zoroark, which was now trading words with Kaito. Seeing as the Togetic and Kirlia were not among his own Pokemon, the human shrugged. "Avis, time to go!" he called to the Snivy.

"Finally!" Aureia grumbled, slapping her fin tail against the ground impatiently. Ember flinched at the sound and opened one eye to give the Vaporeon an annoyed look. "Sorry," Aureia said, her tone carrying absolutely no sincerity, but the word itself seemed enough to placate the Charmander, because she yawned and closed her eyes again.

Adrian hesitated, noting just how close Ember was to dozing off. "Do you think she'll prefer to nap in her ball, or should we stay here for another twenty- Ack! I was joking!" he said, hastily ducking when Aureia fired a jet of water at his head.

The Vaporeon just stared at him with narrowed eyes until he took out Ember's Pokeball and recalled the Charmander. He looked at the other Pokemon again briefly, and then led the way back into the passageway leading back to the rest of the Ruins.

"It seems that we'll be taking our leave now, but I do hope we can meet again," Avis stated formally, delivering a polite bow to the other Pokemon. Iris smiled and waved, whereas Kaito pretended not to hear. Kuro grinned.

"Be sure to come to my next performance, it'll be spectacular! I'll throw in some more tricks, maybe even bring my firespitter along so there can be a double act."

"I'll look forward to it," Avis giggled and followed after Adrian, leaving Aureia to take the rear of the group. The Vaporeon rolled her eyes, and made to follow without a word.

"A charming group," Kuro chuckled, his blue eyes glittering. Kaito scowled and crossed his arms.

"They're gone now. What did you find here?"

"What did you find in the bowels of Mt. Coronet?" Kuro retorted, mimicking Kaito's posture and crossing his own arms. Kaito blinked, and Kuro smirked. "You did find it, didn't you?"

"I'm really confused here," Iris said awkwardly, and the two males turned their eyes on her in surprise. "How do you know each other? How do you know all these Pokemon?!"

"Ah, it's always a pleasure to meet a new fan, my dear," Kuro murmured, gripping Iris' paw and placing a chaste kiss upon it. The Kirlia flinched and pulled her arm back, her cheeks reddening. "My name is Kuro, an illusionist, stage performer, and star entertainer."

"Um...that didn't answer my question," the Kirlia noted.

"We're old friends," Kuro said, grinning. "Alas, my life is rife with tragedy and melodrama. The loss of my family, but my adoption by the Unown. A friendship that turned sour. Unrequited love..."

"And you're diagnosed with something terminal, no doubt," Kaito deadpanned.

"Not yet, but that would be a suitably dramatic method to close my story with, wouldn't it?" Kuro murmured, tapping his chin. He chuckled after a short pause. "Ah well...time to get my show back on the road!"

"Wait, we're not done here!" Kaito argued. Kuro's eyes glinted.

"Then you'll just have to wait for my next performance, won't you?" he said, a trace of a sneer passing over his face. He snapped his claws and glowing Unown sigils materialized in the room around him. "Sinjoh, if you will," the Zoroark said, addressing the Unown.

"What?" Kaito gasped. "You're not seriously...?"

"To hold the greatest performance on the vastest stage requires dedication, study, and devotion...our dreams are very different, Kaito, and they have been for quite some time," Kuro said coldly, and Iris shivered. "Our efforts will change this dark world...but which of our efforts will pay off the most? Stay tuned for my next act! I'm looking forward to it..."

The Zoroark chuckled, the sound gradually filling the chamber as the Unown around him glowed more intensely, and then they all disappeared. Iris looked around in bewilderment, pausing only when she noticed Kaito's solemn facial expression.

"Kuro..." the Togetic murmured, then he shook his head, avoiding Iris' eyes. "Let's go, Iris...we're done here."


	35. Illuminating Interlude

Shadow had relished the opportunity to have A/C's den to himself while Leaf and Frost trained. It meant the cave was perfectly silent and calm, and his mind and body were craving the illusion of a restful sleep. He was physically and mentally exhausted and his head pounded painfully in the aftermath of his less than pleasant interaction with Cecilia.

The only energy he had to spare right now was raw aggression and frustration boiling within him. He wanted to smack some of the books off the corner table, but at the same time, he didn't want to damage someone else's belongings, and A/C had been nothing but kind towards him and Leaf, so it wouldn't do to take his frustrations out on the Kadabra's possessions.

And yet, the thought of telekinetically hurling objects around had no appeal to him. He wanted to physically smack things around. The relief would be in the blow itself, not the object flying across a room. He wanted to feel the impact jolting through his paw. It was a nonsensical desire, and rather than reflect on it, the Espeon made for one side of the den, and curled up as comfortably as his agitated mind and body would allow. He half wished that he had Leaf to act as a pillow or something, but shoved that thought aside. He had the den to himself, and he should definitely make use of it.

Yet even as he closed his eyes, his thoughts returned immediately to the eerie yellow eyes that seemed to burn into his mind, etching a permanent reminder of the fear he could never escape from. As badly as he needed sleep, the nightmares were inevitable. All he could hope for was a tiny reprieve. Just a short rest.

It wasn't fair. Why did he have to suffer each night like this? What did Diablos want from him so much that his own memories haunted him? Would it ever come to an end?

Sleep would claim his consciousness before any answers would come to him.

* * *

Shadow would have liked to believe that the weariness of his mind had enabled his night to remain dreamless for a decent chunk of the time he spent asleep, because he drifted in and out of consciousness several times, at one point becoming aware that he had a sleeping Leafeon cuddled against his side, but never aware of any incredible terror gripping his heart.

Yet each time he drifted back to sleep, he expected to emerge into the familiar role of an Eevee forced to relive the encounter that altered his entire life. Each time he had revisited that memory in his sleep, he had recognized the path of events, but found himself powerless to resist them. When he was younger, and haunted less by such dreams, he occasionally had nights where he had become aware that he was dreaming, and been able to alter the dream to his whim, but even when he was able to recognize the events unfolding in his nightmares, they refused to alter for him.

Yellow eyes gleamed before his vision, gazing deep into his eyes as if peering past them, into his soul. Cold shivers flooded his body, yet he couldn't tear his gaze away. The Riolu stood before him again, the edges of his mouth curling into a smile. Revisiting the memory was inevitable tonight, it seemed.

Diablos. That was this being's name. Yet even knowing the identity of the aura Pokemon within his dream changed nothing. It only gave him another wave of cold terror spreading through him. Now the nameless demon haunting him had a name, but it was a name that spoke to his heart of how wicked a being it was.

"Good day to you, little one," Diablos murmured.

Shadow said nothing. His heart was pounding in his chest, entranced by the yellow eyes of the other Pokemon. Diablos paid this no notice, and even within the dream, Shadow knew how these events would unfold. They never changed in the key details, only the little ones that left his memory as quickly as they were produced. The details of his dreams weren't important, for through them, the original memory stayed eternally fresh.

"Mind if I ask your name?" Diablos inquired. The Riolu's tone was polite and nonchalant, yet it carried a hint of menace now that Shadow could recognize the way Diablos steered the conversation, or lack of conversation. The yellow gaze never lingered for long on Shadow's eyes, just long enough to hold Shadow's attention and unease, only to flit away and gaze at the paw that was shrouded in a faint blue glow, and then back again.

"Shadow," the Eevee answered, already starting to shift away from the Riolu warily, but stumbling uncertainly on his smaller legs. For the first time in the weeks since the nightmares had began, it occurred to Shadow, in the very back of his mind, that his dreams had always kept him as an Eevee, even after he had evolved in the real world. This had never struck him as odd before, since these nightmares had always been reliving a real memory, a memory that had occurred before he had evolved. Then again, Shadow had never been able to acknowledge the fact he was dreaming this early into the dream before.

For the first time, Shadow could see the way Diablos' eyes lit up at the mention of his name, and the aura Pokemon shifted slightly, giving Shadow his undivided attention, and bringing the glowing paw up to his chest level, rather than hanging it passively at his side like before. Shadow's heart began to pound more intensely. None of the events had altered from the original, aside from maybe a word or two being omitted from the exchange, but he was increasingly aware of details within the memory that hadn't stuck with him previously. Was this all because he knew it was a dream already? Or was it because he now recognized the threat that Diablos hadn't presented within the original confrontation? After the events of today, Shadow knew there was something amiss about Diablos' paw movements. Something he was attempting to do...but had never been able to complete.

"Interesting name," Diablos stated, a tiny smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, his gaze intensely focused upon Shadow. "Expecting to be an Umbreon or something?"

Shadow felt his body twitch in annoyance. Why was Diablos so fixated on that question? Yes, he knew this was just a memory of the original encounter, but Diablos had followed the same brainwave when they met down in the depths of the Ruins.

"It's just how we got named," Shadow responded. Fear was again burrowing into his mind, overcoming the more natural nervousness the Eevee had felt in the original event, preventing him from remembering what he had said to the Riolu about his naming scheme. He remembered inching down the pathway towards home when he had been talking, in the hopes of getting close enough to home that the parents would come over to handle the creepy Pokemon, but now he was realizing where these events would lead, and his body was refusing to cooperate.

"Interesting," the Riolu mused, and Shadow saw his yellow eyes flick towards the glowing paw, which now had a more distinct aura surrounding it, practically pulsing in the aura Pokemon's paw. Diablos' ever-familiar smirk formed across his muzzle at the sight of the glowing. "Incredible potential...I have been advised correctly, it seems..."

For the second time since entering the dream, Shadow realized something he had never fully processed before. He clearly recalled that Diablos had said something completely nonsensical, and that the Eevee's reaction was to nervously announce that he was leaving, but for the first time, Shadow realized just how unnerving Diablos' statement had been.

 _"Incredible potential..."_

Potential...what potential...?

And then other words echoed within Shadow's memory. Much more recently spoken, yet still as eerily ominous as before.

 _"Perhaps your inner darkness is better nurtured than I thought..."_

That statement had made no sense to Shadow when originally spoken, but at the time, he had been so filled by anger and frustration that it hadn't registered in his conscious mind. But now...even in the midst of his nightmare, he associated the small smirk on Diablos' face now with the same smirk from the Ruins, sans the trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth.

And that wasn't even the most unnerving part of the Riolu's statement, and Shadow's blood ran cold as the words echoed through his mind once more.

 _"I have been advised correctly, it seems..."_

It was starting to click now. Diablos' shift in demeanor at hearing his name, his undue fascination with Shadow from that point in the conversation onwards. He had sensed something in Shadow's aura that he had been looking for. Something he had been told would be there.

Someone had sent Diablos there. They, or at least Diablos, was after something from him. Something that had not yet been properly defined or explained, and Diablos had dismissed his questions down in the Ruins. Something about darkness...but what did that even mean?

Shadow turned away distractedly, conflicting thoughts bouncing through his mind. It took him a moment to realize where he was, and what was about to happen.

"Just a moment, if you will," Diablos said quickly. "I need to confirm something. Look at me, please."

Shadow froze in place. Every night, no matter how desperately he resisted the order, the dream refused to alter this detail. He always turned back around to meet the Riolu's eyes. His mind could scream warnings all it wanted, and he could resist the movement with desperate floundering, but the result was always the same. His body pivoted, turning his eyes to meet the yellow eyes of the opposing Pokemon.

Diablos' small smile extended into a wide smirk, and the yellow eyes gleamed ominously, burning into the Eevee's brain, yet Shadow couldn't turn away. He never had been able to. The inevitability of the eye contact was easily the most terrifying aspect of the dream, and the most terrifying aspect of the memory. Those yellow eyes burning themselves into his mind...

Many nights, this moment marked the end of the dream. Other nights forced him to endure helplessly and watch his parents engage the Riolu, only to order him to flee with Leaf.

Something cold touched the Eevee's chest, directly over his heart. Pain flooded his body, so abruptly and so intensely that it tore a yelp from his throat. It was the sensation of something cold and sharp driving itself into his chest, piercing him slowly and filling him with agony, as the yellow eyes stared at him.

There was a strange crackling sound and then the hum of energy coursing through the air, and all at once, the nightmare ended. The yellow eyes vanished from Shadow's vision as if someone had flipped a switch in his brain, dispelling the nightmare from around him.

The scenery had changed. No longer was Shadow on the familiar path leading back to home, but instead in a wide, open meadow. The sky above was midnight blue, a full moon peeking out from behind a large, fluffy cloud that appeared just as dark as the sky itself. The moonlight shown upon the grass, dew glistening underfoot.

Shadow's head was pounding, and he clutched his head with both paws, inadvertantly brushing against the familiar gemstone imbedded in his forehead, the touch sending a wave of discomfort through his skull.

Very slowly, the pain receded from his skull, and he opened his eyes again to peer around the dark meadow. His eyesight was as impeccable as always, but even then, he nearly overlooked the male Espeon sitting calmly several yards in front of him.

Shadow blinked several times. The other Espeon had lavender fur, which by now seemed like an unusual color compared to the black he was used to. Although it was difficult to pinpoint the Espeon's age, it seemed to be younger than he was, but vaguely familiar-looking, but that was impossible - Shadow didn't know any other Espeon.

"You're welcome, by the way," the Espeon stated idly and Shadow furrowed his brow. He couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity, but nothing about the other Espeon really clicked perfectly. He knew he didn't know any other Espeon, and this one didn't have the black fur that he did, so he couldn't even suspect it to be a reflection of himself or something bizarre like that. The eyes and gemstone weren't silver, either.

Shadow blinked and peered closer. The gemstone was an interesting color, though. It was a blue-grey shade, which did look nice in its own right. He almost expected the eyes to match the gemstone color, like his own did, but found instead that they were a very distinct shade of golden brown.

Shadow's brow furrowed. The eyes reminded him of Leaf, but it was a different shade. It was also very different from Diablos' yellow, so that was a relief. More than ever, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen the eyes before.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" the lavender Espeon asked nonchalantly. There was no trace of displeasure or disappointment in the Espeon's words, but there was something about his demeanor that puzzled Shadow. It was a sense of confidence and control far beyond anything Shadow had ever seen anyone else possess. Even Frost's confidence bordered marginally on arrogance and smugness, whereas the Espeon wasn't quite that far across the line.

"I'm...not sure," Shadow answered slowly.

"It'll come to you sooner or later," the Espeon said casually. "So...that's quite the nightmare you've been having, huh?"

"What?"

The lavender Espeon smirked, and Shadow blinked, noticing that when the other psychic feline made that expression, one of his fangs was visible from that side of his mouth.

"Your little nightmare back there. That's your recurring dream, right? The one haunting you each night, making you lash out in your sleep, blah blah blah?"

"Yeah...wait, am I still asleep? Where am I?" Shadow asked, looking around the night meadow in confusion. The other Espeon's smirk widened.

"Someone hasn't been exploring their dreamscape, Shadow," he said, earning an annoyed look from the ebony Espeon. "Yeah, you're still asleep. I intercepted your nightmare, so your unconscious mind returned here."

"Where's here?" Shadow asked tersely.

"It's your mind's counterpart to where we met," the other Espeon replied with a grin. Shadow just gave him a blank look. "Seriously? Nothing? Sheesh, I even saved your tail once after we met and you still don't remember?"

"I'm really not good at guessing games," Shadow sighed wearily.

"It is because I'm not a Leafeon? I could totally make you remember me if I was a Leafeon," the Espeon lamented. "Do you at least remember my eyes?"

"Your eyes?" Shadow repeated, making eye contact and peering closer. "And why a Leaf-"

The other Espeon smirked, again exposing a single fang on that side of his mouth. Shadow trailed off mid-sentence, realization slowly dawning on his face as he focused upon the golden brown eyes of the other Pokemon, and the pieces from the earlier comments all fell into place, one by one.

"Oh...you're uh..."

"Devine," the Espeon supplied. The name definitely clicked within Shadow's memory, and he nodded slowly.

"I see..." Shadow paused awkwardly. "Uh...what exactly are you? How did you get here?"

Devine raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so I have to give you the talk now?"

Shadow blinked in confusion and alarm, his eyes flicking around in bewilderment, as if looking for some form of escape. "What? No, I...what?"

Devine snickered and his forked tail flicked in amusement. "Not that talk. That talk is your job come a few months or so. This talk is about the nature of consciousnesses and the role they play in a person's mind. Good stuff for a psychic to know."

"Is it going to give me a headache?" Shadow asked wearily.

"On second thought, I don't care if you understand or not," Devine said casually. "I'm Leaf's overconscious. I'm here because Nettles begged me to intercept your nightmares. Briar objected, but you broke into Leaf's mind once, so turnabout is fair play. You could TRY to kick me out, but Lumina likes me."

"What?"

"Oh, you haven't met Lumina?" Devine asked, then smirked. "That's right, you've never been in your own mindscape...somehow. She's my counterpart in your mind...probably. I know Dusk is Briar's, at least. Never met your sub, but I'm not a fan of kits."

"...do you ever make sense?" Shadow asked, massaging his forehead wearily.

Devine snickered. "Definitely never met Lumina. She'll make your brain hurt."

"Compared to what?" Shadow muttered. If not for the fact he had already been informed that he was definitely asleep, he would have thought he was having another really bizarre dream. He glanced around his surroundings again, if only for something to do while he tried to process everything. Movement up ahead caught his eye and he blinked, focusing on the Pokemon coming towards them. Seeing that his attention had focused elsewhere, Devine followed his gaze and grinned.

"Speak of an angel," he murmured, his tail flicking. Shadow cast the other Espeon an odd look before refocusing. The approaching Pokemon was another quadruped with sleek black fur, but it had pointed ears and an unforked tail that was adorned with a ring. Similar rings decorated each of the quadruped's legs, its ears, and another on its forehead. Shadow had never seen an Umbreon in person before, but it was simple to identify one.

The Umbreon stopped a short distance from the two Espeon, and from this distance, Shadow noticed that not only was the Umbreon distinctly female, but also that her eyes were silvery, much like his own. The rings also glowed with a dim silvery light, matching that of the moon overhead.

"Hey Lumina, you're looking extra gorgeous tonight," Devine said slyly, smirking so that one of his fangs was visible. It was almost unnerving how frequently he used that expression. "How's your evolution treating you?"

"I'm adjusting still," the Umbreon answered, but she frowned slightly. "Devine, if you make this conversation segue into flirting, I'm kicking you out."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Devine replied smoothly. "Mostly because it'd baffle the heck out of Leaf."

"You have no filter whatsoever, do you?" Lumina mused, shaking her head and turning her silver eyes to Shadow. "Hey, Shadow!" she said, smiling brightly. The ebony Espeon blinked twice.

"Uh, hi? You're...?"

"I am the guiding light amidst the chaos of despair, the illuminating glow that pierces the darkness of fear, the curtain that veils the blinding rays of..." the Umbreon paused awkwardly, maintaining a vaguely dramatic pose for another second or two, then she almost visibly deflated. "I'm not sure where I'm going with that one."

Shadow eyed the Umbreon with a hint of concern. "Right...and your name's Lumina, correct?"

"Yes," she confirmed with a small smile, her silver eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "As you may know, I'm one of your consciousnesses, specifically your overconscious, meaning that my role is to manage your emotional desires."

"Is that...normal?" Shadow asked, glancing between Devine and Lumina. "To have individuals representing uh...parts of your mind?"

"Yes, completely normal," Lumina confirmed. "But it's rare for the standard person to ever interact with their own or another's. Psychics are the most frequent to achieve it, since they have such a strong bond with the mind."

Shadow nodded thoughtfully. Already, he was finding the Umbreon significantly easier to get answers from than Devine. Appearances aside, it really did seem like she was a part of him, because she seemed to understood what he was thinking, and answered his concerns as straightforwardly as possible.

"What's the purpose of them?" he asked. He internally winced, realizing just how broad a question that was, but Lumina didn't seem too concerned.

"Individually, they are extreme aspects of your personality. They're the pilots of your mindset, so to speak. Usually one of the three is dominant, and the others offer guidance or differing opinions. It's quite a complicated system, and it'd be far easier if you were talking to all of us at once, because then you'd get a better grasp of the dynamics at work."

"You've seen all three of Leaf's, though," Devine noted. "Nettles is the dominant consciousness, and her role is to manage Leaf's emotions and behavior based on her own needs, and the input Briar and I give her. She's very fond of you, and as a result, Leaf is also very attached."

"So then you're not her counterpart," Shadow noted, nodding towards Lumina. "If she manages my emotions, but Nettles manages Leaf's."

"The roles of consciousnesses are not concrete. They can shift or rearrange themselves, sometimes as a coping method in response to traumatic events forcing a change for self-preservation," Lumina remarked. "Dusk and I split the desires. He manages your logic and morality. I handle emotions."

Shadow nodded, then his gaze flicked back to Devine. "Briar is Leaf's morality and logic?" he wondered. The Espeon had labeled the name as being Dusk's counterpart, but the glimpse he had gotten into Leaf's mind when he invaded by mistake had given him very little insight into the second male Eevee.

"Mm, something like that," Devine said with a hint of indifference. "He's not very useful, a bit too passive to fully override Nettles' emotional impulses, so he only comes into play when Nettles and I disagree."

"So if you're neither emotion nor logic, what role do you have?" Shadow asked the Espeon, genuinely perplexed.

"Desire itself," Devine answered with a grin. Shadow looked at him blankly. "I am unburdened by emotion, and unrestricted by morality. Therefore...I am the embodiment of Leaf's desires at their most basic and most primal forms."

Shadow frowned, regarding the lavender Espeon warily. "I don't think I like the sound of that."

"Then you're reading too far into it," Devine replied nonchalantly. "If you're entertaining visions of Leaf acting like an immoral psychopath to achieve his every petty desire, then you overvalue the influence of emotion and morality on GOOD decision making."

Shadow bit his lip uncertainly. He wanted to discuss that particular point a little further, but it was clear that Devine had no interest in further clarifying things, and the ebony Espeon was starting to feel like he was ignoring Lumina, despite her observing the interaction with a mixture of interest and amusement.

"Okay...so you manage my emotional desires, you said?" he asked. Lumina gave a nod of confirmation. "Can you give me an example of what an emotional desire might be? You seem really...composed right now. Not what I'd expect from someone who'd be emotional."

"Well, I'm somewhat of a contradiction in SO many ways," Lumina giggled, and her silvery rings glowed softly before she continued, "I may manage your emotional desires, but that doesn't necessarily mean I become emotional on a dime. More accurately, I embrace the emotions and provide the means to vent them. Otherwise, your emotions are repressed and become unstable, which ruins your focus, which interferes with your relationships and your power as a whole. Likewise, if you act entirely on emotion with no regard for logic and focus, your mentality will become unstable and interfere with your judgment."

Shadow considered that for several seconds. It was not a perfect answer, but it was...satisfactory. Clearly something he would need to really reflect on to fully grasp. Yet another thought occurred to him.

"How else are you a 'contradiction'?" he wondered.

"Here it comes," Devine said eagerly, but Shadow ignored him. Lumina flashed the lavender Espeon a tiny smile before refocusing on Shadow.

"I'm a female dark-type consciousness with a light-based name within a male psychic-type Pokemon with a dark-based name," she said.

"Ow. Ow. Ow..." Shadow muttered, the pain in his head flaring up.

"Sissy," Lumina teased, shaking her head. "In any case, your mind is becoming too alert to remain here much longer...and it's almost dawn," she added, glancing at Devine.

"Good, so Leaf'll be getting up shortly," the golden-eyed Espeon mused. "Ta-ta, Shadow," he said, and the blue-grey gemstone glowed brightly. When the light faded, Devine had disappeared.

Lumina glanced at the moon overhead for a few moments, then smiled at Shadow. "I do hope your nightmares really are at an end. It's been very taxing to keep your mind and emotions stable when you're sleep deprived. Maybe you can convince Cecilia to help out again, hm?" she added, giving the Espeon a playful wink that made his cheeks feel like they were on fire.

"It depends on what she has to tell me," Shadow said, delighted that he at least managed the sentence without stuttering like an idiot. Lumina's smile faltered slightly and she nodded seriously. "How do I leave here?" the Espeon asked, glancing around.

"Oh, let me help out," the Umbreon said and she closed her eyes in focus. The ring on her forehead lit up with a bright silvery light that forced him to avert his gaze.

When he looked up again, he was no longer in that odd dark meadow, but rather gazing around A/C's den, his eyes partially closed from sleepiness. He could see early rays of sunlight shining from the den entrance, but still too early for the rays to rouse any of the Pokemon within the den.

Nevertheless, the Espeon rose to his feet, careful not to disturb the sleeping Leafeon nestled beside him, and padded over to the den entrance. As he gazed outside, looking over the green grass and the orange sky, a tiny smile formed across his muzzle. The sunrise was the mark of a new day, and if there was any good to be found in the dawn of a new day, it was the awareness that the previous day, awful as it was, had finally come to an end, and it was his chance to use those events to drive him on towards the future.

But first he had to meet Cecilia for that explanation. All he could say was she had better not try to give him the slip again.

 **End of Arc 2**

 **The lesson to draw from this arc is to avoid splitting a plot arc into two radically different segments with one half getting the uber epic fight AND the incredibly plot-significant climax, with the second half getting nothing on that level, making the whole thing mildly anti-climactic and difficult to find the ideal ending point without being too abrupt or dragging it out forever.**


	36. Arc 3: Finding Purpose

**Arc 3 - Finding Purpose**

Under most circumstances, the embers of light sparking over the horizon was a good sign. Time would stoke the little flames, nurturing the light and heat the rays gave off, until it expanded over the sky and bathe the earth in its gentle touch. Orange and pink light would caress the canvas of the clouds, creating a soothing, yet energizing tapestry of color.

This morning, however, Cecilia regarded the rising sun with a sense of dread and restlessness. Her blue eyes observed the slow growth of light gracing the earth, still too early to reach the area where she had camped for the night. The gentle trickling of a nearby stream was the only sound that reached her ears, but it wouldn't be long before the world would resume its usual motions. Her night had remained relatively undisturbed, given plenty of berth by the nocturnal Pokemon that had taken notice of her presence.

'Relatively' was the key word in the equation. There had been one or two Pokemon that had noticed her restlessness and had offered their assistance as a sleep aid. Cecilia suspected the proximity of the nearby town was partially to blame for their boldness. Pokemon that lived in the wild next to human towns were usually not as skittish around unfamiliar Pokemon or humans, and usually had enough strength to back up their confidence. The first had simply shrugged and left her alone when she had declined his company. The second discovered that harassing a moody Fire-type rarely ended the way it might have had they actually been AT the Solaceon Daycare, and Cecilia discovered that Zangoose were not immune to fire, only poison.

And yet, Cecilia still considered that he got off easier than if he tried hitting on Lin. The Weavile was not known for being tolerant towards flirts. Cecilia admittedly found that approach to be baffling, and even when Lin had explained her viewpoint in more detail, Cecilia found it difficult to swallow. Then again, she was almost the exact opposite of Lin, and the only reason she was so dismissive of attention right now was because she had a lot on her mind and she didn't want to be disturbed while she mentally shifted through it all. This likely contributed to Lin and Force deciding that they did not wish to linger in the area for the night, although they informed her they intended to head back towards the Chateau to await Kaito and Iris' return from Johto, and she was encouraged to catch up with them later.

Cecilia was grateful for this decision, as it gave her more space to think and work out how she was going to approach the various topics and issues that Shadow and she would need to discuss.

The conversation with Shadow after leaving the Ruins had been disastrous, to put it mildly. There was too much information that Cecilia hadn't known, and Shadow wanted answers, but she likewise had no indication of what information he DID have, so she was wary of saying something that'd be interpreted poorly or completely confuse the Espeon, and he was oddly reluctant to initiate the conversation, so he probably didn't know enough to be able to pinpoint what he needed clarification on. As soon as he had left, she had demanded that Force and Lin spill their side of the events.

All of this contributed greatly to her restlessness and nerves. As she had feared back in the Ruins, Shadow had come across Force and Lin. What she hadn't counted on was the possibility that Diablos himself would appear before Shadow. It was her own fault in that regard, too. She had stormed out of the Chateau the last time they were there, so she didn't even know how the rest of the meeting with Diablos had gone, and hadn't thought much of it when Force and Lin had explained that they were going to the Solaceon Ruins.

It would certainly have explained some of Shadow's hostility, but she still didn't know what he knew and didn't know about the situation, or what she would be permitted to tell him. Kaito had never explicitly said not to tell anyone what they were doing, but it was one of those things that seemed to go without saying - they only discussed their plans and developments with one another. Lin seemed to be the only one who found it practical to randomly speak in code, but based on her reaction when asked, this wasn't something Kaito enforced - Lin just chose to do so of her own accord. Cecilia had pressed the Weavile for some sort of guidelines of what was open to discuss for her conversation with Shadow, to which Lin had given a simple rule - Cecilia could use her own discretion on all subjects, but she was not to reveal the Chateau as their base of operations.

Cecilia blinked at the sky, getting a quick mental estimate of what time it was. Even at this distance, she could start to hear sounds from the human town, so it had to be late enough in the morning to consider getting ready. With a small sigh, the Quilava rose to her feet and stretched, testing the flexibility of her body a few times before stretching again. Once satisfied that she was warmed up, she went over to the bubbling river and began to tidy up her fur by dabbing herself with water. It was still too early to ignite her flames, and with so much grass around, it probably would be unwise to risk a fire, especially considering how moody and anxious she still was.

The Quilava's blue eyes inspected her reflection for a few moments, then just shook her head and busied herself getting some basic food together. She had offered to talk to Shadow over breakfast, and somehow she doubted that he'd be particularly interested in whether or not she looked good. Okay, not technically true, he WAS still a maturing male that recently evolved and was extremely susceptible to her charms already, so it'd be more accurate to say that SHE shouldn't be interested in whether she looked good.

It wasn't difficult for her to accumulate a decent range of different berry flavors, but she took a moment to debate the merits of catching a fish or two. In truth, she had no idea when the Espeon might arrive, or whether he even would be awake at this time. They hadn't really arranged a time or place to meet, and it probably hadn't even occurred to him to ask, considering how irritable he had been yesterday. She certainly didn't want to go through the trouble of catching a fish, only to have to discard it or eat it herself should he run late.

Cecilia was spared the struggle of coming to a decision at the sound of footsteps moving across the grass. She could catch hints of chatter accompanying the sound of paws on grass, suggesting that either someone was talking to themselves with different voices (not an impossibility), or that two or more Pokemon were coming towards her, although the pattern of steps meant it was probably just two.

The Quilava maneuvered out from the cover of trees where she had been camping to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Pokemon. Even at this distance, it was a cinch to spot Shadow. His jet black fur stood out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of grass and dirt pathways, and sure enough, he was accompanied by another Pokemon, a vaguely familiar bipedal Pokemon with orange fur and some sort of flotation ring around its neck.

Cecilia simply cocked her head slightly, her stomach churning nervously. She was about to call out to the Espeon, but his silver eyes flicked in her direction, and he wordlessly adjusted his pathing to head towards her. His companion seemed briefly perplexed by the sudden shift in direction before adjusting his own path.

"Looks like it found it okay, gorgeous," Cecilia said, forcing a chipper note into her voice and she supplied a smile as well, doing her best to conceal her nervousness. "Good morning," she added, almost as an afterthought. Shadow seemed much calmer this morning, which was a plus, but it probably wouldn't last long.

"Morning," Shadow answered. He stood there awkwardly for a moment or two, undecided whether he should say or do anything further.

"Oh boy, did this get awkward suddenly," the weasel Pokemon muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Cecilia gave him a curious look. "So...you're Cecilia, right?" he asked.

"Yep!" the Quilava replied. Then she blinked, peering closer at him. "Wait, aren't you the Buizel who hit on me last night?"

"Heh..." the Buizel chuckled sheepishly. "Um...yeah, about that...I didn't know you were taken, to be fair," he said, giving Shadow an apologetic look. The Espeon just raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Anyway, I'm Raze," the water Pokemon said quickly, offering Cecilia his paw.

"Hi Raze!" Cecilia said, shaking his paw briefly, now more curious than ever. "You two know each other?"

"I'm more surprised YOU two know each other," Shadow said blankly. If Cecilia didn't know better, she would have thought that Shadow was getting a teensy bit possessive.

"Just barely," Raze said with a chuckle. "I bumped into her, tossed a few mild compliments, got told to hit the road, and did just that. We didn't even exchange names."

"I see," Shadow said stiffly. "Feel free to hit the road again."

"Ahh, private date, huh?" Raze asked, smirking. "Is that how you two linked minds last- hey!" the Buizel jerked and whirled around to look behind him, then peered over his shoulder at his twin tails, then fixed Shadow with an annoyed look. "You're so mature."

"My tutoring's going well, thanks for asking. Now go away," Shadow said, smirking. Raze blinked, then grinned.

"Fine, fine. Got to catch up with Frost anyway," the Buizel said idly, glancing back at his tails briefly, then walking back the way he and Shadow had come, all while Cecilia watched him blankly.

"What did you do?" she asked the black-furred Espeon curiously. She had spotted the silver gemstone glowing briefly, but couldn't tell what had happened.

"Psychically tugged one of his tails," Shadow answered with a shrug. "Didn't think it'd actually work, though."

Cecilia giggled quietly, but sobered quickly. Raze had mentioned something about Shadow and her linking minds previously, and the thought of that alone reminded her of why they were there. That had been the moment that she realized what had happened to the Espeon, and it was far from a reassuring thought.

"Well, I got some berries for breakfast if you want," she said, gesturing behind her towards the pile she had gathered from the nearest bushes. Shadow gave a serious nod, and allowed her to lead the way into the shade of the trees. It wasn't a dark area by any means, but it wasn't immediately visible from the road area, which was the entire point when it came to a camping area.

They ate for a few moments in silence, and Shadow gazed around with a critical eye. Just when it was beginning to feel awkward, the Espeon broke the silence.

"Think we're going to be able to have that talk today?" he asked bluntly. Cecilia winced, and Shadow seemed to realize he had spoken too harshly. "Sorry," he muttered, but he kept his eyes on her. "Where are the other two?" he wondered finally.

"Oh, they didn't want to stick around this long. We were traveling to explore the Ruins, so it's not like we live around here," Cecilia explained, managing a weak smile. "I'll probably catch up with them later on, anyway."

Shadow gave a slow nod, but continued to gaze at her expectantly. Cecilia fidgeted and her stomach squirmed anxiously.

"Okay, um...I first just want to explain the communication problem yesterday," she said quickly. "See...I didn't know what had happened after A/C, your brother, and I left the Ruins, so I didn't really know what you knew or wanted to know when you asked for an explanation...you know? So I had wanted you to start things off because you knew stuff I needed to know for context of what you needed to know...but I'm guessing you didn't know enough to know-"

"My head hurts now," Shadow muttered dully.

Cecilia winced, but she giggled. "Sorry...but point is, I got Lin and Force to tell me what they knew, so I'm a little more on the ball."

Shadow studied her for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was deadly serious, but not aggressive. "You arranged for us to talk before you left the Ruins for the Center or whatever. Why then?"

Cecilia winced again, but she did have an answer, "I was worried you'd meet Force and Lin when I was gone, and they'd...have heard your name before."

The Espeon twitched. "And?"

"I don't think this is the best starting point for the explanation," Cecilia said, shaking her head. "It's a very complicated thing. I really don't want you to be mad at me over this, but...maybe I need to start at the beginning?"

Shadow didn't answer, but the look he gave her was more than answer enough. It was the type of look one would give someone who was trying their patience by ducking around the real matter of the conversation. Cecilia heaved a sigh, but sat down, making herself as comfortable as possible, and she gestured for him to do the same, which he did, after some hesitation.

"I suppose I could start at when our minds linked briefly, because that'd get to a point without you needing to hear my life story," she said, biting her lip nervously. Shadow tensed slightly, but nodded. Cecilia took a deep breath. "That was...a very problematic moment for me. I'm so sorry that-"

"That wasn't your fault at all," Shadow insisted. "I didn't have control over-"

"Not the link itself!" Cecilia insisted and her eyes began to glisten. "I didn't tell you then...I couldn't tell you then...but I understood more from those flashes than you did."

Shadow looked at her blankly, and the Quilava fidgeted. It hurt so much just to reflect on the situation, but Shadow deserved to know what she knew, no matter how much it caused her pain.

"I was a good friend of your mother's," she murmured quietly. Shadow blinked in surprise. Whatever he had expected her to say, it wasn't that. "I met her a couple years ago, when I first came to Sinnoh," Cecilia explained sadly. "She was lonely back then, before she met uh...sorry, I never can remember her mate's name..."

"Echo," Shadow said tonelessly. Cecilia could tell that he was trying to keep his composure, and she couldn't bear the notion of looking him in the eyes right now. She didn't want to see her own pain mirrored in his eyes, nor be drawn into his own despair when she felt terrible enough as it was.

"Yeah...she was from one of the Sinnoh Eevee clans, if memory serves, that's...where the naming convention for kits originated from," Cecilia continued quietly. "But she had gone on her own path from there. That's how we originally bonded, over mutual loneliness, the fear that everyone entered our lives only for a moment...but then she met Echo. It was...a very touching romance, I'll admit."

"I don't want to hear this, Cece, not right now," Shadow pleaded. Even those words seemed to be straining his voice terribly, and another spasm of guilt and sadness wracked the Quilava's gut.

"I'm sorry," Cecilia whispered, wiping her eyes with one paw and staring at the grass beneath her paws. "I'm guessing you don't really remember meeting me before."

Shadow blinked at her. "Only in the vaguest sense, I'm afraid. A feeling, but nothing concrete."

Cecilia smiled weakly. "Probably for the best, really. I didn't recognize you until you told me your name, and didn't have it confirmed until I saw your brother. Um...I kind of did some uh, kit sitting for about a week last September. That's when we first met officially," she said.

Shadow looked puzzled. "Kit sitting? For who?"

Cecilia gave him a meaningful look. "Your brother was born in October, so it wasn't him," she said.

"Why don't I remember that clearly?" Shadow asked, frowning. "Mom and Dad had a kit sitter for me?"

Cecilia giggled. "Well...they actually were really good at coordinating it. You're probably picturing being cared for by someone constantly for a week. It really was more...me distracting you for an hour or so at a time. Your parents were still around plenty, but needed you distracted now and then."

"Why?" Shadow asked blankly.

Cecilia choked slightly on her snort of laughter, but hastily composed herself before answering, all the while giving Shadow a meaningful look, "Um...I'm sure it has nothing whatsoever to do with your brother existing."

Understanding slowly dawned on the Espeon's face and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ah. I see. Er...is there a reason you brought up the fact you...kit-sat for me once? Aside from making this awkward?"

Cecilia paused, realizing she had forgotten her original point, then it clicked. "Right, so I was close enough to Rio that she entrusted me with that task. So when our minds linked that day...I recognized your parents. And I recognized Force..." the Quilava's voice broke slightly. "And I recognized the yellow eyes. Diablos' eyes."

Shadow tensed, and his silver eyes widened. "What? You...what? How?"

Cecilia cringed. Even though Shadow hadn't said or done anything to implicate her, it was this next truth that she dreaded above all the others. It was the one part she played that she truly condemned herself for. She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes in spite of her attempts to fight them.

"Because...we're the ones who unsealed him."


	37. Reflection Under the Sun

This morning had started off about as well as Frost could have expected. He awoke slightly later than usual, which was a surprisingly rare occurrence, even with other factors in play that might justify it. Even when he was young, he had built a very consistent morning routine for himself that enabled his internal clock to be impressively synched with the rising sun, regardless of the surrounding weather. It was one of those little benefits of growing up in the snowy mountains, with clouds veiling the sky almost the entire day, and weather conditions being as sporadic as Sinnoh could get.

What was somewhat odder was that Shadow and Leaf had both gotten up before he had. Okay, so the only odd part was Shadow being up before him, for Leaf had demonstrated that he was prone to waking at dawn. Then again, Shadow had gone to bed earlier than he and Leaf had, so it sort of balanced out in some form.

The more pressing matter that morning, however, was not Shadow's inexplicable absence from the den when Frost awoke, but rather the persistent soreness that had infiltrated much of his body. This was not an entirely unusual sensation, for Frost found that doing particularly intensive training caused his muscles to experience inflammation for a day or two, but this soreness was different, but required little wonder as to the cause. His battle with Lin had been one of the most intensive battles he had ever experienced, and the soreness was little more than a cruel reminder of just how much further he had to go before reaching her level.

Leaf had gleefully taken the opportunity to bask in the sun, which conveniently distracted from wondering about Shadow's whereabouts. Frost had decided to join the Leafeon in this activity, not because he found sunbathing to be enjoyable on its own merits, but because he knew he had to give his body a full chance to recover before resuming his training, and possibly a more intensive regimen.

A/C had gone to her workplace shortly after waking up, so Frost had had little opportunity to talk with her, but he expected that she would return sometime around midday. It was crucial in his eyes to make his request, but he needed Shadow to return for Leaf's sake first, so A/C's absence amounted to little inconvenience, and he was able to focus on other, much more troublesome matters that gnawed at his thoughts.

Lin was so much stronger than he remembered. He expected her to outclass him, and had no doubt she would meet those expectations. Really, he'd have been very disappointed if he had defeated his former mentor back in the Ruins, but to discover that he was no match for her at all...it infuriated and frustrated him, try as he might not to show it. He had spent the better portion of a year honing his skills and practicing against a variety of opponents of different species, seeking the strongest and most challenging Pokemon he could to match his skills again. All of them had fallen short, but he taken that as an indication that he was making rapid progress and perfecting the methods that Lin had trained him in.

Granted, he could hardly imagine Lin slacking off in the intervening time, but her reaction to him was...far more negative than he could have imagined. He always imagined that if they had met again since parting ways over a year ago, that she would note his various improvements and offer a few firm pointers on further improvement. As pathetic as it seemed to crave the Weavile's approval, he couldn't truly deny that he had been taken aback by the negativity of her criticisms.

Nothing had ever escaped her eyes. She was able to read an opponent in a matter of moments, every little detail observed, analyzed, and calculated into her plan for attack. As an eager Eevee, Frost had been laughably easy to defeat, but each loss spurred him on to learn from the Sneasel, despite the difference in their battle styles and body types. His enthusiasm and genuine interest had won her over in the end, as well as his fascination with Sneasel culture.

Lin had confided at one point that she was different from many of the other female Sneasel on the mountain, and that for his own safety, he was not to tangle with them. Sneasel, she had eventually explained, had a society that valued strength and cunning. They viewed one another as rivals and sought to overcome one another in an unending drive to improve themselves as battlers and contributers to the pack as a whole. In this vein, challenging a member of the other gender to a battle was a form of flirting. It allowed them to push one another to their limits in one climactic show of power, speed, and intelligence. It was against pack rules to force another to fight, or to attack an unwilling opponent, but there was a significant amount of peer pressure to accept all challenges.

Lin had also explained that Sneasel in her pack hated to fight weaklings, but likewise despised those who preyed upon the weak or helpless. They valued strength, but a lack of strength was not a lack of value.

Frost scowled to himself. Lin's words back in the Ruins still rung in his ears. She had called him arrogant, and that his attitude towards his strength was limiting him from reaching his potential. While she had proven herself to still be his unquestionable superior in battle, he still didn't fully grasp what she had meant. He did not believe himself to have become arrogant in the time that had passed since they last met, but he knew her ability to read people far exceeded his own. After all, she had taught him the skill, and she was always better and more precise at using it.

Was he arrogant? Did he think his strength made him better than other people? He wasn't sure what to think on that front. At times, he noticed his thoughts becoming dismissive of those he felt were weaker than him, but that was more because...wait, justifying such thoughts would only confirm Lin's assessment. That was a trap he was not going to allow himself to fall into. Was he disrespectful to people he pegged as weaker than him?

The Glaceon heaved a quiet sigh. He didn't have the answer to that, because he had rarely taken notice of that question before. It was difficult to assess his behavior if he wasn't looking for it originally.

And Lin's criticisms had continued to be harsh after defeating him. She had refused to defeat him properly, insisting he surrender instead. Such a demand was grating beyond belief. Did she really think so little of him? But she had answered that, hadn't she? She thought very little of those who fought for no reason...and his reason for continuing was that he wanted to be defeated properly. Petty...yes, a little bit. There was nothing at stake other than pride...and his wish to be defeated officially was only to satisfy his pride, an inarguable confirmation that she was better than him.

It still pissed him the hell off, though.

 _"You lack purpose. You need a reason to grow stronger. Something that will drive you to keep going in the face of adversity. As it is, you fight only for your ego and pride, and you are satisfied with your strength so long as you keep winning."_

Purpose...something to drive him to grow stronger. Was that truly what he lacked for now? Lin's advice was always trustworthy, but it usually was a bitter pill to swallow. Yet the more he reflected on those words, the more they bothered him. He was helping Leaf and Shadow train so that their improvements would drive him to improve further. So Lin must have been onto something. On his own, Frost wouldn't get anywhere because he was better than the majority of his opponents.

That was the same approach Lin's pack had used. They were all rivals to each other, spurring each other to keep surpassing their limits and expectations. Yet Lin's drive had once been so petty and selfish. She had wanted to choose which males had the right to court her, but when Frost had pointed this out, she noted that things had changed.

If that was the case, what was driving her now? Why was she infinitely more powerful than he was? For that matter, he didn't even know the story behind her evolution. Only the pack alpha had been a Weavile, from what Lin had once told him. Yet Lin was a Weavile now as well, but no longer a part of the pack, it seemed.

The Glaceon had no doubt that Lin would share the details with him. She wanted him to reflect on her words when they were no longer fighting one another. It was the way she had mentored him as an Eevee, and even moreso after he evolved. He was to find his own answers and learn from the pieces she gave him before she'd consider sharing the solutions. By not sharing the details of what was driving her now, she was leaving it up to him to find out what his purpose would be.

"You two are ADORABLE," a familiar male voice commented. Even without looking up, Frost could easily picture the amused smirk on the Buizel's face.

"Hello, Raze," Frost muttered. Leaf's ear twitched, but he remained still, savoring the sunshine.

"Well, that's a disappointing reaction," Raze chuckled. "I go MIA for a day, and you just say hi as if I never left."

"I'm used to you doing that," Frost retorted, carefully sitting up so as not to agitate his sore body. Raze noted the struggle with a curious expression. "I'm just feeling sore, Raze. It's what happens when you get your tail thrashed."

"I thought you beat that trainer's Luxio yesterday," Raze said. Frost blinked and gave the Buizel a bewildered look.

"What are you...how do you know about that at all?" he asked.

"He went into the Pokemon Center after the fight or whatever, and I heard him muttering about a Glaceon that utterly tore his Sparky apart," the Buizel answered nonchalantly. "I can't imagine a different Glaceon in the area that'd fit the bill."

"What were you even doing at the Pokemon Center? Wasn't A/C working at the time?" Frost wondered.

"Yup, she was. What I was doing is much less interesting than how you got your tail thrashed, though. What happened?"

Frost scowled slightly. "I ran into a familiar face. We fought, and she won."

Raze raised an eyebrow, but he was smirking now. "Really? See, the girls who recognize me usually don't want to pound my face in. Got to be the rhethorical questions doing you in, Frost."

"Trust me, I'd never be dumb enough to flirt with Lin," Frost said blandly. Back when she had taken him under her metaphorical wing, she had warned him that she had a zero tolerance policy towards any suggestive or flirtatious movements towards her. This was before she had explained her pack's philosophy, so he had initially assumed she was paranoid that he'd have difficulty controlling his developing hormones when working in close proximity with a bipedal female. Whether or not this played a role in her giving him the warning upfront, he didn't know, but the warning made more sense after the explanation of her pack culture.

"What species is she?" Raze asked.

"Weavile, but I knew her as a Sneasel," Frost replied curtly. Raze winced.

"Ooh...yeah, smart man," he muttered, shaking his head. "Anyway, so if you're sore, you think I could spar with the little guy again?" Raze asked, nodding towards Leaf, who had started to stir and shift his position while the two of them had been talking.

"Shadow needs to watch," Leaf said, stretching and sitting up. He had a peaceful, contented look on his face now that he had gotten his fill of solar energy this morning.

"Oh, that's right, I promised he'd watch your next training session, huh?" Frost mused, glancing around the area. If Shadow had wandered off somewhere, he sure was taking his sweet time getting back. It was amazing how quickly time passed when one allowed themself to soak in the sun, indifferent to the passing of the day.

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Raze chuckled. "He's on a date."

"What?" Leaf asked blankly. Frost cocked his head, wincing as another spasm of discomfort shot through his neck muscles. He began to massage his neck with one paw, keeping his eyes on Raze.

"I ran into him on the way here earlier this morning," Raze explained nonchalantly. "Walked with him, was just asking how his tutoring's been going, and found out he was meeting up with his fiery lover."

"Oh, I thought their talking date went terribly, but maybe they just rescheduled," Frost mused. Raze shrugged in response, whereas Leaf was looking confused and mildly irritated at being excluded from the conversation.

"I'm not sparring until Shadow watches," Leaf said stubbornly.

"It's fine, little guy," Raze chuckled, patting Leaf on the head gently. The Leafeon twitched slightly, but soon relaxed, his eyes closing in enjoyment. The Buizel then shifted his attention back to Frost. "So how long do you plan to stick around here?"

Frost considered the question for a few moments. He didn't have a specific destination or goal in mind at the time being, and was still far too restless to remain in one area for a long period of time. He supposed he had no objection to continuing to aid Shadow and Leaf, but there was no guarantee that Shadow would be open to him remaining with them for a prolonged period of time, either. In the aftermath of his fight with Lin, however, he did feel a strong need to set a goal for himself to further test and hone his skills before rematching her.

"I'm not sure yet," he answered finally. "I will remain for a little longer yet for sure, if only to recover and perhaps to ask a favor of A/C, but after that, hm...it depends on whether the other two have something in mind."

"So Shadow is tying up everyone's plans today, huh?" Raze chuckled. He paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what kind of favor?"

Frost sighed. He had hoped that Raze would overlook that part of his answer, because he still wasn't too keen on going into details.

"Nothing too interesting," he said, allowing a bit of dismissiveness to enter his tone, in the hopes that Raze would drop the subject once his basic inquiry was answered. "More a matter of saving me on travel time. We departed from the Mt. Coronet area sooner than I expected to, so I have a number of minor loose ends to tie up there."

"Like good-byes and stuff?" Leaf wondered, catching Frost and Raze by surprise. The Glaceon had nearly forgotten Leaf was sitting there, but from the looks of it, the Leafeon had been silently observing the conversation.

Frost paused thoughtfully, directing his next statement to the young Leafeon. "Something along those lines, yes."

"Oh good," Leaf said, nodding his head approvingly. "You should always say good-bye before leaving." The young Leafeon's smile faltered a little and he cast his eyes downwards, one of his ears drooping a little. Raze and Frost exchanged puzzled looks.

"Something wrong?" Frost asked tentatively. He had noticed that Leaf was prone to mood shifts now and then, usually relating to the weather, but coupled with his surprisingly thoughtful and perceptive remark, he really wasn't sure what to think.

"It's nothing," Leaf sighed, his body language blatantly communicating the exact opposite of his words. Raze continued to look blank, but something started to click within Frost's mind, from when he had first met the two Eon brothers. He hadn't really paid much attention at the time, but he distinctly recalled Leaf lamenting about missing the opportunity to say good-bye to someone.

"Did you have many friends back home?" Frost wondered, keeping his tone casual. Previous interactions with Leaf during their training sessions had taught him that Leaf was very difficult to get a direct answer from if one was too direct with asking questions. Like many young Pokemon, he was very stubborn and didn't like being hounded for information, and Frost had noticed that Leaf was perfectly willing to outright say he didn't want to discuss something. Shadow was capable of making similar sentiments, but more passive and roundabout with it, usually trying to redirect the conversation entirely.

"No," Leaf said, but Frost noted his tone was more one of puzzlement than annoyance or anger. He was legitimately baffled by the question.

"How old are you?" Raze asked, thankfully following Frost's example and using a casual tone.

Leaf made a noise to indicate his uncertainty and shrugged. Frost had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing at the way the reply sounded, and Raze was fighting a smirk unsuccessfully. Fortunately, Leaf himself didn't seem to realize they were amused at his expense.

Frost took a moment to consider the two responses. Leaf was fairly outgoing when he was in a good mood, and had a very close bond with his older brother. However, if he didn't have many friends previously, then in all likelihood, Shadow was the closest thing to a friend the young Leafeon had, which certainly would explain his borderline clinginess towards the Espeon. His receptiveness to strangers at least suggested that he hadn't had bad experiences with strangers previously, whereas Shadow's behavior at times hinted at the opposite.

The two were genuinely fascinating to Frost, and good test subjects to hone his perceptiveness, but that value would doubtlessly fade with time. As things were now, Shadow and Leaf still kept some details under wraps, but once those details were revealed, it would be so much easier to read them with certainty. Still, Lin had always advised Frost to practice his skills to improve them, and not to get discouraged if he was uncertain or inaccurate - the goal was never to fully know someone perfectly, but rather to get a feel for them so one would be better prepared to handle them, whether it be negotiation or battle.

Shadow's behavior and reactions to certain subjects all but confirmed the lack of parental figures, but Leaf's young age threw a bit of a wrench into Frost's analysis. The Leafeon probably was still under a year old, because the acknowledgement of one's birthday tended to be a big deal at that age, so if Leaf had passed the year mark, he would certainly have been made aware of it by either his brother or parents. Both of the brothers had evolved extremely recently, judging by their lack of familiarity with their abilities and minimal battle skill. This conclusion meant less since Frost had known those details already, but they added to the bigger picture.

"Do you enjoy traveling?" Frost asked. Actually, this was probably going to be an obvious answer, but he rarely got an opportunity to talk to Leaf about more personal subjects outside of their sparring practice, and Leaf was usually impatient or distracted during those. Besides, talking a little would help time pass quicker.

"It's okay," Leaf said, after a short pause. "Except when it rains and stuff."

"I like the rain," Raze mused. Frost rolled his eyes, whereas Leaf blinked.

"Really? Why?"

The Buizel chuckled. "I'm a Water-type, little guy. We love water. Rain making the ground wet and slick is also pretty useful in battle, because it gives my feet a little extra glide and might slip up my opponents. So I actually move faster when it's raining. It's probably pretty similar to you and sunlight - makes you feel refreshed and alive, right?"

"Yeah!" Leaf confirmed, his tail flicking enthusiastically. "And I didn't know about the rain thing making you faster. Show me that soon."

Raze scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Er...maybe one of these days. We'd have to wait until it's actually raining, though, and you probably won't be too happy if it is."

"Don't you know Rain Dance?" Frost asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope," Raze said simply. This time, Frost got the impression Raze was hiding something, despite the carefree smile the Buizel was wearing. Then again, he hadn't known Raze long enough to have gotten the Buizel's life story, nor did he have any particular desire to explore it at this time.

Frost refocused on Leaf, regarding him thoughtfully for a few moments. He wanted to figure out the right wording for his next question, so that Leaf would provide the answer he was looking for, but still be able to tie it in with his other questions without being too abrupt about prying. Granted, he didn't necessarily need to use such tactics with Leaf, but it would still be beneficial for him to use tact when navigating difficult subjects.

"Was Shadow your only sparring partner before you met me? You mentioned he was teaching you, right?"

Leaf nodded. "Yeah, he taught me how to tackle stuff, that's when I evolved!"

"You evolved by learning how to tackle?" Raze asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

Leaf cocked his head uncertainly. "Yeah? I think so. I was fighting against Bee-Bee's brother to help him evolve, and then I evolved."

"Against...who? What?" Raze asked, looking confused.

"Bee-Bee's brother," Leaf repeated, speaking a little slower.

"We don't know who Bee-Bee is," Frost reminded the Leafeon.

"Oh! She's a Beedrill I made friends with just before Shadow evolved! She's really nice! Shadow can't understand her, though," the Leafeon explained, his face lighting up. "I helped her little Weedle brother evolve, and then I evolved!"

"By learning how to tackle," Raze repeated, completely deadpan.

"Yup!" Leaf chirped, as if this answered any lingering questions Raze might have had on the subject. Frost had gone silent again, considering this new information. Neither of the brothers had shared the details surrounding their evolution, nor how this Beedrill friend of Leaf's had factored into things. It would probably have been useful to have a Beedrill ally for two recently-evolved and otherwise untrained Pokemon, so it begged the question as to why they had parted ways, and why Leaf evidently never got to say good-bye to his friend.

"Why'd you leave that area?" Frost wondered.

Leaf furrowed his brow. "Shadow really, really wanted to leave. I didn't, though. Something about it not being safe there? Hmm..."

It wasn't immediately obvious, but Frost quickly realized that Leaf was not genuinely floundering for the information to return to his memory. After mention of the safety thing, Leaf had stopped focusing, even though he had made a sound to indicate that he was thinking. The Leafeon's eyes were now trained on Raze's twin tails, when moments previously, he had been glancing slightly upwards. Several more seconds passed in absolute silence, and Frost gave a slow nod. Leaf legitimately was not going to expand on that answer, and was perfectly content to allow the silence to extend indefinitely.

"Did something happen right before you guys left?" Frost asked. "Just something that may have made Shadow decide the place wasn't safe?"

"Um..." Leaf considered for a moment, then brightened. "That human trainer!"

"Eh?" Frost blinked.

"Yeah! We were napping, and then Shadow bit me, so I bit him-"

"What." Raze just stared at the Leafeon with a deadpan expression, but Leaf didn't seem to notice.

"And then this human showed up and attacked us with two Pokemon! Shadow told me to hide and stuff, but I watched from the bushes, and he was losing bad, so..." Leaf suddenly stopped short, and his eyes, moments earlier filled with excitement, went completely blank.

"What is it?" Frost asked, taken aback by the sudden shift.

"I don't remember," the Leafeon muttered, and this time, Frost could see that the Leafeon was genuinely baffled. "I know I tackled Shadow out of the way, though, but..." he frowned to himself.

Frost and Raze exchanged confused looks, the Buizel supplementing the expression with a shrug.

"I battled them, didn't I?" Leaf muttered. "Why don't I remember doing that?"

"Eh, don't push yourself, Leaf. I got the general idea," Frost said quickly. Leaf blinked, as if abruptly aware that the other two were still there, but soon gave a small smile. Raze caught Frost's eye and gave him a meaningful look, then jerked his head slightly to the side. Frost gave a subtle nod in response, wincing again as his neck muscles ached. Raze was telling him to stop asking probing questions, and that suited Frost perfectly fine. He really didn't need much else at the moment.

"Shadow! You're back!" Leaf squealed abruptly. Frost flinched, actually crying out quietly as soreness flooded his body. He carefully pivoted his body, and sure enough, could see the ebony-furred Espeon walking towards them.

"Date go well?" Raze asked with a smirk, but the expression abruptly sobered and he raised an eyebrow at the Espeon, looking slightly concerned.

As Shadow came nearer, Frost could see the reason for Raze's uncertainty. The Espeon's black fur had been washed and given a swift grooming, giving it a lovely sheen, but contrary to expectations, there was no spring in his step. If anything, Shadow's expression was rather somber, as if he had to attend a funeral, and was doing his best to remain stoic. Yet the Espeon's silver eyes were focused on Leaf, who was sitting up and practically bouncing on his paws as his brother approached. The contrast of their moods struck something deeply uncomfortable in Frost's chest.

This feeling only worsened as Shadow reached Leaf and wordlessly embraced the Leafeon tightly, holding his brother close to him, as if afraid something would close in to snatch the little guy away if he loosened his grip. Leaf seemed taken aback by the hug, but accepted it with a happy purr, doing his best to reciprocate despite being almost immobilized by the Espeon's embrace.

"Is everything-" Frost began, but stopped short as he heard Shadow reply, but the words echoed within his head, rather than spoken aloud.

 _"Go away, please. Both of you. Please."_

Frost looked over at Raze, and judging by his expression, he had definitely gotten the same message. Without a word, both of them got up and headed back towards A/C's den. Neither of them spoke on the way there, yet there was no doubt that they were sharing the same unasked question.

Just what was that all about?


	38. Icy Visitation

There were many things that could be said of Sinnoh's mountain ranges. Words like 'tedious' and 'frustrating' were often tossed about by amateur travelers that found the harsh terrain and labyrinth-like caverns more trouble than their worth, and it didn't help that the mountains all but divided the region in two, requiring one to cross through the area several times in the course of a journey across the region.

Others viewed the mountain as a challenge, or even a hobby, pushing themselves and their Pokemon to their limits and navigating the maze in the hopes of discovering new things. Researchers and scholars adored the different habitats that had been formed over the centuries, and the Pokemon that could be found here offered more appeal for the Pokemon trainer. That wasn't even touching upon all the myths and lore that touched upon the mountains, and the prospect of even more discoveries waiting to be found.

However, there did tend to be a different sort of phrase murmured in regards to the snowy section of the mountain. Set outside the higher caverns of the tallest mountain, the mountain paths leading towards the northmost city in Sinnoh were covered in snow. The air was harsh and cold, and the frequent blizzards served as one of the greatest challenges for Pokemon trainers aspiring to be champions, and forced Pokemon to endure hellish conditions to survive for long against the wild Pokemon that had already become accustomed to the snow blanketing the ground and sky.

Once one saw past the physical challenge of the snowy mountainside, they were usually in awe of the breathtaking beauty and serenity of the snow. The consistency of the weather here could not be replicated anywhere else in Sinnoh. Snow may fall in other areas, but up here, the snowfall always seemed fresh and soft, and extended for as far as the eye could see. For an Ice-type Pokemon, this was a haven, a sanctuary perfectly suited for them.

For non-Ice Pokemon, it was painfully cold. This went double for non-Ice Pokemon that had arrived in the area abruptly, such as from the confines of a comfortable Pokeball. Or if they were a Kadabra roped into Teleporting another Pokemon, evidently with insufficient warning of how extreme the conditions up here were.

Frost had to fight to keep a straight face as A/C gasped some choice phrases and terms he never would have imagined the otherwise serene Kadabra would know. Then again, Kadabra had relatively slender, almost scrawny figures with minimal insulation in the form of thick fur or even body fat.

"Did I forget to mention that it's snowy up here?" the Glaceon asked innocently.

"Snow...I can handle," A/C managed, shivering intensely, yet Frost could see that her eyes were becoming steely focused. It was genuinely fascinating to see that she used the same coping method as Meditite and Medicham that lived up here. "You neglected to mention the air temperature plummeting like a rock on the open sea."

"My apologies," Frost said with a light bob of his head. "I will make my way down to the base of the mountain for pick-up, if that is preferable."

"Infinitely so," A/C admitted. "When?"

Frost suspected the brevity of the question was because despite the Kadabra's reduced shivering, the cold was definitely seeping into her sensitive body. Nevertheless, he paused a moment to consider. It would be difficult to predict how much time he would spend here, yet felt it better to overestimate rather than have the Kadabra waiting for him if he ran late.

"Sundown should be fine," he said finally. "Uh, nothing further, thank-" he broke off as A/C promptly teleported with a brief flash of light. Only after she was gone did he allow himself to chuckle. He genuinely had overlooked the effect the cold air might have on a Pokemon ill-suited to it. Then again, he had grown up here as an Eevee and managed fine, although that was more credit for his parents' resources than anything else, and after evolution, he found the air to be perfectly comfortable. It was difficult to remember that snow was not the main contributor to cold temperatures up here.

Frost took a few moments to admire the scenery around him. Blankets of snow as far as he could see, and snowflakes whirling around in frigid winds. All who came across such a display could only shiver or stare in awe at its splendor. Beautiful, yet dangerous. A force of nature to be admired, yet feared.

As much as he would have loved to curl up in the snow and savor the softness of the icy fluff as he observed the dance of snowfall, he didn't have all day to sit around here. With Shadow insisting on being left alone with his brother for a while, Frost decided that now was probably his best chance to get the intended visit over with, and A/C had stopped by her den quickly, giving him the opportunity to ask for transportation. It was doubtful that any of them were planning to leave the area today, which meant he wouldn't be holding up their plans, nor was he obligated to explain where he was going.

Frost stretched carefully before setting off. He was still experiencing the soreness, but now that he was in a snowy and cold area, he found that the soreness didn't impede him quite as much. Glaceon had evolved to adapt to their environment, and one of the noticeable differences was how snow and ice soothed one's body significantly faster than normal conditions. From what he had read back at home, this was typical of almost all the Eevee evolutions.

Of the seven evolutions closely associated with a specific element, all of them seemed to possess some sort of method of drawing energy from their elemental source to be used for offense, defense, or healing. The three stone evolution species had adapted so well to the radiation of the respective stones that they could absorb the energy of their element entirely, whereas Leafeon, Espeon, and Umbreon drew power from natural light sources.

Unfortunately, Frost's knowledge of the last of the evolutions was uncomfortably minimal. His parents had kept several books in their den, including the one that covered Eevee and its evolutions, plus their own experiences, but the book was outdated and contained no in-depth information regarding the Fairy-type evolution.

That was of little concern at the moment. It had taken the Glaceon a few minutes of walking to fully get his bearings, but now he could see that he was definitely headed in the right direction. The downside of the frequent wind and snow on the mountain was it tended to wipe out all trace of pathways and simple landmarks, forcing one to navigate by other means, and if they were unfamiliar to the area, the chances of getting hopelessly lost or stumbling upon another's territory and den were significantly higher.

That's how he had wound up in the area originally, come to think of it.

Frost had to consciously remind himself to watch for the branching pathway. It was a subtle detail that was easy to miss if one wasn't looking for it, and spotting such details was nearly impossible during heavy snowfall, especially for non-Ice types.

Of course, that was the whole point. If a traveler was sticking to the mountainside wall to avoid getting disoriented, they had no chance of happening upon the den by mistake. Yet if one could comfortably peer through the snowy haze, they'd see the mountain path start to curve downwards to a lower section of the mountainside. Humans had even fitted the area with a study wire fence to reduce the risk of someone slipping and taking a tumble down the mountainside. Frost could only imagine how many hikers and travelers had met their end before fencing was added to specific sections of the mountain, guiding them along the mountain route towards Snowpoint or the Mt. Coronet caverns.

Not a pretty thought, really. He really had to wonder whether the Sinnoh Pokemon League held a committee regularly to discuss whether more safety features was needed to keep travelers safe when navigating to Snowpoint or the northern Lake.

Frost reached the fence, and deliberately chose the downwards path, the one without the mountain wall to act as a guardrail. Snowflakes buzzed around his head like insects, yet he found the sensations of them brushing against his face and nestling into his fur to be rather pleasant.

It wasn't a particularly long nor sharp descent before the path leveled out again, and Frost found himself in the equivalent of an open snowy meadow. From here, his path was clear, and he felt a hint of anxiety beginning to bubble within him. Despite fretting about making this visit for the past two days, now that he was here, he didn't feel like he was up for the visit after all.

The Glaceon paused awkwardly, glancing around in the hopes of some diversion that would justify him delaying, but of course the snowfield was empty. Even the small ice-fishing lake was devoid of any Pokemon hoping for a meal, and so he forced himself to keep going.

Up ahead, he could see his destination - a simple-looking cave carved in the side of the mountain, completely invisible to the gaze of a traveler unless they either were craning their head over the side of the mountain (and thereby risking their life in an abnormally stupid fashion) or if they had taken the same route he had, which was unlikely with the addition of the guiding fence along the route.

As Frost drew nearer to the cave, he was able to note that the cave entrance had a pair of well-fashioned ice crystals flanking the entrance. Although he had seen them many times, he always paused to admire them. Artistic use of his ice abilities had never been a strong suit of his, but he couldn't help but be awed by the beauty present within such masterfully crafted crystal ice sculptures.

His eyes flicked upwards, taking note of the distinct emblem forged from ice that hung above the cave entrance. It was a beautiful design, a six-pointed snowflake that sparkled in the light, each piece of the snowflake fashioned from an icicle. Like the crystals flanking the entrance, it had been created with special care and dedication, making it more beautiful and durable than any natural ice crystal could hope to be.

Frost took a deep, soothing breath, and then exhaled slowly, a cloud of mist leaving his mouth. Despite being familiar with this den, the territory emblem marking the den filled him with unease and dread, and he could only imagine how other Pokemon felt when they spotted such a beautiful, yet undeniably intimidating territory marking.

Frost stepped forward, then hesitated again. What was the proper etiquette in this situation? He had not been invited inside, nor did he still live here, so walking in would probably be unspeakably rude. On the other paw, he had been living here during the winter months this year, so he had actually lived there longer than he had been absent since winter ended, so it might be weird to knock or call out to the occupants.

The Glaceon bit his lower lip in thought, mulling over his options, before finally relenting. If he didn't act soon, he might start trying to back out entirely. He took another few steps, until he was close enough where he could poke his head into the den, and cleared his throat.

"Hello?" he called out, his stomach doing a weird somersault as his voice echoed through the den. "Bliz?"

His ear twitched at the sound of a protesting whine from within the den, but this was thankfully followed up with an inquisitive 'hm?'

"Uh, it's Frost," the Glaceon said clearly, taking a partial step into the den.

"Then why did you call for me? You know you can come in," a familiar female voice said. Frost chose to overlook the obvious impatience in her voice, and gratefully stepped further into the den.

The den as a whole was impressively spacious, designed seemingly as one large single room, but there were two side chambers on either side of this room, the left-hand side containing several items, including plastic storage boxes and dishes, many of which Frost could see were filled with different food items or water. The right-hand side of the den had a curved passageway, keeping the side chamber concealed from view of the den entrance, and any potential occupants of the den.

The main room also contained numerous objects and items, such as blankets, protective clothing like scarves, and even pillows. They were all arranged tastefully, giving a sense of casual clutter, which Frost had to admit was a brilliant touch. Nothing was more awkward than a den that seemed too neat or too cluttered, but the way the comforts were arranged made it feel warm and inviting, so as to put guests at ease.

"I wasn't sure if walking in unannounced would be intruding," Frost explained, addressing the right-side chamber of the den. That was obviously where Blizzard was, the options of her being anywhere else in the den was so slim as to be impossible, since that area was the only spot in the entire den that couldn't be seen.

Blizzard made a vocal murmur of acknowledgement, but didn't say anything else. After a pause, Frost raised an eyebrow.

"May I come over there?" he asked finally.

"Um...no, give me a second yet," Blizzard replied hastily. Frost nodded and sat down, looking around the den idly. He knew better than to question or ignore her one absolute rule - the right side chamber was for her private use, and she was intolerant of anyone else accessing it without permission, and her permission had to be obtained for every instance of going there.

Seconds ticked by in silence, but he soon caught the sound of padded paws on the stone floor. Frost glanced over as a female Glaceon stepped into the main den area. Aside from her weary and slightly hassled appearance, she was remarkably beautiful. Her fur was sleek and soft-looking, despite its vaguely unkempt appearance. She walked with grace and confidence, and even managed a gentle smile that unfortunately was lost when she stifled a small yawn.

"So...in the future, should I just walk in?" Frost asked. "I can't help but think that'd be rude or intrusive."

The female Glaceon gave a small shrug. "We're just talking about coming inside as opposed to standing outside awkwardly and calling for me to say it's okay. You can still end up being rude or intrusive, but the simple action of coming inside isn't going to be the reason."

Frost considered this for a moment but any serious debate on the subject was cut short by the sensation of soft fur rubbing against his foreleg. He glanced down and spotted a young female Eevee standing next to him, sniffing at his paws curiously, her fur brushing against him in her eagerness to examine the scent.

"Hey there, cutie. When did you show up?" Frost asked, chuckling slightly. The Eevee chirped in response, earning a gentle ear rub in return, which she savored blatantly.

"She's been my shadow for the last two days," Blizzard said with a fond smile. Frost gave her a curious look, still rubbing the Eevee kit's ears affectionately. "She's been walking behind me constantly. Goes where I go. Sits when I sit. Lays down when I lay down."

"That sounds adorable," Frost smirked.

"Until you consider the hoops I have to jump through to get her to do specific things, or NOT do specific things," Blizzard pointed out. "She only stops to eat and sleep, and good thing, can you imagine the nightmare of trying to get her to shadow feeding?"

Frost simply chuckled and began to stroke down the Eevee's back. She purred happily and began cuddling against his free foreleg. Blizzard observed the pampering in amused silence for a few moments, but then she gave him a questioning look.

"So what brings you around?"

"Hm?" Frost blinked at the female Glaceon, pausing the petting long enough for the Eevee to whine in protest, which subsided as soon as Frost resumed.

"Is there a reason you're dropping by?" Blizzard asked. She was giving him a piercing look, as if her eyes alone would peel away the excuses or flimsy justifications that he might provide, leaving only the truth of the matter.

Frost hesitated. His first instinct was to question whether it bothered her that he had dropped by, and the realization that this was his first impulse on how to answer the question troubled him a little bit. It was similar to how Raze often commented about how he answered questions with rhethorical questions.

"I...felt like I should come visit," Frost managed finally.

"Really?" Blizzard asked softly, holding eye contact for an excruciatingly long pause. "Why?"

Frost was about to ask for clarification, but hastily swallowed the words before he could voice them. Once again, he was about to answer a question with another question, dodging around the matter as long as possible for no practical reason. Blizzard's question wasn't difficult to interpret unless he was trying to be evasive, or if he was afraid to reveal an answer to a question that wasn't asked.

The Glaceon sighed to himself. Maybe he just didn't want to be having this kind of discussion. He had been worrying about coming here, even though he knew full well that it was courtesy to explain his situation and schedule future visits. Why was it so difficult to talk to Blizzard? She was kind and understanding, yet she intimidated him for no apparent reason.

"You don't know why you're visiting?" Blizzard asked, raising an eyebrow. "I assumed you were petting the reason."

Frost cringed, looking down at the Eevee, surprised to find that she had fallen asleep from his stroking, her bushy tail coiled around her body as she leaned against his leg.

"I know you're not going to stay, Frost," Blizzard said quietly. "Much as I'd like you to, I know you won't. So don't pretend that you visit for my sake. Your obligation is to Glacia, not to me."

Frost said nothing, but he gave the slightest of nods.

"Look at me," Blizzard said gently, and Frost reluctantly lifted his head to make eye contact. "You don't have to justify your decisions to me. Whether I approve or not is not important. What IS important is that your decisions affect her," the female Glaceon nodded towards the sleeping Eevee.

"I know," Frost said blandly.

"You grew up with both your parents, right?" Blizzard asked seriously. Frost nodded. "Imagine how your life would be changed if you only saw one of them all the time, and the other only stopped by once every few months. How would you feel towards them?"

Frost winced and looked away from the female Glaceon. "I don't know."

Blizzard smiled slightly and shook her head. "You mentioned your parents were very close. Awkwardly so, even. Would you still believe that if they were perpetually apart? How do you think you would view relationships in general differently?"

"Now you're just guilt-tripping me," Frost said, unable to hide his irritation. "You were my first romantic relationship, but I don't subscribe to the notion that first romance is first love."

"Yes, I know. I'm not your soulmate," Blizzard conceded with a sad smile. "Circumstances being what they were..."

Frost just nodded. Nothing had to be said aloud, they both understood the circumstances. Even for a Glaceon, the previous winter had been too severe to risk wandering outside, and it had struck so suddenly that he had been fortunate to find shelter at all, much less the den of a beautiful and accomodating female Glaceon. With no other options for company or shelter, it had been fortunate that they had hit it off, because Frost could only imagine how terrible the winter might have been if they had disliked one another.

"If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I still wouldn't change a thing," Frost said. "Unless I can skip the nesting stage. That was hell."

Blizzard's eyes flashed but she relaxed on seeing that Glacia was still sound asleep. "Yes, it wasn't very pleasant for me, either. I had to endure hormonal changes and the fact I suddenly didn't trust anyone near the egg. And you being in the den at all was too close."

Frost smirked slightly. "No, no, the worst part was you'd shift between hostile paranoia, and desperate for affection. But I couldn't be anywhere near the egg. And you couldn't be too far away from it before getting paranoid."

Blizzard giggled and shook her head. "And then Glacia actually hatched."

Frost cringed. "Yeah...it was more of the same, except now the egg could move and cry and get hungry."

Blizzard smiled, as if enjoying a fond memory instead of the months of her life where she was being tortured by moodiness and stress. "Spring could not come soon enough for you. I'm amazed you didn't bolt early February, when the storms subsided a bit."

"I couldn't. The lake said six more weeks of winter."

Blizzard blinked at Frost. "Wait, what does that even mean?"


	39. Bond of Brothers

**Updating on December 17th, but NOT including Ember feels amusing in a tragic way, even though it's not Dec 17th in-story.**

 **So this A/N is literally just me pushing author guilt away: I am totally acknowledging your birthday.**

* * *

As the day stretched into afternoon, the sky and weather had stopped being so cooperative. The clouds had expanded their reach, filling in the gaps and holes that had enabled sunlight to grace the ground below, making it look and feel even later in the day than it actually was.

However, neither Shadow nor Leaf really took much notice of the shift, aside from the occasional skywards glance to see if there was much chance of the clouds separating once more, or even if the weather was going to take a turn for the worse and add rain.

Weather was the least concerning thing on their minds at the moment.

On the walk back from his meeting with Cecilia, Shadow had taken the time to weigh over the pros and cons of sharing what he had learned with Leaf, and how much he should share. It was a difficult decision, but he found that the answer to this matter was extremely simple.

Despite his resolve, the Espeon had nearly broken down on seeing his brother's expression brighten on seeing him, and hearing the young Leafeon's excited squeal. It reminded him painfully of the things he had already grown to regret from the past few days. In Leaf's eyes, Shadow was everything to him. Even their parents had rarely received such enthusiastic reception from the younger sibling.

Even worse, it reminded him of just the other morning, when Leaf earnestly explained how much he enjoyed spending time with just Shadow. Just the two of them, and even simple joys like sitting together satisfied him.

And that was why Shadow couldn't bear the thought of withholding his new knowledge from Leaf. Why he couldn't keep the entire burden bottled up in his heart again. His brother deserved to know, so that they could work things out together, as a team. As family.

Shadow had clung to Leaf desperately for several minutes, even after Frost and Raze had left them as requested. He had basked in Leaf's presence and comfort the same way Leaf basked in sunlight. It was like sustenance, something he desperately needed and craved in order to lift the darkness surrounding his mood and thoughts. After what felt like an eternity, the Espeon broke the embrace and smiled weakly at Leaf, his brother happily looking up at him, his leafy tail swishing.

"I'm sorry, Leaf," Shadow said quietly. The Leafeon blinked and cocked his head to the side in an adorable expression of inquisitiveness. Shadow cast his gaze downwards for a moment and took a deep breath. He had to steel his nerves to broach this topic, otherwise he'd never be able to overcome this pain.

He raised his eyes again, dimly aware that he had the Leafeon's full attention. Leaf seemed to realize that whatever was on his brother's mind was of utmost importance, because he didn't try to interrupt or guess what Shadow was going to say. That made things a little easier, but only a little.

"Sorry for a lot of things, actually," Shadow continued. He had to swallow hard to keep a lump in his throat from forming. He already could feel his resolve weakening, but he nodded seriously, forcing himself to stay in the moment. "I haven't been...as fair to you as I should be."

Leaf's eyes faltered, and Shadow could see that he wasn't following Shadow's words. He legitimately seemed to have no idea what Shadow was talking about, and the Espeon could hardly blame him for that - he was struggling so much just to form the words that the meaning was becoming garbled.

"Look, just..." Shadow took another breath. His legs were starting to shake a little from the effort of not breaking down into tears, but his mind remained deadset on the task ahead of him. "I know I've been...distant lately. I've been irritable and distracted and probably ignoring you and...I'm s-sorry for...for all that."

The Espeon choked a bit at the end, but silently took solace in the fact he completed the sentence. His vision was becoming blurry through tears, yet he refused to wipe them away yet. If he looked away from Leaf, he might become too scared or ashamed to look back at him.

"Okay!" Leaf said, his tail flicking cheerfully. Shadow blinked at him. He wasn't sure how the Leafeon would react, but that...wasn't quite what he expected. There was an awkward pause, then understanding seemed to flash across Leaf's face. "Oops, I mean uh...apology ex...cepted?"

"Accepted," Shadow corrected gently, taking this moment to wipe his eyes.

"Yeah, that," Leaf said, nodding earnestly.

"No, no, not 'that'. Say the words yourself. That's how you learn," Shadow insisted, managing a small smile. It was the type of argument they used to get into at home, since their parents were so firm on them learning how to properly apologize. Leaf almost never failed to remind Shadow he had to say 'why' he was sorry, and Shadow liked to prod at the fact that Leaf struggled to pronounce certain words, especially considering that Leaf liked to mispronounce his name.

"I did!" Leaf complained, his tail flicking.

"You did it wrong. Say it right!" Shadow urged, his tail flicking in spite of himself. Moments ago, he couldn't imagine derailing a serious talk to insist on something pointless, but at the same time, it was the type of thing he would do as Leaf's brother, and that's the role he needed to return to.

"You're being mean! Say sorry for being mean!" Leaf giggled.

"Say sorry for saying 'accept' wrong!" Shadow countered.

This went on for well over a minute, until they had accumulated about twenty owed apologies for variations of the same crime.

"I'll say words wrong if I want to!" Leaf insisted, puffing out his chest proudly. Shadow snorted with laughter, stifling the majority of the sound with his paw, unable to handle the sheer ridiculousness of the situation anymore.

When both of them finally settled down, Shadow took another deep breath and gave his brother a nuzzle. Leaf purred, but glanced up at Shadow mischievously.

"What ELSE are you sorry for?"

"What?"

"You said you were sorry for a lot of things," the Leafeon reminded him. "What else?"

It actually took Shadow a moment to realize that Leaf was referring not to their little war of apology debt, but rather the much more serious subjects Shadow had tried to address earlier. The playful arguing had actually been so amusing that Shadow had to practically force himself to keep a straight face, and considering the next thing Shadow was going to have to say was not remotely funny, it struck him as incredibly inappropriate to be on the verge of laughter.

"Right...this is...a bit more difficult for me," Shadow said, sitting up and doing his best to give Leaf a serious, meaningful look, but the adorable grin Leaf was wearing was making this painfully difficult. "...do you remember our conversation...uh...before we met Frost?"

"No," Leaf said promptly. Shadow blinked, and Leaf paused to actually consider the question. After a few moments, he shook his head apologetically.

"It was um...about my nightmares?" Shadow provided helpfully.

"Ooh, right!" Leaf said. "How's that been going?"

Shadow just stared at his brother for a few seconds, just long enough for Leaf to realize that it was inappropriate to respond so cheerfully. His expression sobered a little and he looked at the Espeon uncertainly.

"Are they getting worse?" he asked.

"No, not worse. But...last time we spoke, I said I didn't know what happened, and now I found out."

Leaf stiffened, his brown eyes widening slightly. It was at this moment that Shadow realized something about his brother that hadn't occurred to him, even back when they had their first talk regarding his dreams and the content of the events.

Leaf already knew.

Just like Shadow had come to his conclusion long ago, and had desperately been clinging to the hope that his fears were mistaken, Leaf had done the opposite. It suddenly seemed so obvious to Shadow. When they had their talk, Leaf had desperately asked what had happened, clearly seeking confirmation of their parents' loss, and became agitated when Shadow had been unable to provide the answer. Back then, Shadow assumed Leaf had felt the same way he did - emotionally overwhelmed and confused.

But Shadow was wrong, and he only realized it now. Leaf had never doubted that their parents had died. All the clinging he had been doing to Shadow lately was not just because they were extremely close siblings, but because he already KNEW that Shadow was all he had left.

Leaf had chosen not to cling to the empty promises that hope offered. He had already emotionally moved on from the loss, and Shadow reviving the subject was forcing him to react to a wound that was still fresh, but wasn't going to scar.

"I'm sorry," Shadow whispered finally, and turned his gaze back to the grass. "I just...didn't want to keep it from you."

"...thank you," Leaf said, even more quietly than Shadow had. The Espeon didn't even have to look to know that Leaf's ears had drooped. It was a rare and beautiful moment that both of them understood each other completely without voicing the thought aloud, but Shadow wished it could have been a happier thought, rather than confirming the death of their parents.

Discovering this fact had been excruciating for him yet, in an odd way, felt like a huge burden had been removed from him. The weight was still there, yet the size had diminished. It was more manageable, and not as daunting now.

* * *

 _"How do you know?" Shadow demanded. There was no anger in his tone, just confusion and something else that was difficult to identify._

 _"...I asked him," Cecilia replied quietly._

 _"What? Asked who?"_

 _"Diablos," the Quilava whispered. "After seeing your memories, I went straight there and demanded answers. It wasn't just you that was affected, but me, and Force, too. And he told me."_

 _The Quilava began to shake, whether from sorrow or anger, Shadow couldn't tell. The flames that were burning on her back intensified, and her blue eyes seemed to burn as she looked into the Espeon's eyes._

 _"He told me without a moment's hesitation. Not a drop of remorse in his words. It was the most nonchalant confession I'd ever heard," she growled. "And to add insult to injury, he THANKED me for the advice."_

* * *

Shadow bristled. Even on reflection of the memory, his reaction was the same as when he first heard it from Cecilia. It was the purest form of anger he had ever experienced. Nothing but raw contempt for the being of which the Quilava had spoken. After meeting Diablos within the Ruins, it had become easy to imagine the tone he must have used when Cecilia had confronted him. Dismissive amusement, and nonchalant taunting.

Words alone could not express his gratitude about her coming clean to him. Her pain and guilt had been palpable, and he couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for her to reveal not only the information she had known that affected him, but also her role, unintentional or otherwise, in the events that had transpired.

Unfortunately, she didn't have all the answers he had wanted. There were some details she had never been told, or details in conversation she hadn't remembered, but Shadow suspected that if she had known more, she would have told him everything without any hesitation, if that was what was needed to make amends to him.

"Leaf?" Shadow said, breaking the extended silence between him and his brother, the abruptness of him speaking startling the Leafeon. "We're going to need to travel again."

"Where?" Leaf didn't seem too surprised by this statement, but then again, he knew they had only come this far to get tutoring for Shadow's psychic abilities. He didn't seem too thrilled, either.

"Where would you like us to go?" Shadow asked. He had been mulling over how to approach the traveling issue with Leaf for a while. He had been too firm with Leaf since the incident with their parents. He had practically forced the little guy to obey his every command without allowing him to have any real input. He had taken the matter of Leaf's safety too far, and had been terrible at the job. Leaf didn't need Shadow to be his parent, just his brother, albeit a brother looking out for his younger sibling.

"Me?" Leaf blinked, startled by the suggestion. Shadow nodded seriously.

"It hasn't been fair of me to drag you along without talking about what you'd like to do," Shadow explained, allowing a small smile. "I can't promise you'll always get to do what you want, but I want to try to be more...accommodating."

Leaf smiled a little, and considered. "I want to go see Bee-Bee again," he said after only a short pause. "I never got to say good-bye before we left," he added, frowning a little. Shadow raised an eyebrow at the promptness of the reply. Clearly, this had been something that had been weighing on the little guy's mind for a while. He knew that Leaf had mentioned the issue a few days ago, but he evidently underestimated how important the Beedrill friend was to his brother.

Shadow frowned thoughtfully, and his hesitation prompted the Leafeon to pout, probably assuming that Shadow was backing out of his suggestion of letting Leaf have some input into the matter.

That was the problem, though. The reason they had left the Eterna area so quickly was because of how unsafe the area was in Shadow's mind. The forest was viciously dangerous, there were Pokemon trainers passing through regularly, and Shadow hadn't known whether he had to be worried about Diablos coming after them to finish the job he had started.

Those seemed like trivial concerns now, though. The forest was still dangerous, but Shadow had since encountered the exact same Pokemon trainer AND Diablos again. There probably was no absolutely safe place in Sinnoh for them to go and not have some manner of a threat lurking. If that was the case, then it didn't really matter too much if they returned.

Shadow finally nodded. "That should be okay," he said, and Leaf's expression brightened.

"Really?"

"Probably, yeah," Shadow said, biting his lip. "There's one or two things I need to do in that area anyway...but we're not leaving yet. And I want to talk to Frost and Raze about it first, okay?"

"Okay! Thanks, Shadow!" the Leafeon chirped, and practically tackled the Espeon in an affectionate embrace. He then glanced up at the cloudy sky and frowned a bit. "Can we go inside now? I think it's going to rain..."


	40. Icy Departure

The rest of Frost's visit went far more smoothly than he had originally anticipated. It was funny how things often worked out that way. The events that one may dread facing are rarely as terrible as they expect, and it's usually their own imagination and second guessing that brings them down.

Of course, the only reason his visit didn't turn out the way he expected was because Blizzard seemed to have the uncanny ability to know what he was thinking, and she was the type to address those concerns promptly rather than allowing him to stew in his fears and uncertainty. It was actually embarrassing to admit to himself that Blizzard had him pegged so well.

That said, Frost still didn't have his future schedule mapped out perfectly. He had no idea what Shadow and Leaf intended to do moving forward, especially since Shadow had returned from his 'date' looking so somber. As such, he couldn't predict the next time he would be in a convenient range of Mt. Coronet to drop by, or whether he would have access to a Pokemon capable of Teleportation should distance prove to be an issue.

As Glacia slept, Frost took the opportunity to catch up with Blizzard a little. It hadn't been a ridiculously long time since he was last here, but he still was interested to know how she was managing, and particularly how Glacia was developing. It pained him a little to realize just how much the Eevee kit had grown within the last week or so. Glacia was still not capable of speaking, but that seemed to be something a kit picked up on when they were a little older.

Not that Frost would have guessed this normally. For such a young Pokemon, Leaf seemed remarkably articulate, his aversion to Frost's larger vocabulary not withstanding. In fact, it occurred to Frost that Leaf was probably only a couple months older than Glacia, although the exact age was still tricky to determine due to Leaf's evolution throwing off the estimate. He made a mental note to ask Shadow what Leaf's birthday was, followed by a second mental note to ask Shadow what his own birthday was.

"Any idea how long it takes kits to learn how to speak?" he wondered. Blizzard gave him a weird look.

"I can't even hazard a guess on that one," she said, sounding mildly amused. "I assume neither of us have had much exposure to other kits up in the mountains."

"Did you actually live here your whole life?" Frost asked, slightly surprised. "I was under the impression you moved up here."

"I did, but I moved here because I actually wanted to be a Glaceon," Blizzard explained. "As for my name, it involved a snow globe. I don't want to talk about it."

Frost had never been more curious about the story behind someone's name than he was at that exact moment, but Blizzard had applied a firmness to her comment that told him that he would have better chances interrogating the wall, if only because the wall wouldn't kick him out of the den.

"Has Glacia been outside much?" Frost wondered. The Eevee had hatched in January, so the winter storm had been a bit too intense to really allow her to go out, but the weather had mellowed out enough in recent days that Blizzard probably would have taken her out once or twice.

"No more than fifteen minutes at a time, and always bundled with two scarves," Blizzard answered, nodding over to a pair of scarves that littered the floor of the den. "I of course remain at her side at all times, but she has gotten a taste of the outside air. And several literal tastes of snow."

"She has no chance of being anything other than a Glaceon, does she?" Frost mused. "If so, you realize that all three of us would be Glaceon with ice-based names?"

"We all grew up on a snowy mountain," Blizzard noted, but she smiled a little.

The conversation sort of drifted into a lull after that. The female Glaceon was visibly tired, to which Frost offered to keep watch over Glacia while she napped, an offer Blizzard gratefully accepted, but she insisted on sleeping in the main area of the den to keep Glacia from becoming agitated if she awoke and couldn't see her mother. Frost had to take her word on that being a side effect of Glacia's developmental phase, because the Eevee hadn't been THAT clingy when he had still been living there, although the dependance on Blizzard sounded about right.

Frost watched as Blizzard rummaged around the den until she had located a large blanket among the clutter. It took her another moment or two of adjusting its shape with her teeth, but soon she had fashioned herself a nest of sorts, and curled up comfortably within it. Frost remained quiet, allowing his gaze to wander idly around the den as not to make the female Glaceon self-conscious, until Blizzard's breathing became slow and rhythmic, a sure sign that she had dozed off.

Only then did he allow his attention to return to her, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. There was little doubt in his mind that Glacia took after her mother - they both were exceptionally cute, even moreso while they were asleep. Glacia even mirrored her mother's sleeping position, partially curled up with her head resting on her forepaws, her tail curled close to her body.

However, Frost chose not to let his gaze linger on Blizzard for too long. He considered it extremely difficult to justify 'watching her sleep' without the self-awareness coming off as creepy. Doubly so when watching over their daughter, considering her existence alone should dispel any question as to whether Frost found the female Glaceon attractive.

The male Glaceon frowned to himself, turning his gaze to the comfortably sleeping Eevee at his feet, absently stroking her back with a feather-light touch. He hated to admit any pangs of remorse and guilt in regards to his decision not to stay with Blizzard and Glacia, but such discomfort nevertheless existed within his heart. It hadn't even been easy bringing up the subject to Blizzard originally, just a few weeks ago. She understood his decision, if only because of the circumstances that had forced him to stay at her den, but even this short visit reminded him of the fact that they did still have a close bond.

There was a mutual fondness between them, and one Frost hesitated to credit purely to Glacia's birth. They had gotten along perfectly fine before that. Blizzard was a kind soul, patient and considerate, but also firm and intimidating for reasons Frost still couldn't understand, but there was something else about her that drew him to her, something he couldn't quite pinpoint in his mind, that caused him to view her in a romantic light.

It would have been easy to simply pass it off as young enthusiasm. Frost was not a very young Pokemon, not quite in the sense that Shadow and Leaf seemed to be. He was very well educated in regards to physical maturity and phases of attraction. However, the mountains had had a very scarce supply of potential mates for a male Glaceon. There were plenty of Sneasel, but Lin's warning not to tangle with them in any sense turned him away from that option. Snowy mountains were not a common habitat for other Eevee, his parents being the sole examples, and the other common species just didn't appeal to him. Snorunt and Glalie, rare as they were, were just...weird, Snover and Abomasnow were too plant-like and difficult to approach to consider, and Frost personally did not find Meditite and their kin to be even remotely attractive.

So it would have been easy to understand him gravitating towards Blizzard. Coupled with the effects of cold on Ice-types restricted to a solitary living space, the entire matter could be blamed on science and be done with it.

But that wasn't it. Frost considered Blizzard to be a romantic partner. There was something about her that he found attractive, something that superseded physical desire. But ultimately, he didn't feel content with things as they were. He cared for Blizzard, but not the way his father cared for his mother, and vice versa. There was still something lacking in their bond, and his own thirst to see more or the world and how it operated kept him from being truly happy.

It was a frustrating puzzle in itself. Fondness and admiration for a romantic pursuit, but yet not feeling like their souls were entwined. Part of him wanted nothing more than to stay here and help Blizzard with raising Glacia, but the other part of him detested the idea, knowing he'd live a miserable existence, constantly wanting something out on the horizon but unable to truly seek it out, and for how long? Months? Years?

The contradiction was what ate at him the most. Would it be better to be distant, but visit and check-in often to stay within Glacia's life? Or would it be preferable to remain, suffer in silence for her sake, but gradually grow to resent the lie he'd be living? Giving Glacia a false image of how close her parents' bond truly was, only for the whole thing to eventually be revealed?

And worse, it might feed Blizzard's affection for him in a way he could not truly reciprocate.

Glacia's stirring broke Frost from his endless cycle of uncertainty, and he looked down at her again. The Eevee shifted a little, then yawned widely with the most adorable sound that Frost had ever heard uttered by the young Eevee. It was a happy sound, the sound of an Eevee kit that had gotten a well-needed nap and was again ready to take on her insatiable curiosity towards life.

Glacia nudged against Frost's foreleg, using him to prop herself back onto her feet, and then she nudged his leg with her head, making a giggle-like sound. Frost chuckled and scooped her up in his paws, giving her an affectionate hug, which she responded to with great enthusiasm.

Undoubtedly attuned to Glacia's sporadic sleep cycle, Blizzard awoke less than a minute later, and observed them with a fond, if tired, smile. As Glacia bounded over to her mother, Frost chanced a glance outside, and frowned.

"I'm sorry for cutting this visit brief, but I arranged for pick-up at sundown," he said, his tone apologetic. "Unfortunately, I have to rendezvous at the base of the mountain, so I will have to depart shortly."

Blizzard gave a slow nod, patting Glacia's head as the Eevee began nudging her. "Any estimate on your next visit, then?"

Frost furrowed his brow. "I want to say a week. I'm not positive on the time scale, but I want it to be no later than a week, maybe two tops. If it's more than two, assume I'm dead."

"Yeah, okay," Blizzard deadpanned. She looked down at Glacia, who was now fixing her with an expectant look, a very quiet whine coming from the Eevee, but it was gradually rising in pitch and volume. "Just a second, sweetie. Frost's going to be heading out soon, so let's give him a proper good-bye, okay?"

Frost raised an eyebrow, but smiled at Glacia. "I'll be sure to see you again soon, though. Flash me a cute smile, and I'll come rushing back."

Glacia chirped and smiled, then turned back to Blizzard, promptly resuming her whine, somehow continuing from the precise volume and pitch she had paused it on. Frost winced a little, and Blizzard's expression spoke volumes about how often she had to put up with the escalating siren of the kit's appetite.

"Thank you for stopping by, Frost," Blizzard said with a weak smile. "I hope you'll excuse the hasty farewell, but I underestimated Glacia's vocal range once before."

Even as she spoke, Blizzard was standing up and making her way towards the right side of the den. Glacia started to follow, thankfully halting her whine. Frost chuckled and stepped closer, giving Blizzard a light peck on the cheek. The female Glaceon smiled, and Frost returned it with a brief smile of his own, but he quickly made his way for the den exit, if only to spare Blizzard the agony of Glacia resuming her whine out of spite.

* * *

It occurred to Frost during his careful descent down the mountain that A/C might actually have difficulty finding him at the mountain's base. Mt. Coronet was infamously large with numerous passages leading in and out of the mountain caves, but he needn't have worried. It was less than twenty minutes of walking along the mountain perimeter before the Kadabra located him, explaining that she was scanning for brain signals in the area in order to get a rough estimate of his location.

And without further ado, she Teleported them back to the now familiar warmth of her den outside Solaceon. The air here seemed almost hot compared to the bliss of ice and snow he had savored further north, but it would only be a matter of time for his body temperature to adjust.

The Kadabra settled herself down into a meditative position near the back of her den, which Frost quickly realized was empty apart from the two of them. He was about to ask about the whereabouts of the others, but before he could even open his mouth to form the question, his ears caught the sounds coming from just outside, which certainly simplified things.

The Glaceon peered outside the den, noticing Raze first, seeing as the Buizel was sitting just outside the den entrance, overlooking the grassy area below. From there, it was a simple matter of following the Water-type's gaze to the two Pokemon below.

"This is just a spar, right?" Frost inquired, taking note of the more playful demeanor and movements of the younger Eons, in sharp contrast to the more serious and aggressive movements one would expect from an actual conflict. Raze jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly nodded once he realized who was speaking.

"Yeah, they started just after the brief rain shower," Raze explained. "I don't think they've sparred together since before they met you."

Frost clicked his tongue thoughtfully, sitting down to watch the two. Leaf had definitely improved from the practice he had gotten recently, but Shadow was impressively more competent as well, able to maneuver with greater agility than he normally displayed. Then again, Shadow didn't seem to like moving unnecessarily, whereas Leaf was an excitable ball of energy when sufficiently solar powered.

"Are they just working on melee tactics, or any elemental techniques?" Frost asked.

"Shadow's occasionally using psychic abilities to disrupt Leaf's movements, but nothing aggressive," Raze said, his tails flicking in amusement. Frost cast him a puzzled look, which took several seconds for Raze to notice. "When Leaf charges from too far a distance, Shadow psychically trips him, then explains that Leaf's putting too much distance between them, which gives Shadow a massive advantage."

"Interesting," Frost murmured. That certainly explained why Leaf was constantly closing the gap between himself and Shadow, but not so close as to be attacking directly. Perhaps Frost had underestimated Shadow's understanding of battle tactics. Alternatively, Shadow had recognized instances of these style weaknesses from the battles within the Ruins. Cecilia's fight with the Sigilyph, and Frost's fight with Lin should have been excellent examples of a distance fighter's weakness and how to exploit it.

Yet it was clear that neither Shadow nor Leaf were experts yet. There was plenty more they had to learn about their own battle styles and techniques. Still, if they could progress so far with just his basic training and observing other spars and battles, then they definitely had a lot of potential.

"That's good for the day, Leaf," Shadow said, loudly enough for his voice to carry up to Frost's ears. Both of them seemed winded, but in very good spirits. The sun's last rays were beginning to disappear beneath the horizon, so there was little point in putting Leaf through his paces any longer before it would become outright disadvantageous.

"And that's that," Raze chuckled, climbing to his feet and stretching. Frost waited for the two Eons to make their way up to the den entrance before turning and heading inside. By this time, Raze had settled into a comfortable sitting position on one side of the den, and A/C had telekinetically drawn one of the books over to herself and was deeply engrossed in reading.

"Oh, you're back," Shadow said, as soon as he and the young Leafeon came in.

"Indeed," Frost commented. "Nice spar you two had going on out there."

"Thanks!" Leaf chirped, but his eyelids were drooping a little, a clear sign that he was exhausted. "And thanks for the spar, Shadow!" he added to his brother, giving the ebony Espeon a loving nuzzle. Shadow smiled fondly and licked his brother's cheek. Frost felt the corners of his mouth twitch in spite of himself. It just reminded him so much of Glacia's interaction with Blizzard. Fondness beyond words, and mutually expressed in their own way.

"Your mood's picked up a bit," Frost mused quietly. Shadow's silver eyes flicked towards Frost, but he didn't comment. "In any case, I was wondering whether you had a plan moving forward yet, whether travel or training related."

"Hm, I had wanted to discuss that with you earlier, but you had gone off somewhere," Shadow noted. Frost quickly noticed that Shadow wasn't focusing on him, but rather on Leaf, guiding the sleepy Leafeon towards one side of the den, and even helping the young Pokemon find the most comfortable patch of ground to lay down on. Frost waited patiently, whereas Raze observed this with obvious amusement.

The den remained silent for several moments, until Leaf had settled on a spot and had curled up. Shadow sat beside him, stroking the Leafeon's back soothingly, similarly to how Frost had stroked Glacia prior to her nap. It was almost eerie how similar Leaf and Glacia's behavior was at times, which reminded Frost of his earlier train of thought.

"How old is Leaf?" he asked. Shadow blinked at Frost strangely. "Like, when is his birthday?" Frost clarified.

"October twenty-first," Shadow answered. Frost raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. That meant that Leaf was just barely over five months old, and Glacia was just over two months. With such a small gap between their ages, it was worrisome to consider how much the young Eevee might grow in a short span of time.

"And your own birthday and age?" Frost asked.

Shadow blinked once, and for a moment, Frost thought he was going to refuse to answer, or at least question why the Glaceon was asking. After a short pause, Shadow gave a light shrug of his shoulders.

"June eighteenth. Going on three."

"Ah, so I had estimated you correctly, at least," Frost chuckled. In response to the unasked question, he smiled. "I'm fairly good at sizing up other Pokemon and estimating their age or battle experience. Leaf was very difficult to guess because of his evolution throwing me off."

"He did evolve rather young," Shadow admitted, and his silver eyes lit up with a hint of curiosity. "And you?"

"I evolved almost two years- oh, you mean my age and birthday, don't you?" Frost chuckled. Shadow nodded. "May sixteenth, going on four years."

There was an awkward pause following this answer, and then Shadow's gaze flicked towards Raze, who chuckled and waved his paw idly.

"Let's not drag me into this conversation. I have no idea when my birthday is. I count my age in springs. I'm like four or so."

"Too old to ask that question of," A/C said idly, before anyone could even think of turning to ask her. Frost shrugged, but didn't object. He hadn't really been that interested in knowing the Kadabra's age, anyway, but at least it allowed the conversation to get back on track.

"So what did you have in mind for upcoming days or so?" the Glaceon asked. Shadow was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

"Leaf and I are going to head back towards the Eterna area. He has a friend there we didn't depart from properly. And I need to visit...something in that area."

Raze and Frost exchanged glances, but neither of them found an answer in one another's eyes. If Shadow noticed the looks, he didn't comment on them.

"In terms of training...I need to continue growing stronger. So for that purpose, I want to keep in touch with you, Frost. Now that I have the basics, I think your methods will be more effective."

"Well, they certainly can't become LESS effective," Raze snickered, prompting a brief scowl from Frost. The corners of Shadow's mouth twitched, much to Frost's chagrin. He was so under-appreciated, but at the same time, he really couldn't say anything to deflect the criticism, and arguing against the statement would just emphasize how little impact Frost truly had in Shadow's psychic development.

"I have no objection with continuing to assist you and your brother in your training," Frost said, waving a paw dismissively as an expression of how little trouble it was. "I hope your continued improvement will provide me with a similar effect in my own training. However, I do have a small, but significant question for you."

"Oh? What's that?"

It was a small detail, but Frost noticed the slight tension that took hold of the Espeon's body. Fortunately, it was not accompanied by a throbbing headache, so either his hesitation was not emotionally provocative, or the Espeon had gotten better control of his psychic backlash.

Frost considered the best way to word his thoughts before speaking. "You stated a need to continue growing stronger. I wonder what purpose this serves, in your eyes. What's driving you to reach the greater level you're seeking?"

Shadow looked completely confused. "I don't understand what you're asking."

"That was a REALLY flowery wording, Frost," Raze agreed. "I understood it, but it was so needlessly dramatic."

"Then you ask it better," Frost retorted, mildly put out by the response.

Raze rolled his eyes. "Why do you want to grow stronger? See how easy that was?"

Shadow frowned. "Why? Because I'm making progress, but I'm not independent. I need to keep working on it."

Frost clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Yes, I gathered that. But what is pushing you to pursue this goal? Do you have a specific goal or level of strength before you're satisfied? Do you want to use your strength for something specific? These are all questions to consider. What do you want to accomplish?"

Shadow seemed taken aback, and his frown deepened. Frost watched him closely, searching for some tiny sign that would hint at Shadow's objective even if he refused to articulate it. The real reason Frost asked was because he was reminded of what Lin had said to him back at the Ruins about having a purpose that would drive him further. If Shadow approached the ideal of strength with a viewpoint of strength for its own sake, he might fall into the same pitfall Frost himself evidently had.

"I...want to be able to protect Leaf...and myself...and any friends I make along the way. To preserve the safety of those I care about," Shadow managed finally. Frost could tell that it had taken a great deal of nerves for Shadow to express this thought, particularly considering how stoic and evasive Shadow tended to be about his feelings about anything. He was never emotionless, but he hated to answer personal questions, and this was a very personal issue.

"That's a good goal," Frost conceded. It was at least a good starting point. There was no real need to pester Shadow further on the goal. The answer was actually very illuminating about a piece Frost had been missing about Shadow's history. Shadow had referenced protecting his brother, himself, and his friends. He mentioned Leaf first - very telling about his ultimate top priority. The mention of friends was given hesitantly, and based on the earlier conversation with Leaf, the two of them didn't have many friends growing up. Shadow was perhaps hesitant to apply the label to anyone at this time.

"Do you plan to walk back to Eterna?" Raze wondered, drawing their attention. Shadow hesitated uncertainly.

"I suppose so...but that could take a while. Is it possible to Teleport that far?" he asked, briefly glancing towards A/C. The Kadabra looked up and tapped her mouth with her spoon in thought.

"I would personally not advise relying on Teleportation for all forms of distance transportation," she said finally. "When you Teleport multiple people, it consumes more energy from you, and the greater the distance traveled, the more complications that can ensue."

"Like what?" Shadow asked, his silver eyes widening.

"Teleportation is a skill not every psychic Pokemon has absolute mastery of," A/C explained serenely. "It requires absolute focus, a very solid grasp of psychic control, and an understanding of the destination. Missing in any area of these can drastically offset the Teleportation. Extending a teleportation field over several Pokemon at once is very difficult, and the only reason I've done so previously is because I'm intimately familiar with my destination - usually either the Town's Pokemon Center or my den."

"So if you're not familiar with the destination..." Raze began slowly.

"A mental miscalculation could land you somewhere else entirely, or somewhere it is not safe for you to be, like the territory of wild Pokemon. Coupled with the amount of energy you expend to accomplish the task, you may find yourself completely vulnerable at the worst possible time," A/C stated solemnly.

"And I imagine it carries risk to members of the group. Perhaps them being Teleported to different locations within a range of destinations?" Frost guessed.

A/C nodded. "As such, I do not recommend you attempting Teleportation until one has full mastery of their basic psychic abilities, or when it is an absolute last resort, and even then, it should be limited to yourself and maybe one other. I apologize, but there is no way I will consent to Teleporting your group as far as Eterna City from here, nor would I consider it wise to teach you how to attempt it at this level of your training. If you get better control of your psychic abilities and are in the area in the future, I do invite you to drop by and I may reconsider tutoring you in that particular field."

"I understand," Shadow said, with a polite bow of his head. "Thank you for your advice and tutoring."

"It's been my pleasure," A/C replied with a smile, before returning her attention to her book.

"When might you want to leave?" Frost wondered. "Obviously, right now is impossible, since it's far too late in the day, and Leaf is sleeping...even I find myself rather tired and a touch sore yet."

"Tomorrow maybe?" Shadow said, shrugging. "Better sooner than later."

Frost considered the Espeon in silence. He still had no idea what had gone down within the depth of the Ruins, and how it factored into the shift in mood for the Espeon. And then there was the matter of how somber Shadow had been on returning from his 'date' with Cecilia this morning. He was in better spirits now, but there was almost no way those events weren't affecting his intention to leave the area, or his more open desire to become stronger for the sake of those around him.

"Tomorrow works fine for me," Frost said with a light nod. There were plenty of questions yet to ask, but now did not seem like the opportune time to question Shadow about them. With luck, the Espeon would grow more comfortable in divulging that information with a little more time and nudging.

"Perfect," Shadow said, and he began to settle into a comfortable sleeping position beside Leaf, allowing the young grass Pokemon to nestle against his side. He seemed about to say something else, but a yawn overtook him first, and whatever thought he had on his mind went unvocalized. Without another word, the Espeon closed his eyes, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Frost chuckled quietly and walked over to determine his own sleeping space. He had had quite a long day himself, so he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to get some sleep, especially if they planned to set out the following morning.

His last thoughts before sleep overcame him was the idle wondering of whether Blizzard and Glacia were also getting ready for a night's rest.


	41. Clouds Gathering

The aftermath of winter always left its mark upon the region for a while. Depending on the severity of the weather, the entire region could look faded and diminished, but springtime was always a special time for many Pokemon and humans. It was the beginning of the cycle of renewal, when plant life began to flourish again and create the beautiful natural atmosphere that Johto was known for.

A light rain shower pattered against the leaves of the trees, leaving a fresh scent in the air that allowed even those seeking shelter from the water to savor the smells and sights of an early April rain.

Sorin was no admirer of rainy weather, for obvious reasons. Rainwater liked to soak into his wing feathers and restrict his flight. Even if he had no intention of flying or gliding, it could take forever for his wings to dry out sufficiently, and it just left his body with a cold, heavy feeling. It was like being waterlogged in parts of your body, with the rest of your body unaffected. Such a strange, discomforting experience.

As such, the Altaria had sought shelter atop a tree branch belonging to a massive tree whose branches and leaves more than adequately shielded his body from the pattering rain. He was mostly just grateful that it wasn't a full blown thunderstorm, because that would just make the wild Pokemon in the area skittish and difficult to observe. With nothing more interesting to take note of, Sorin was content simply to watch the local Pokemon going about their lives in the midst of the shower.

It had been several days since Sorin had visited the Ruins of Alph. Kaito and Iris had emerged from the hidden chamber looking disappointed and annoyed, and although they came on the heels of Adrian and his Pokemon, no one else had given the Altaria any insight into what might have transpired. Using his own combination of guesswork, Sorin assumed that someone or something had provoked Ember enough for her to be withdrawn, based on the sounds of conflict that had echoed down the passageway, and the Charmander's notable absence when Adrian had returned.

Iris had seemed fairly baffled by the events, so it was little use asking her for a synopsis, and Kaito was enigmatic to a fault. That was to be expected by now, though. Sorin had known Kaito for many years, and despite being in close contact on a regular basis, the Togetic was extremely difficult to truly understand. He had an obvious disdain towards clutter and filth, but he was even more deeply intrigued by ancient cultures and civilizations, to the point of ignoring how dusty and dingy such research sites were, to say nothing of the possibility of finding the remains of Pokemon or humans within the sites.

Kaito also had the flaw of rarely taking the time to fully explain his thought process, which could make conversations with him difficult unless one sat down and insisted on addressing every question or concern they had before allowing the topic to move on. Kaito often acted as though everyone was on the same page as him, and if someone did have a question that he felt was inconsequential to the current subject, he would dismiss it for the moment, often saying he'd cover it later, but then never doing so because the subject would have shifted so far away from the concern that it rarely got brought up again.

Sorin cocked his head slightly, watching a Furret peering out from a veil of tall grass. After a few cautious moments of glancing around, and even lifting her head above the grass for a better viewpoint, she ducked down out of sight. Seconds later, a trio of tiny Sentret emerged from the grass, with the Furret right behind them. All the while, her eyes continued to scan the path, and she frequently chirped to the young Sentret, directing their movements in a language Sorin couldn't understand.

The Altaria chuckled to himself, watching as the small family disappeared into the grass on the opposite side of the path. While many Pokemon species were perfectly capable of communicating in a common tongue, some of them still had their unique forms of communication that were nigh impossible for others to interpret beyond the gist of the exchange. From his observations, this was most common among Pokemon whose species were often considered to be prey animals, so warnings and directions given in a manner that a predator could not understand was simple survival.

Sorin peered out from beneath the shelter of the tree branches, but quickly withdrew his head upon inspecting the skies. The gray clouds spanning over the sky were fortunately light in color, but they extended too far to be able to reasonably estimate how long until the rain would subside.

Sorin sighed, the act itself producing a melodious hum from his throat, and without even thinking about it, he soon found himself humming along to some random tune he had somehow gotten stuck in his head that past week. It was probably some song that had exploded in popularity recently so that every trainer carrying a Pokegear or its kin were listening to it, and the tune had eventually wormed its way into Sorin's subconscious.

"Excuse me."

Sorin flinched badly. He had been so lost in his thoughts and absent-minded humming that he had simply ceased paying attention to his surroundings. His gaze flicked around the area blankly for a moment, then he looked down at the blind spot that existed directly beneath his perch, at the base of the tree.

A quadruped Pokemon stood there, its fur a vibrant red-orange with a collar of bright yellow, fluffy fur that rivaled his wings in terms of softness. The same kind of fur also formed a tuft on its head, between two long ears, and an even fluffier-looking tail. Sorin just stared at the Pokemon in stunned confusion. With fur that bright and colorful, how could he have possibly overlooked it until it was standing right below him. Heck, he didn't notice its presence until it had spoken.

The confusion was hastily replaced with wariness. The voice that spoke had been distinctly feminine, and while she hadn't said anything other than 'excuse me' to get his attention, he had a lot of experience observing the behaviors and mannerisms of different people and Pokemon.

The Flareon's dark brown eyes were utterly devoid of humor. There was no playfulness in her stance, and even the steady drizzle of rain seemed to have absolutely no effect on her, for her fluffy fur seemed completely dry, as if water simply evaporated on contact with the fur.

"Er...yes?" Sorin asked, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He seemed to have the most atrociously bad luck when it came to female Fire-type Pokemon invading his personal space, but since he was perched on a tree branch above her head, he had no idea whether there was an ulterior motive for coming into his personal bubble. Was it even fair to consider the ground below him to be part of that bubble?

"Are you local to this area?" the Flareon asked. There was an edge to her voice that immediately rubbed Sorin the wrong way. It wasn't threatening, but it was...prickly. It bristled with impatience and barely concealed frustration.

"Uh...kind of, I guess?" Sorin answered uncertainly. "It depends on what you're trying to find out. I'm good with landmarks and directions, and-"

"Do you notice the Pokemon coming through?" the Flareon interrupted. Sorin frowned internally. Okay, the lack of manners was really grating now, and his tolerance for rudeness directed at him was wearing thin.

"Sometimes," he replied, deliberately adding a layer of curtness to his tone. Maybe if she knew how she sounded like to him, she'd catch on to the fact that conversations shouldn't be so clipped. Not every Pokemon he observed was rude by default, but some did occasionally create a bad impression due to outside factors. Sometimes it was the weather, or maybe the aftermath of an argument he hadn't witnessed. Right now, he was guessing a lack of self-awareness.

Something flashed across the Flareon's expression following Sorin's reply, but he had difficulty making it out due to the admittedly poor vantage point he had.

"Am I going to have to keep craning my neck like this to hold a conversation?" the Flareon complained, sitting down and massaging her neck with one paw.

"You could back away from the tree a little bit," Sorin suggested. This earned him an annoyed look, just in time for him to realize how sarcastic his answer sounded. "I...guess I could come down there, but just keep your distance a bit, okay?"

The Flareon was definitely giving him a dirty look now. "Do you think I'm diseased or something?"

Sorin winced, carefully spreading his cotton wings and using the light breeze to glide slowly to the grass below. "Er...no, nothing like that. Uh...I have a thing with personal space. It's nothing against you specifically, sorry."

The Flareon considered him coolly. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Fluffy body and warmth just invites the cuddles, right?"

"Yeah..." Sorin admitted. He settled down a comfortable distance from the fire Eon. "Look, let's just try this again, okay? I'm Sorin."

The fire Pokemon sighed slightly and adjusted her sitting position. Sorin immediately noticed that she draped her tail around herself, in what some might consider a display of shyness. However, Sorin read something else in the mannerism - she had an unusually well-developed sense of modesty. This was actually a strange trait for wild Pokemon to have, and fairly unusual even for trained Pokemon. It left Sorin completely unsure how to label her upbringing.

"Celes."

Sorin blinked. It had definitely taken a moment for the Flareon to identify herself, and the name itself was spoken as a declaration, rather than an introduction. The way the Flareon was carrying herself right now was already contrasting with the initial impression he had gotten earlier. Now he couldn't tell if she was confident bordering on arrogant, or terribly shy and overcompensating with harshness. Or if either description was accurate.

"Well, nice to meet you, Celes. Nice name," Sorin said awkwardly, if only to break the silence. Celes gave a curt nod in return. "Uh...what can I help you with?"

"I'm looking for my brother," Celes stated crisply. Sorin gave her an encouraging smile, but Celes didn't say anything further. For that matter, she wasn't even making eye contact, so she probably missed his smile entirely.

"Okay, um...I'm not sure if I've seen him in the area. Could you...elaborate a litle bit? What species is he?"

The Flareon's gaze flicked back towards Sorin's face, and although she kept her expression stoic, her eyes were not so gifted at concealing her frustration and growing despair.

"Last I saw him, he was still an Eevee."

The Altaria hummed thoughtfully, almost slipping into the rhythm of the tune stuck in his head before he hastily refocused. "If he came through here, he'd probably have run across the local Eevee clan. Do you want to ask over there? Aqua keeps pretty good tabs of passerby. In fact, they'd definitely welcome him, so he could even still be there," he suggested.

Celes snorted. "Blaze hated our clan. No way he'd accept another one. He'd freeze to death without a second thought if it came down to that or living in a clan."

Sorin just gaped at her. The Flareon spoke without a hint of exaggeration or joking in her voice. Either her brother legitimately found clan life hellish to the point of preferring death, or she at least believed he did.

"Oh. Um...any idea where he would go, then?" Sorin asked, knowing full well this was a stupid question to ask someone who was actively looking for the person they were talking about.

"As far away from our clan as possible," Celes replied dully, getting to her feet. "I don't have anything more useful than that. I just hoped... _hoped_...that maybe a local Pokemon might have seen him. So I'd know that I'm on the right track."

Sorin cringed. Celes' voice had cracked on the second use of 'hoped'. In that one word, he could feel the weight of her desperation and fear, even though she hadn't given him anything concrete to confirm this impression. But then she had recovered her composure an instant later, leaving him only that fleeting sense that the Flareon's burden was taking its toll on her more than she was letting on.

"How long has he been missing?" Sorin asked quietly.

"Months," Celes whispered. One of her paws was shaking as she glared down at it.

"...did he say why?" Sorin asked nervously. Despite his efforts to keep a soothing tone in his voice, he could almost sense the emotions raging against the floodgate of Celes' demeanor.

"I know why. The 'why' doesn't matter," Celes retorted bluntly. Then she heaved a long sigh. "I'm sorry for wasting your time," she said, already turning to leave the shelter of the tree.

"Wait," Sorin urged. The Flareon paused midstep, but didn't turn towards him or say anything. "Maybe I can help somehow. I know a bunch of other Pokemon that might know something, or at least be able to let me know if they hear something."

"I don't want to be a burden on you. I've served that role enough," Celes said quietly, but she did not walk away. Her ear twitched, as if straining to hear something that he was saying too softly.

"It's no trouble on me, really," Sorin said hastily, immediately recognizing the cue. It was the sign of someone who wanted to accept an invitation, but needed to be offered it again after the initial rejection. It was an odd game for people to play, but one that he was willing to play along with.

"I see...thank you," Celes said, turning back to face him, but her eyes scanned his face critically. "But what do you expect in return?"

"What?" Sorin blinked, confused. "Nothing, I just-"

Celes furrowed her brow suspiciously. "Then I cannot accept your offer."

"Wha-? Why?" Sorin asked, becoming increasingly bewildered.

"Because I can't trust selfless intentions," the Flareon replied bluntly. "Either you want something from me, or you're reaping a benefit I'm unaware of. Until the price is named, your offer cannot be trusted."

Sorin gawked at Celes, his beak moving, but no words coming out. She was completely serious about this, too. There was no humor in her eyes, not even the twitch of a smile forming.

"I...don't want..." Sorin began, but he quickly saw the futility of his argument. He quickly reassessed the situation, and then brightened. "Um...information. I want to know more of your background. How your clan functioned, and what happened with your brother."

Celes studied him for a moment, then gave a slow nod. "Fine," she said curtly, but Sorin saw that her tail flicked, the single indication of contentment she had displayed since he met her. "Then I accept your help."


	42. Down Payment Conversation

"Our clan was operated by a social system, and overseen by a group of leaders. There was no real hierarchy among the leaders, probably to avoid the issues of an alpha-dominated system," Celes said.

It hadn't taken Sorin long to discover that Celes was far more pleasant to interact with when she wasn't so guarded and clipped, or at least when she could be coaxed into talking about a subject she was familiar with. The two of them had set off towards the north almost immediately after making their agreement, with Sorin leading. If nothing else, Celes seemed relieved to not have the burden of navigation on her shoulders.

"What's wrong with an alpha system?" Sorin wondered. Most of the clans and communities he had observed, including the Eevee clan he had suggested earlier, were alpha-run. Such a system was usually considered significantly more stable, with a primary leader and a secondary hierarchy relating to delegating tasks, subbing in if the alpha was on business or unwell, or acting as counsel. It actually struck him as incredibly foolish to use a system that would lead to conflict among peers.

"I never asked their reason, but if I had to guess, the matter of inheritance and having too much power," Celes replied. "Also favoritism for the alpha's kits."

Sorin would have shrugged his wings if not for the fact he was currently using them. It was surprisingly difficult for him to hold conversations while gliding, if only because of his preference for nonverbal gestures and tics when he didn't have anything to say.

"Okay, go on," he prompted, chancing a glance back towards the Flareon. She was keeping pace with him well enough, yet her gaze constantly scanned the trees and grass as they traveled. Sorin was familiar enough with the area to choose routes that would minimize the odds of encountering any trainers, but even the ones who were traveling through the area would be low-risk. He couldn't speak for Celes' battle prowess, but he was a dragon Pokemon, and confident enough to hold his own against the majority of rookie trainers and their Pokemon. And if he did catch the signs of a human being a higher-level trainer, he would definitely re-route their path rather than risk an encounter.

Celes was quiet for a few moments, most likely gathering her thoughts. It was already clear that she had never taken the time to discuss her clan upbringing, and that she was likewise aware of how many little details she had to explain for someone like Sorin to fully grasp the situation there.

"Kits were raised in what was called a 'youngling community'. The clan was very small by most standards, so all the kits were raised as a group to receive equal education on what the clan viewed as important values. Parental figures did not exist."

"Your clan sounds terrible, honestly," Sorin said, before he could stop himself. "So parents had their kits, then shipped them off to be raised by someone else as a group? Did anyone even know their parents?"

"Parental figures was not a role of value," Celes conceded. "The clan was a community of peers. Parents had no role in naming their kits or caring for them, and I doubt any heritage matters were recorded. However..."

The Flareon paused, as if weighing over her next sentence.

"I'm fairly confident that two of the clan leaders were our parents. I'm almost certain of it."

"Why's that?" Sorin asked, glancing back at the Flareon. Celes' gaze flicked past Sorin, and he refocused again just in time to avoid a collision with a low-hanging branch. Okay, he needed to keep his eyes on the path.

"Blaze and I were labeled as siblings, despite an age gap of a year," Celes answered curtly. "If heritage was not tracked among most of the kits in the community, then the fact someone was tracking it enough to label us as siblings meant they were more invested in being able to identify their offspring, and that they had enough influence in the system to ensure that Blaze was not properly mixed into the community pool. Furthermore, they had to have been monogamous to be certain of the relationship, and clan leaders tended to be very possessive of their mates."

Sorin blinked. "Your clan wasn't monogamous?"

Celes snorted. "Why bother if they're not tracking heritage or caring for offspring? It was a small clan, and I'm sure half the point was to expand the numbers, so why mate for love?"

Sorin frowned to himself. That certainly seemed logical, but it seemed pointless for him to protest the system as she described it, because her tone certainly carried no love for the way the clan had been run. He could already imagine why her brother hated it, and she hadn't even gotten very far into the explanation.

"Okay, you can continue," the Altaria said finally, after taking a few more seconds to digest the information. Just as he had hoped, the Flareon's backstory thus far had been fascinating and engrossing, almost as good as some of his fancied versions of random Pokemon he observed.

"Where exactly are we going?" Celes asked, frowning and gazing around warily.

"I thought I'd hit Goldenrod first, got a couple of possible contacts there," Sorin said brightly. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said that he knew a bunch of Pokemon that could help him out. Even if none of them knew anything about her brother, they could at least keep an eye out and tip him off if they saw or heard anything. The Altaria may not have been a huge social butterfly in his youth, but he knew the advantages of keeping a few friends in touch. Kaito was just one example.

"I don't see why Blaze would go near a human city," Celes said doubtfully.

"If he's been gone so long, have you considered the chance that he got captured by a trainer?" Sorin asked tentatively. "Trainers go in and out of cities, and they usually have their Pokemon registered. It'd definitely be something one of my friends could keep an eye on."

"Oh..." Celes' doubt seemed to falter as she mulled over that statement. Even without looking, it was obvious to Sorin that she had legitimately never considered that angle.

They settled into an awkward silence for a few minutes. Sorin didn't really want to press the issue of discussing her clan if she wasn't up to continuing the topic of her own accord, and he likewise was fully aware that he hadn't yet produced anything of value to her yet to be justified in hounding her for her 'payment' right now.

"Why is my clan of interest to you?" the Flareon wondered abruptly. Sorin responded with a gentle chuckle.

"I'm just fascinated by other people and Pokemon in general. I like to observe others and piece together my own version of how they live based on how they act and things like that. It's a fun little hobby, like sitting in a cafe and watching the people there," Sorin explained airily. "I just figured I can actually learn something real, rather than my imagined versions, and it could be interesting, especially since I have visited another clan before and this way I can compare the systems a little."

The Altaria's answer seemed to satisfy Celes' query, at least for the moment, for she didn't question the matter further. At any rate, she didn't say anything for another minute, although Sorin chalked it up to the fact there were other Pokemon wandering the area, and he noted that some of them were glancing at the fire Eon curiously, even though they didn't say anything or approach.

"Out of random curiosity, how did you evolve?" Sorin wondered, hoping this line of thought would distract Celes from her self-consciousness or whatever was hindering the discussion. Furthermore, he had always wanted to ask evolved members of the Eevee line what drew them to their evolutions, or what circumstances were involved. As the Pokemon species capable of eight different branching evolutions, Eevee often struggled with the decision of which evolution best suited their personality or goals. Some found it easier, some found it harder, and there were a handful that were genuinely displeased with the outcome.

"I touched a Fire Stone," Celes stated bluntly.

"Uh...okay," Sorin said, frowning to himself. That was possibly the most anti-climactic answer he had ever received from that question. "I guess I more meant whether you chose to be a Flareon, or if it was an accident, or-"

"I know what you meant," Celes interrupted. Sorin sighed loudly. He had been hoping that Celes was becoming a little more sociable, but maybe he had just set his hopes too high.

"Sorry for asking," he muttered. He couldn't really look behind him to judge how Celes was reacting to his remarks or audible disappointment, so he expected the conversation to just drift back into a lull with no way to reliably restore it until after reaching Goldenrod.

"Evolution was regulated by the leaders," Celes stated unexpectedly, and Sorin turned his head towards her in mild surprise. The Flareon wasn't looking at him right now, instead gazing at the dirt path she was walking along. "To earn the right to evolve, one was expected to gain favor with one of the leaders. They routinely interacted with the younger members, and those they took a liking to could be selected to be groomed by that leader. Taken under their wing. Mentored."

"Oh? So evolution was a status symbol? Or would everyone get the opportunity, it just could be accelerated by being selected?" Sorin asked, intrigued, but taking care to keep his eyes on his surroundings, rather than the Flareon.

"Hm...both, I think. It was a status symbol, but being mentored gave you advantages. Official evolution procedure required you to pass some sort of test or trial, and upon completion, you would be presented with the evolution stone of choice, or take a trip to become a Leafeon. Our clan had no Glaceon."

Sorin mulled that over for a few seconds. That made some sense, although it still meant that Espeon and Umbreon evolutions simply could not be regulated by the clan leaders, but if the clan didn't emphasize bonding with potential mates, parents, or siblings, then those evolutions would have been much rarer, and the mentor relationship would probably be the trigger for those. In that sense, the clan leaders essentially would have had a monopoly on evolutions.

"Were all the clan leaders evolved?"

"Yes," Celes confirmed curtly. "Evolution was proof of status. It meant you were a peer to the leaders."

Sorin shook his head. That sounded like a repulsive system. Not only did it completely nullify family relationships and bonds, but it sounded like all the unevolved Eevee were almost completely at the mercy of the decisions and whims of a select group that controlled their growth and limited their power scope. He had almost no doubt that the leaders did this to ensure that any protest against the system would be futile without the power to back it up.

"My brother hated the clan," Celes continued softly, practically a whisper. "Hated it with all his heart. We'd talk on certain days...when he was upset over something, and he'd vow to one day do _something_ to change things...it was idle talk. We both knew we were powerless to change anything."

Sorin landed on the grass and turned his full attention to the Flareon. The main reason for stopping was because they'd need to change their route to head towards Goldenrod as opposed to Ecruteak, but the secondary reason was because he wanted to really pay attention to the little details in Celes' eyes and face as she spoke.

"I don't know how he found the Fire Stone, or how he resisted touching it immediately," Celes murmured. The first hint of a smile graced her face, extending all the way to her eyes, and Sorin noted that she was actually very pretty when she smiled. There was a light in her face that was harder to notice otherwise. "He called me over to it, so excited I thought he'd burst. Said it had to be a sign from Arceus herself."

Sorin winced. He could definitely see her brother's thought process there. An Eevee with a fire-based name coming across a Fire Stone of all things would seem eerily prophetic. However, the reason for wincing was centered on the fact that Celes was a Flareon, and had earlier said her brother was still an Eevee. It was dramatic irony at its most painfully obvious.

"Ironic...my reckless brother controlled his impulses better than I did," Celes lamented, and she sighed heavily. However, when she looked up again, her words were sharp and clipped. "There, you know how I evolved. Now drop it."

Sorin flinched, taken aback by the shift, but he hastily nodded, knowing better than to argue the matter further. She didn't need his help, just appreciated it. As such, she had no true obligation to share all her information until he produced something of genuine use to her search. If it was emotionally painful or similar, she had more incentive to just cut out of the bargain entirely than to force herself through those paces.

"That's fine, um...we're going to the left now, that'll lead us towards Goldenrod," Sorin said quickly, nodding towards the left-side branch in the path. Celes nodded, her body and expression relaxing once she knew he wasn't going to hound her for more details, and she immediately continued walking in the indicated direction, forcing Sorin to hastily take to the air again to avoid being left behind.

"Are you sure it's even a good idea to go into a human city?" Celes asked. "Aren't humans a bit...capture-happy or something?"

Sorin chuckled at the Flareon's wording. "Well, this is the Johto region. It has something of a fad where trainers frequently keep one or two of their Pokemon outside their Pokeballs, provided they don't cause any problems, so wild Pokemon actually have a lot more freedom within human-controlled areas. Again, provided they don't cause problems, it becomes a small sanctuary."

Celes cocked her head curiously at the Altaria. "So...they won't try to capture us because we might belong to a trainer?"

"Yes, but also because the competition between trainers after a wild Pokemon that wandered into the city could have ridiculous amounts of collateral damage," Sorin added. "It's obviously more complicated than that, but that's the basic idea."

Celes seemed intrigued by the concept, and Sorin expected that the Flareon had avoided human settlements like the plague. Then again, while he knew she came from a clan, particularly one apart from the Violet City clan, he had no idea what area of the region she might have come from.

For that matter, she probably wouldn't be able to tell him even if he asked. She didn't strike him as the type to be familiar with the names of human cities or landmarks, and it honestly wasn't important enough to pester her over now. With luck, he would be able to piece together a general area for her upbringing when she was willing to discuss her clan further. Little details like the weather conditions and the type of local Pokemon that might have come across her clan would be a major help for his mental picture.

"Are you normally this quiet?" Celes asked. Sorin blinked, shaking himself from his thoughts. "Not that quiet is a bad thing," Celes added quickly. "I'm just wondering if you're always like that or if my tone is turning you off of conversation."

Sorin chuckled again. "I am a little more on the quiet side, I'll admit. I prefer observing people and it's harder to do that if I was constantly chatting. Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Celes furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "I guess I'm just used to people trying to get or keep my attention. That was a big thing after I evolved. No, I'm not going to elaborate right now."

"Ahh," Sorin murmured. The comment certainly piqued his curiosity, but he would probably get a chance to understand it later. "Well, if you do want to talk about a different subject, feel free to bring it up or ask about it. I don't mind, and it'll make the trip go by a little faster."

"Thank you," Celes replied. She gazed around the area thoughtfully, and her fluffy tail flicked idly, a rare glimpse of an almost cheerful demeanor. She then paused at one point, giving a tree a curious look, but then continued walking as if nothing had happened.

"Hang on, Celes," Sorin said, his beak forming into a frown as he cast a look around the area. Something wasn't right here, and it had only just dawned on him what it was. The Flareon paused and turned back towards him, looking confused.

"What's wrong?" she wondered.

"Does this area seem a bit...empty to you?" Sorin asked, his eyes scanning the trees and bushes on either side of their path. This was a high-traffic route leading between Goldenrod City, essentially the metropolis of Johto, and Ecruteak City, one of the region's most popular tourist sites. It even crossed paths with Violet City and the Ruins of Alph. There was no logical reason for the area to be this deserted. Yet he hadn't heard the sounds of other Pokemon for several minutes, and hadn't seen any moving around, either.

"A little, I guess?" Celes responded with a shrug. "I usually take routes like this when traveling."

"Yeah, but this isn't normally a 'route like this'," Sorin explained. "It's actually the exact opposite - one of the busiest routes in the region. We shouldn't be able to go more than a hundred paces without seeing or hearing another Pokemon, even in the wake of a small rain shower."

"Is it a territory?" the Flareon asked, frowning.

"No, it's a neutral area. No one is supposed to claim the area because it's so high-traffic that it's impossible to secure long-term. Few Pokemon even want a territory like that," Sorin answered.

"Then what was that?" Celes wondered, pointing a paw towards the tree she had paused to inspect. Sorin floated nearer to the fire Eon to get a better look from her angle. As he studied the bark of the tree, he spotted the insignia that had captured Celes' attention.

His blood ran cold.

"Shit," he whispered. Celes gave him a weird look, and he normally would have apologized immediately for his slip of the tongue, but she didn't seem offended, just confused, and he had something infinitely more pressing on his mind.

At a glance, the marking carved into the tree appeared to be a stylized triangle, with three crudely drawn lines intersecting in the corners, but if one looked more carefully, they could see that the horizontal line, mistaken initially as the base of the triangle, was actually cut higher up then the diagonal cuts.

The lines had been visibly made with claws, yet they had burnt edges, as if carved with a jagged wood burning knife. If Sorin tilted his head slightly, it almost looked as though the drawn lines were aflame, and the image came close to resembling an inferno consuming the sigil.

"We can't go this way," Sorin said, immediately backing away from the marking as he spoke. Cold panic was invading his thoughts, overlapping with desperation. Celes seemed utterly nonplussed by his reaction.

"Why not?" the Flareon demanded. "You said no one claims this area as territory, so it-"

"She did it anyway," Sorin breathed, shaking his head. "We can't go through. We need to find a different route but...that could end up being a massive detour."

"I don't want to take a massive detour," Celes growled, losing what little patience she had. "If you're too scared to go through, then why don't you fly over, and I go through?"

"You shouldn't go in there, either!" Sorin insisted desperately.

Celes studied the Altaria in silence for several seconds. "I don't care," she stated coolly. "I will find my brother no matter what. Either I get through unhindered, or I get the chance to ask if this 'she' has seen him. Blaze is a pathetically bad flirt, so he sticks out quite a bit."

Sorin flinched. There was a glint of determination in the Flareon's dark eyes that told him arguing with her would be completely pointless, and she had a small point, however naive it might have been.

"Actually, if he did come by and flirted, that might have gone even worse for him..." Sorin murmured.

"That's not helping. At all," Celes snapped. With that, she turned on her heels and walked purposefully past the marked tree and deeper into the forested pathway. Sorin fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Ho-oh have mercy and reincarnate my soul," he muttered, actually casting his eyes towards the sky, where a small rainbow had formed. Then, taking a deep breath, he followed the Flareon.


	43. Flames of Conflict

Celes walked at what Sorin considered a leisurely pace, with absolutely no fear or apprehension at all. If nothing else, it was as though her pace was an act of defiance in itself. She knew she was waltzing into another Pokemon's territory, and she didn't care if they knew.

The thought terrified Sorin more than he'd ever care to admit. His eyes scanned their surroundings warily, and the absence of another's presence was more disconcerting than if he saw them immediately. It meant that either the territory's holder was absent, which was the best thing he could hope for, or that she could emerge at any moment and confront them.

The Altaria's mind buzzed with innumerable excuses and options to address the hypothetical confrontation, but none of them seemed very useful. They were too exclusive to specific factors, or the wording of specific phrases. Yet he couldn't seem to focus his thoughts beyond the growing apprehension within his chest. It worried him just how unconcerned Celes was acting, yet her approach still seemed practical, even with the awareness that she didn't know who she was tangling with.

That was why Sorin knew he had to follow the Flareon. Unlike her, he knew who had created that territory marking, and he knew how to theoretically approach her. To let Celes and her clipped, borderline rude mannerisms and speech tackle the situation would put her at far greater risk. Alternatively, it would aid her in getting out of the area unscathed. It depended too much on factors he couldn't perfectly predict. Then again, people he had observed had sometimes rehearsed a conversation, either to a lover or a friend, or even a boss, and he doubted the actual conversation ever went remotely like how they expected.

"How much further does this go?" Celes asked, turning her head to face him, not even bothering to keep her voice down. She wasn't broadcasting her words loudly, but it was still several levels louder than Sorin would have dared to speak at in these circumstances.

"Shh!" he urged, earning an eye roll in response. "It should just be a few more minutes, but it'd help if you picked up the pace a little bit."

"You haven't given me a good reason to be so anxious," Celes noted crisply. With that, she continued walking, stubbornly keeping to her original pace. Sorin practically whined as he followed. The forested area wasn't especially thick, at least not enough to label it a proper forest, but it still provided a large number of sheltered spots that could be concealing other Pokemon, and normally would be. It wasn't what he feared was in the area, but rather the conspicuous lack of other Pokemon, that was filling him with greater anxiety.

It was just too off-putting.

"And you still aren't giving me one," Celes noted, her voice holding a touch of amusement. "So I guess my pace isn't THAT bad, huh?"

"I'm just hoping she's not here," Sorin insisted.

"We haven't seen anyone yet, so she's probably not," Celes mused.

"Oh great, you jinxed it," Sorin muttered. Celes stopped walking and fixed him with an incredulous look.

"Me?" she asked, her voice rising in volume. "You're the one who said you hope she's not here, so if anyone jinxed this, it'd be you."

"Shh!" Sorin pleaded. The Flareon winced a little and obligingly lowered her volume, but the damage was already done. "Let's just get out of here before-"

"Oh, this is going to be a good one, I can tell."

Sorin froze. The words had come from behind him, spoken with a cool, feminine tone that had been burned into his memory forever. If not for the fact he was airborne and therefore needed his wings to stay afloat, he might have stopped moving entirely.

"Celes? Could you describe the Pokemon behind me?" Sorin asked as quietly as possible, even though it was completely irrelevent whether he could be overheard. The Flareon gave him a perplexed look, but her gaze then flicked past the Altaria.

"Um...I don't know the species. It's uh...bipedal, reptilian. Red scales. Tail on fire."

Sorin cursed under his breath, earning a mild glare from the Flareon. Taking a deep breath, Sorin turned his body, taking care not to move too quickly. The last thing he needed was to trigger a violent reflex from the other Pokemon.

Sure enough, there was a bipedal reptilian Pokemon standing just a short distance away. Crimson scales covered the majority of its body, save for its stomach which was cream-colored. Unlike its pre-evolution, the Charmeleon's snout was more narrowed, and the claws on its paws and feet were sharper and more distinct. Its tail ended with a large flame that burned endlessly. Cold blue eyes studied him, and Sorin twitched on seeing the ever-familiar scar that marked the Charmeleon's left eye.

"Sorin," the Charmeleon noted coolly, but her mouth curled into an amused smirk. The mere utterance of his name sent a shiver through the cloud dragon, a perfect blend of pleasant and chilling.

"Inferna."

"If you remember my name so easily, you should have recognized my territory marking," the Charmeleon sneered. There didn't even have to be an actual threat ingrained within her tone or words for Sorin to experience a knot in his gut. Everything about Inferna indicated a threat in some form, whether it be her cold eyes, the blazing of her flame, or the vicious claws she displayed. The sneer on her face and the crispness of her tone was just a bonus.

"This is supposed to be a neutral area," Sorin pointed out. Not that he expected Inferna to give a damn about something like that. She did what she liked, no matter who might be affected by it. This mindset only served to make the Charmeleon even more dangerous. Negotiation with her was nigh impossible, and Sorin wasn't fool enough to lower his guard just because she wasn't attacking him. Then again, Inferna clearly recognized him, so her decision not to attack meant that his presence amused her. This did not bode any better than if she was pissed off.

"And it'll be neutral again when I leave," Inferna countered indifferently. Her icy eyes flicked towards Celes, but evidently considered the Flareon of little importance, for her attention promptly returned to Sorin. The Altaria twitched uncomfortably, noticing how the Charmeleon's gaze trailed over his cotton wings, admiring them the same way a hunter admired its prey before devouring it. There was no genuine fascination or fondness within the Charmeleon's eyes, but neither was there any particular desire. Sorin had nothing to go off of, no angle on how to appease the Charmeleon to prolong the time before she inevitably grew bored of his presence.

"I guess so," he conceded. "Uh, I hope you'll excuse us passing through like this..."

"For you, Sorin, I might make an exception," Inferna mused, and Sorin's stomach squirmed unpleasantly. There was no way in hell that Inferna would be that accomodating. She was vicious by nature, and no more fond of him than he was of her, although his distaste manifested itself far differently. There had to be some sort of price or condition attached, something that would provide a benefit or some form of amusement for her.

"Really?" Sorin asked, unable to keep the skeptical tone from his words. "If it's at the usual cost, I don't think I can afford it."

Inferna scoffed, waving her paw dismissively. "Like I'd make that same mistake twice."

Sorin bristled slightly, his feathers fluffing up to give his wings an even larger presence. He never really understood why his species did that - while some Pokemon puffing out their fur or feathers gave them a larger, more intimidating presence when agitated, Altaria were decidedly non-threatening in appearance, and the puffed out wings just made the softness more enticing and even adorable-looking. That said, it did provide a notable defensive advantage.

"Excuse me," Celes stated, cutting into the conversation before it could go any further. Inferna flicked her attention back towards the Flareon, her expression shifting to one of reluctant tolerance at best. The look wasn't hostile yet, but it was still as far from welcoming as one might expect.

"Need something?" Inferna snorted. Sorin glanced between the two Fire-types, anxiety gnawing at his gut. This was almost precisely the type of situation he had wanted to avoid earlier. Not only had he wanted to stay far clear of the Charmeleon, territory or not, but Celes already had a clipped and impatient tone that was almost sure to be interpreted as a challenge. Combined with Inferna's own attitude, Sorin couldn't imagine things remaining civil for long.

"Uh, Celes?" Sorin interjected, before the Flareon could speak. Celes frowned at being interrupted, but looked over at him inquisitively without complaint. "Maybe I should handle this?"

"Why?" Celes asked, looking genuinely confused by the offer.

"Um..."

Sorin searched his mind hastily, looking for the best possible response that would serve as a valid excuse without coming off as insulting. Celes had already demonstrated a stubbornness that was not easily dissuaded. It bordered on defiance, and Inferna was not impressed by defiance.

"I...just know her better than you do, so uh...I can navigate the conversation...a bit better?" Sorin attempted. Celes was giving him a deadpan look, and from the corner of his eye, he could see the Charmeleon looking mildly amused.

"Really?" Celes challenged, raising her eyebrow slowly. "You've been shaking like a leaf ever since we got near this area, and suddenly you're better suited to talking to her than I am?"

"That's because she's actually calm enough to work with, but that'll go out the window if you piss her off," Sorin hissed in an undertone, casting quick, nervous glances towards Inferna to be sure that she couldn't overhear him.

Celes rolled her eyes, but flicked her paw impatiently, as if nudging a child to go play somewhere else. "Whatever. Get on with it, then."

"You certainly have a way with females, Sorin," Inferna snickered, earning an annoyed look from the Altaria. Normally, he would consider it extremely unwise to reveal his current mood in Inferna's presence, but in the back of his mind, he was still very aware that his presence entertained her in some form, and her taunts and sneers were used specifically to amuse her at another's expense. Ignoring them entirely would cause her to either up the ante, or become bored.

If Inferna became weary of their presence, hostility would be sure to follow. And there was almost no chance that either Sorin or Celes would be able to match the Charmeleon in combat.

"Look, we were just passing through. You set up your territory on the only route towards the city," Sorin began. "But we're looking for her brother, any chance you've come across him?"

Inferna snorted. "Is he an Eevee?"

"Yeah!" Celes replied, her eyes widening hopefully.

"Of course he is, your kind inbreeds like it's going out of style," Inferna sneered. Celes flinched, and her expression sobered immediately. The Charmeleon smirked wickedly, turning her attention back to Sorin, who had frowned slightly, but hadn't commented. "You think he'd come anywhere near me? There's a whole clan of the stupid things not even two miles from here."

"Ah, well, um...I thought perhaps he might have come by uh...in the recent weeks and you'd...recall him?" Sorin explained, all but cringing as Inferna's expression slowly darkened, her icy blue eyes becoming reduced to slits. Perhaps he should have phrased that statement more tactfully, because it had become very obvious that Inferna did NOT care for his suggestion.

"I'd sooner Dragon Claw myself than entertain an Eevee or their kin during heat," Inferna snarled. "They're worthless, overhyped creatures with nothing of value but unstable genetics. Perfectly good pets for humans, but whatever appeal they have is utterly lost on me," she continued, adopting an incredibly obnoxious, false cutesy tone. " _Ooh, we're so cute. We can evolve so many ways. Have our kits! We're at fifty million and counting, but call us rare, it makes us feel special_!"

The Charmeleon spat on the ground contemptuously, and Sorin shuddered. The flame at the end of her tail had intensified, and she was flexing her claws aggressively. Her narrowed eyes continued to glare into Sorin's own, and the Altaria hastily looked away, chancing a glance at Celes. Unsurprisingly, the Flareon had bristled, visibly affronted by Inferna's impression of her species' evolutionary line.

"So is that your reason for passing by, Sorin? To ask if I'd seen her stupid brother?" Inferna asked, her words reduced to a dangerous whisper. Sorin twitched, his stomach churning with anxiety. He couldn't even think of a safe answer to that question, and it was obvious that Inferna didn't expect him to give one.

"He's not stupid," Celes growled. Inferna spun to face the Flareon again, and Sorin's heart plummeted. Celes had shifted her stance into a more aggressive variant. Something about the Charmeleon's words had clearly hit a nerve within her, and Sorin could tell that a mere spark would be enough to set the two Fire-types off.

"Stop it, both of you!" Sorin urged desperately, knowing that his verbal attempt was very likely to be futile. If Inferna wanted to fight, nothing short of physical intervention would stop her, and Celes was unlikely to be dissuaded easily, either.

"If he's not stupid, then he should be perfectly fine on his own," Inferna sneered. "Why even bother looking for someone who doesn't want to be found?"

Celes seemed taken aback, her mouth moving wordlessly for several seconds. Sorin cast his eyes around the area desperately, looking for something, anything, to distract from the impending conflict. As he swiveled his body around, the glint of light on metal caught his eye and he jerked his head so quickly he winced.

Now that he was aware of it, he could see that there was a golden brace of some kind fastened around Inferna's neck, much of it concealed by her chin, at least from his higher vantage point. Most interesting was the distinct gemstone set in the center of the metal piece. Natural curiosity would have directed him to move closer to inspect it, but survival instinct overruled this. Invading Inferna's personal space and getting within range of her claws and fire breath was never wise.

"What is that?" the Altaria asked, nodding towards the peculiar necklace. Inferna blinked in momentary confusion, then smirked and tapped the gemstone with the claws of her right paw.

"This?" she murmured. "Just a little gift from a suitor. Lovely, isn't it? He gave it me earlier this week, said I was sure to bring out its best."

Sorin blinked, but decided not to question the wording the Charmeleon had used. If she was actually quoting the gift giver, then he had used a really peculiar wording. It reminded him vaguely of Kaito when he was being dramatic - the Togetic had spent so much time studying outdated lore and language that whenever he was excited, he'd word his sentences in ways that sounded dramatic, but tended to also deviate so far from 'normal' speech that it begged the question of whether he was trying to give a false reassurance.

"Um...yeah, it's...nice," Sorin fumbled. Sadly, his attempt to shift the topic wasn't working out quite as well as he planned, because now he was stuck trying to say something vaguely complimentary to keep Inferna from becoming hostile. Even as he spoke, he saw the glint in the Charmeleon's eyes intensify, and she smirked, again reminding him of a predator eyeing its prey.

"Then again, your taste in gifts is appalling. This little trinket is infinitely better than the gift you gave me," Inferna sneered.

Sorin bristled, mentally cursing himself. He should have detected the shift in the Charmeleon's demeanor and just gone for some desperate attempt to leave the area unscathed. The wicked smirk she was wearing, and the fact she had turned her sharp tongue upon him could only mean that he was too late in detecting the warning signs. She was in a scrappy mood now, and there was only one real way to satisfy that craving.

The Charmeleon noted his reaction, and a triumphant little smirk flashed across her muzzle.

"That's why I gave it back a week later," Inferna continued, and Sorin could practically feel the metaphorical knife being twisted in his gut. She had him trapped, knowing exactly what buttons to push. "It was supposed to be your Christmas gift that year...but you didn't care to receive it any more than I did originally. Or were you just opposed to the notion of re-gifting?"

The Altaria's normally serene features contorted, and as he opened his beak to retort, undoubtedly intending to include some choice descriptions, the Charmeleon calmly raised her paw, and blue draconic flames erupted from her claws. The sight of the eerie blue flames sent a jolt of absolute fear through Sorin, and he choked on his sentence, producing a line of nervous gibberish before falling silent entirely.

"But I'll give you your chance, Sorin," Inferna drawled, her cold eyes focusing on the Altaria, whose own eyes were fixed on the Charmeleon's claws. He knew how viciously fast the Charmeleon was when she was pumped for battle, and he couldn't risk taking his eyes off her.

"Yeah?" Sorin retorted warily. He had no idea what she was thinking, and he didn't like the look in her eyes. "What chance is that?"

"Oi!" Celes called out loudly, her voice startling Sorin, yet he still didn't take his eyes off of Inferna. The Charmeleon allowed her gaze to flick towards the Flareon, yet her stance and demeanor didn't falter in the slightest. "That's enough. We're leaving, so back off," the Flareon ordered, her tone carrying impressive authority, but Sorin could already tell that it would have no effect on Inferna.

"If you wanted your trespassing to be excused, I've settled on my price of a battle," Inferna sneered. "If that's not bargain enough for you, then you can kiss my tail. _After_ I've crushed you into the dust."

"Or, you can just back the hell off," Celes growled.

"Celes, just go," Sorin urged her, the Flareon blinking in confusion. "I'll be okay. I won't be able to win, but I can take the pain she dishes out. She's vicious in battle, and I don't want you to get hurt too."

"But..." Celes began, and Sorin noted that the Flareon seemed years younger now, her eyes showing uncertainty and a degree of vulnerability that he hadn't noticed in their previous interactions.

"Seriously, I'll catch up later," Sorin reassured her, managing a weak smile. "She's not going to kill me, and I can handle it."

Celes narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then made eye contact with Inferna. "You're not going to kill him, right?"

Inferna snorted. "Why the hell would I want to kill him? He's not food."

Celes growled, and her tail flicked defiantly. "I'm not just going to leave him behind."

"Celes, don't worry about-" Sorin began, but Celes whirled on him, her eyes burning with anger.

"I'm not letting you get hurt because of me!" she practically screamed. She turned back towards the amused Charmeleon, breathing harder. "Not while I just walk away unharmed. I'll fight with you, even if I take on the same pain."

Sorin just stared at her in stunned silence, then sighed. There was no changing her mind once it was set. "Just be careful," he urged.

Inferna's eyes lit up with gleeful amusement, her tail flame now burning at almost twice its usual strength. "Fine, fine!" she purred. "Just try to keep me entertained."


	44. Fiery Clash

Inferna had barely even finished speaking when Celes charged, shooting forward with a burst of speed that Sorin wouldn't have thought possible under normal circumstances. He groaned internally at Celes' seeming lack of strategy. One could not simply race at Inferna recklessly, especially if they hadn't even taken the time to feel out the Charmeleon's tactics.

Inferna's reflexes were superb, as always, and her stance shifted immediately. Sorin wanted to shout a warning, but to his surprise, Celes jerked backwards at the last second, Inferna's claws slashing the air barely a hair's breadth from the Flareon's ears.

Sorin exhaled, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Had the Flareon not reacted accordingly, the Charmeleon's claws would have connected and left one hell of a mark, if not worse. Inferna herself seemed surprised by her failed strike, because she didn't immediately follow through with another blow or jab, giving Celes precious time to retreat another few paces.

Sorin, on the other hand, kept his eyes on Inferna. He had no delusion of actually defeating the Charmeleon in battle. Combat was not his forte, and he already could tell that Celes was no champion-to-be, either. She was reckless and headstrong, spurred on by emotion and stubbornness rather than any real strength. If what she said of her clan was true, he doubted they devoted a lot of time to battle training, meaning she probably didn't have much practice against a real opponent.

Inferna's blue eyes glinted wickedly, and Sorin took a deep breath in a vain effort to calm his nerves. It had been several years since he had actually fought Inferna, in what he initially had assumed was a casual sparring match, only to swiftly discover that 'casual' was not a word in the Charmeleon's vocabulary. Her viciousness was unparalleled by any other Pokemon he had met, before and after. She was a dedicated claw combatant, and seemed to revel in seeing the damage her claws could inflict upon her opponents.

If there was anything positive to be said for Inferna, it was that her bloodthirstiness had its limit. She was utterly merciless, but to his understanding, she never aimed to fatally injure her opponents, nor severely cripple them. She much more preferred the ability to gloat and taunt a beaten, injured foe than to permanently disable them. Sorin suspected she liked the notion of rematches too much to risk eliminating potential entertainment.

Inferna dashed towards Celes and feinted a jab towards the Flareon's shoulder, then abruptly spun on her heel, sweeping her burning tail beneath the fire Eon's forelegs. Celes stumbled, but even as she recovered her footing, Inferna seized the tuft of fur on the top of her head firmly in her left claws. With a triumphant grin, Inferna raked the claws of her right paw viciously across Celes' cheek, forging a crimson gash that leaked tears of blood to match the pained tears in the Flareon's eyes.

Anger coursed through Sorin like electricity, and he pitched his body towards the two Fire-types. Inferna's attention was entirely held by her opponent, presuming that 'victim' wasn't a more appropriate term. Without time to form a coherent plan of attack, Sorin struck with the only thing he had at his disposal - his entire body. He spread his wings wide and collided with the Charmeleon, immediately wrapping his cloud-like wings around her as tightly as a child would hug a stuffed animal.

The amusement in Inferna's eyes went out as swiftly as a campfire flame smothered by a mountain of dirt. For the next few agonizing seconds, she seemed completely taken aback. Sorin had seen that kind of blank uncertainty before. Nothing was quite as effective for soothing a raging temper than an Altaria hug. It was almost funny to see that even Inferna was not immune to the overwhelming softness of an Altaria's wings wrapped around her like swaddling blankets.

Almost.

The blank look was rapidly replaced with cold annoyance, and Inferna opened her mouth. Sorin realized what was about to happen moments before it did, but with his wings draped so tightly around Inferna, he had absolutely no change of disentangling himself before she struck. A blast of flame erupted from Inferna's mouth, intensified seemingly by her anger alone, and the cloud dragon yelped in pain as the fireball scorched his face and neck. A second fireball forced him to release his grip on the Charmeleon, and he cringed as her claws struck him in the gut immediately afterwards.

Blue eyes burned with contempt and Inferna twisted her claws cruelly, glaring into Sorin's eyes as she withdrew her paw. Sorin gasped sharply, shielding his torso with one of his wings, and using the other one to stem the bleeding.

"That wasn't a Dragon Claw," Inferna whispered coldly. Sorin could only nod mutely. Dragon Claw would have done significantly more damage and caused him enough pain to leave him writhing. The Charmeleon snorted, then stepped away from the fallen dragon Pokemon, returning her focus to Celes, who had recovered from the earlier assault.

The Flareon lunged at Inferna, and attempted to dart around her with a burst of speed, but either the Quick Attack was poorly executed, or Inferna predicted the movement, because Celes tumbled across the grass painfully instead, courtesy of the Charmeleon's outstretched leg. Inferna snickered.

"You two are utterly pathetic opponents," she sneered mockingly, even as Celes stumbled back to her feet. "I expected entertainment if I was fighting two-on-one."

"Then back off if we're so boring," Celes snapped. Inferna smirked.

"And miss the chance to crush you into the dust?" she mocked. The Charmeleon extended her arm forward and flicked her claws towards herself in a 'bring it on' gesture, a wicked grin spreading across her muzzle. Celes growled, her fur bristling.

"Stop it!" Sorin urged, but the Flareon paid the warning no mind. She barreled forward, flames emitting from her mouth and licking at her paws, the heat of the fire somehow adding a burst of speed to her charge.

Inferna grinned and darted forward, facing the charge head-on. The two Fire-types collided, and tumbled to the ground together. All Sorin could make out was the flashing of claws and gnashing of teeth as they clawed and bit at one another like feral Pokemon. He was abruptly very glad that he was the only Pokemon witnessing this, because he didn't fancy the consequences of observers making commentary or inevitable puns.

Because really, how many male Pokemon could resist the opportunity to call the situation 'hot', and then grin like idiots?

Celes let out a yelp as Inferna kicked the Flareon away from her, both of them now sporting a number of scratches, but it appeared at a glance that the close proximity had prevented either of them from taking greater injuries. Inferna's scales were tough enough to withstand the Flareon's teeth and claws, and the Flareon's thick fur was enough padding to keep the Charmeleon's claws at bay if she couldn't use them to their maximum effectiveness.

Inferna was grinning eagerly, in sharp contrast to Celes' exhausted panting. Sorin winced. It seemed that Celes didn't have that much stamina in battle, either, whereas Inferna would have significantly higher energy reserves. This all but confirmed his theory that Celes had not received a very good battle education at her clan, and he had no idea how long she had been traveling before she had stumbled upon him.

"Okay, stop, break it up!" Sorin urged, double-checking his wound to check if it was safe for him to lift off the ground again. The injury stung, but the bleeding had stopped, at least for now. Still, it would be better to wait a little longer before trying to go airborne again, so his best bet was that they wouldn't need physical intervention.

"I will, but she has to concede," Inferna sneered. Celes gave her a withering look, and Sorin could clearly read 'over my dead body' in the Flareon's eyes. "Unless she's stupid enough to insist on being torn apart," Inferna added.

Celes hissed something under her breath that Sorin didn't hear. Inferna seized the Flareon's left ear and yanked her head up, leaning in close with a menacing growl.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you right," Inferna snarled, tracing a claw threateningly across the Flareon's throat.

Celes' eyes widened, and for yet another first since Sorin had met her, she seemed terrified out of her wits. She stammered for a few seconds, her eyes darting about desperately. Sorin froze in place, not even daring to get involved.

"I...I surrender?" Celes managed, her voice squeaking nervously.

"Damn right you do," Inferna sneered, releasing the Flareon's ear, and Celes flopped to the ground, whimpering in pain. Sorin tensed as Inferna turned towards him, but she merely smirked and then tapped her tail against the Flareon's muzzle. "Pay up."

"What?" Celes squeaked, but she was regaining a little of her composure.

Inferna's eyes glinted wickedly. "Kiss my tail."

"...seriously?" Celes wondered, regarding the Charmeleon's tail with the same wariness that one might show towards an Ekans.

"It's what I said, isn't it? If you didn't like my bargain, you could kiss my tail after I've crushed you," Inferna sneered. "Or did I not crush you enough?" she asked, flexing her claws idly.

Celes continued to look uncertain, and she glanced towards Sorin, her eyes silently begging for instructions. Sorin shrugged his wings and gave a slight nod. The Flareon sighed, then very hesitantly pecked the middle of the Charmeleon's tail and backed off extremely quickly. That seemed to satisfy Inferna, because she just smirked.

"Get the hell out of my territory, fluffy," she ordered, her cold blue eyes glittering with amusement. "Sorin will catch up in a minute."

Again, Celes met Sorin's eyes, and he nodded quickly, jerking his head in the direction of their destination. Without a word, the Flareon hurried away. Sorin never took his eyes off Inferna. Anxiety churned in his gut, followed by spasms of pain from his injury. Once again, he had no idea what Inferna was planning, and it made him even more nervous to be alone with her.

"Last time I agree to fight two-on-one," Inferna grumbled. "I thought it'd actually be challenging, but instead, it's just a chore. Got to watch two different people, make sure you're not interfering with your teammate or leaving yourself open."

"Isn't that the point? To split your focus as a challenge?" Sorin asked. Inferna scowled.

"No. Not when one of the opponents is pathetic, and the other is holding back because his teammate is stupid. You'd never be dumb enough to try that wing embrace against me normally."

"What did you expect from me?" Sorin asked, unable to keep the annoyance from his tone. "You know I can't beat you."

Inferna snorted. "I was going to give you a handicap to make things more fun."

Sorin gave the Charmeleon a skeptical look. "A handicap? Like what?"

Inferna considered him for a moment, then smirked. "A free Dragon Dance." Sorin blinked, and the Charmeleon's smirk widened. "You do have that technique, don't you? You'd have to, if Kuro's to be believed, because I sure don't."

Sorin's expression shifted from surprise to oblivious confusion in the span of a second. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but at the same time, he didn't recognize it. Which meant it probably was a name he had heard, but had never met the person, sort of like that Weavile that Kaito kept mentioning. Lin, or whatever her name was. It was so much harder for him to match names without faces.

"Who?" he asked.

"Tch. Never mind," Inferna snorted. "But that was going to be my offer. Would have certainly made the battle much, much more fun."

"Is the minute up now? Am I free to go?" Sorin asked nervously. He didn't like the glint in Inferna's eye, and although his wound had mended enough to actually trust his flight abilities, he wasn't fool enough to try to escape Inferna's presence without being dismissed.

"Yeah, get lost," Inferna said, waving her paw dismissively. Sorin waited a moment, half expecting her to retract the statement, but when it didn't happen, he nodded and carefully flapped his wings, lifting himself up from the ground and back into the air. As he turned to follow after Celes, Inferna's voice stopped him. "Oh, and Sorin?"

"What?" the Altaria asked warily, chancing a look over his shoulder at the Charmeleon.

"Feel free to come through on your way back. I'll let you both slide by unscathed."

Sorin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Once again, he doubted that Inferna would be that accommodating, not without some sort of price or catch attached. Considering how disappointed she had been with this battle, the thought of her letting them go through her territory again with no strings attached was ludicrous.

"What's the catch?" he asked warily.

"Well, since you asked," Inferna drawled. "You can let her know I'm in the area."

"Why?" Sorin asked, his feathers bristling. He wasn't even going to pretend he didn't know what Inferna was talking about.

The Charmeleon snickered. "I assumed that was something she always wanted to know. Are those days over? How disappointing. I thought for sure she'd be itching for a rematch by now. So I'm encouraging you to send her my way, since you have the fortune of knowing my whereabouts."

"I'll think about it," Sorin retorted, in a tone that clearly communicated that he'd do no such thing. Inferna smiled coldly, an expression that was somehow more terrifying to witness than her smirk, or even a look of anger. Despite this, her words were still laced with amusement.

"Be sure that you do, Sorin. I'm looking forward to it, and it would be unwise to disappoint me."

The Altaria shuddered, and without another word, hurried after the Flareon. He wanted nothing more right now than to put as much distance between himself and the Charmeleon as possible. Only once Inferna was out of sight did he allow himself to slow down and refocus on his destination.

How was he even getting roped into these situations?


	45. Consoling Aftermath

It didn't take Sorin long to locate Celes. As he had hoped, the Flareon was waiting just outside the next break in the trees, and beyond a tree stump bearing a replica of Inferna's territory marking. This was a mild relief, because Sorin wouldn't have been surprised if Celes chose to take shelter behind some of the bushes or trees that extended further along the path, and that could have made it more difficult to confirm that she had gone in the proper direction.

The Flareon paused her anxious pacing as Sorin approached, and when she looked up, the Altaria caught sight of her facial expression. While he would not have been shocked to see an impatient scowl, or even a look of relief to contrast with her visible anxiety, he did not expect to see tears in her eyes and such a hollow look within her face.

"Are you okay?" Sorin asked, gliding over to where she stood. The Flareon averted her gaze and hastily wiped her eyes, wordlessly nodding. "Are you sure?"

"Fine, I'm fine!" Celes insisted, but the drooping of her ears said otherwise. Sorin considered her in silence for a few moments, then simply nodded and began to move down the path.

"It's not much farther until we're in the Goldenrod City area," he said quietly. "We'll be there by sunset." The Flareon immediately began to follow, and every time Sorin glanced over his shoulder, he saw that she walked with her head down, only looking up when she detected signs of nearby movement, such as rustling in the bushes, or the cries of wild Pokemon. Sorin was just glad to see that the area bustled with life as it normally did, prior to Inferna coming onto the route.

They continued in silence for several minutes. Sorin was grateful for the time to reflect on his thoughts, or work out his plans for once they reached the city, but he couldn't shake the vibe that Celes was feeling terribly down, and the longer the silence extended, the more concerned he became. The Flareon did have a somewhat clipped and rude personality at times, but she had shifted drastically within the earlier confrontation. Perhaps she was upset about having some of her vulnerabilities exposed, but at the same time, he didn't get the feeling that Celes was quite that guarded. A loss of composure and weakness didn't warrant such a melancholy response.

"Hey, Celes?" Sorin called, looking back at the fire Eon. The Flareon's head lifted briefly, enough for him to see her eyes. "Do you want to stop and eat something for a bit? Or even just to rest? I don't want to push your limits too far."

"Yes, please," Celes mumbled. Sorin blinked. He hadn't actually expected such a prompt or honest response, but since she had accepted his offer so readily, he obligingly drifted off the path and began to inspect the nearby bushes. To his disappointment, the berries growing on a few of them had either been picked already, or were still budding, but he soon spotted a number of apples growing in one of the trees overhead.

Celes wandered over to the shade of the tree and sat down, while Sorin busied himself with dislodging the bright red fruits from the branches. By striking them and using his wings to cushion the fall, he soon procured two for each of them, and laid them out on the grass for Celes to take her share.

"Thanks," Celes mumbled again, and she began to eat, the only sound being the crunch of her teeth into the crisp fruit, and the sound of chewing and swallowing. The faintest hint of a smile flashed across her face as she ate, which Sorin took as a good sign, and a signal that he could begin eating as well.

The small meal was still eaten with relatively little chatter, and Celes made a point of disposing of the apple cores with a wisp of flame. Still, her tail flicked a little, even if the small smile had not lingered.

"Did you have apples often at your clan?" Sorin wondered. By this time, the extended silence had started to get to him, and he was intent on getting her to say something more than the occasional word of gratitude.

"It was our primary source of food," Celes answered vaguely. "Fish and berries were only a little rarer."

"Really? I thought berries were pretty commonplace as a food source," Sorin noted.

"They are, for small groups. More trouble than it's worth for a larger number of Pokemon to feed," Celes explained. Her tone still hadn't shifted back into her usual level of perkiness (not very much, admittedly). Every word she said still sounded like she was wrestling with despair.

"I guess that makes sense," Sorin mused thoughtfully, beginning to preen his wings absently. He wanted to figure out exactly what was bothering her, though, but his mind was blanking on how to address the question. A direct inquiry might be effective, but it also could lead to her insisting that she was fine. He didn't know her nearly well enough to accurately judge whether she was hoping he'd ask her, or if she genuinely wanted him to leave it alone.

His thought process was briefly interrupted when Celes tensed abruptly, her eyes focusing on something behind him, and when he turned his head, he spotted a human walking in their direction. The human wore travel clothing, and a fairly standard travel bag slung over his shoulder. The youth glanced in their direction when passing, even cocked his head curiously at them, but ultimately moved on without saying or doing anything. Neither Sorin nor Celes took their eyes off the youth until he had disappeared from sight.

"Is...that going to be a bad thing?" Celes asked uncertainly, and Sorin realized she was referring to the human passing through Inferna's territory.

"Doubt it," Sorin mused. "I don't think Inferna messes with human trainers much unless she's in a really foul mood or something, and her captured territory is large enough that she can disappear from sight with ease and never be noticed. She snuck up on us, after all, and I was LOOKING for her."

Celes simply murmured in response, and glanced skywards, perhaps silently judging the level of daylight left in the day. Sorin considered her for another few seconds before speaking again.

"Look, if you're worn out or not up to continuing the hike, we can pick up tomorrow," he suggested.

"I'm fine with continuing," Celes sighed, standing up and giving him an expectant look. Sorin did his best to withhold his sigh, and even gave her a brief smile, which she did not acknowledge.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked, flapping his wings to lift off the ground again, taking a momentto hover where he was and focus on her. "You've seemed really, really down since we got out of there."

Again, the Flareon averted her gaze, although Sorin could tell that she was trying to give off a dismissive, unfettered demeanor. Unfortunately, the Altaria had spent just enough time around her to notice that her composure was still off.

"I'll be fine," she stated curtly. Okay, so her tone was at least similar to normal, but the mannerisms were not. Sorin sighed softly. If this kept up, it would be nagging him in the back of his mind for the rest of the day, and if she wasn't going to open up even slightly to his concern, then he couldn't really do anything for her.

"Look, I get that you're trying to keep it to yourself and all, but sometimes it's just better to be able to vent a little," Sorin said seriously. Celes' gaze flicked towards him, but she didn't say anything. "I'm not going to judge you or anything, I just want to know what's eating at you. If you really don't want to talk about it, I'll drop it, but I want you to know that I'll listen if you need to get something off your chest."

He waited a few seconds for his words to sink in, and then started to head off again towards the City. It seemed like the best course of action was simply to tell her that he was available to listen, and then let her choose whether or not to follow through with his offer. Even without looking back, he could hear the padding footsteps of the Flareon behind him, so at least she was content to walk with him.

"Sorin?"

Celes' softly spoken voice startled him briefly, but he glanced over his shoulder towards her.

"Hm?"

The Flareon furrowed her brow thoughtfully, and Sorin slowed his flying pace slightly, so that she wouldn't have to speak too loudly for him to hear her, and also to enable him to focus ahead and avoid obstacles on the path.

"Have you ever replayed a situation over in your mind, wondering what you could have done differently?" she asked. Sorin blinked, mildly taken aback by the question. Considering how clipped Celes' default tone seemed to be, contrasted with her distant and downtrodden mood the past half hour, it seemed almost weird to be asked such a thought-provoking question with a soft tone.

"Yeah, sometimes," Sorin admitted. He suspected that his answer didn't really matter, and that it was just a way to segue into what was actually on Celes' mind, but that wasn't going to stop him from answering honestly. Really, who hadn't spent time kicking themselves over a stupid choice they made or for handling a situation poorly?

"Hm...well, that's what I'm doing now," Celes said, her words tainted with a touch of irritability. "Everything I do is like that."

Sorin cocked his head slightly, regarding the Flareon with curious concern. "You constantly second guess yourself or something?"

"No. I constantly make things worse," Celes muttered. "No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try..."

Celes' voice cracked slightly, and she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth a little, and Sorin got the uncomfortable vibe that she was on the verge of bursting into tears, and was driving back the emotions by will alone. He said nothing, afraid that anything coming out of his mouth would set her off.

"I just can't do anything..." Celes finished quietly, the quaver in her voice the only thing betraying her emotional state. Sorin didn't dare look back at her now, already aware that the Flareon would hate for him to see her in such a state. From the short time he had spent with Celes, he had already gathered several different assessments of the Flareon's mindset.

Originally, he had thought her rude and possibly arrogant, but it contrasted with a sense of self-consciousness and shyness. During the confrontation with Inferna, he had picked up on stubborn pride and unyielding determination, but also incredible vulnerability hidden behind a facade of confidence. However, it was still too soon to make a definite analysis, and such in-depth profiling was out of his skill set.

"So...what situation is gnawing on your mind?" Sorin wondered. He had enough clues to form a hunch, but not enough to be absolutely certain.

"Everything back there," Celes sighed. "I ignored your warning. You were looking out for us, and I acted on my own goals. You told me to let you handle things, and I refused to sit back. You even told me to let you fight alone, and I refused to do that! I keep thinking about how things might have gone if I had listened to your advice just once..."

"Oh, don't feel too bad about that," Sorin said, wincing. "It turned out okay, and-"

"You don't get it!" Celes snapped, but then she sighed, the aggression abruptly sapped from her body. "Problems don't disappear if no one tries to address them. Standing by idly fixes nothing, and I won't let anyone else be hurt because I didn't try to change things. And yet..."

The Flareon sniffled loudly, and Sorin glanced back at her, concerned. The fire Eon was still walking behind him, but her head was down, and Sorin was sure that if he could see her face, she'd have tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm powerless to change anything, and I can't even fix the problems I caused by trying to change things..."

Sorin considered Celes for a few seconds. Despite the melancholy note her statement had ended on, the Flareon did seem to be cheering up a little bit. Which really wasn't saying much, but it did make the Altaria feel a little better that she had managed to vent some of the bottled up feelings.

"You really shouldn't bottle things up like that," he mused, earning a glare from the Flareon in return. He winced. "Sorry, was just...thinking aloud. But...did venting help at all?"

"I guess," Celes muttered, wiping her eyes with a hint of impatience. "Doesn't change anything," she added bitterly.

"True, but you can't just give up on something just because you didn't achieve anything the first time," Sorin noted, adding a bit of brightness to his tone. "Besides, if it makes you feel any better, I actually can relate a bit. Maybe not in the specifics, but the sense of feeling like I should have done something differently, and just hating myself for how I handled something, and having to accept that it's too late for me to fix it perfectly. But that's not a reason to give up."

Celes gave Sorin a piercing look. "Are you just saying that because you think that's what I want to hear?" she asked, a layer of distrust icing her words like cake frosting.

"Uh...no, I'm being sincere. I have no idea if that's what you 'want' to hear, it's just how I feel about it, I guess," Sorin said, fumbling a bit on his words, but otherwise staying composed. In the wake of actually seeing Inferna again, it was fairly difficult to find Celes intimidating, at least in the same vein asis fear towards the Charmeleon. He expected to start feeling the usual level of nervousness towards Celes within a few hours.

"Hm," Celes muttered, visibly unconvinced of his answer, but at least willing to drop the subject. "Is your offer of asking you questions for the sake of conversation still valid?"

"Um...yeah, sure. Ask away," Sorin said, refocusing on the path ahead.

"That Pokemon...whatever species she is-"

"Charmeleon," Sorin supplied promptly. He could almost feel Celes' glare burning into the back of his head, and he winced. "Sorry, did I interrupt you?"

"How do you know her?" Celes asked, fully returning to her usual clipped tone. Not the greatest of signs, but at least she wasn't upset anymore. "You two talked to one another like ex-lovers or something."

Sorin cringed a little bit, his stomach squirming unpleasantly.

"Uh...it's a bit complicated..."

"Then we'll have something to talk about to pass the time," Celes countered. "Unless you prefer dead silence and me being bitchy."

"Oh come on, you can't self-depreciate like that," Sorin complained. "It's downright manipulative. I can't dodge your question without implying agreement and offending you."

"Well, you never gave me a reason why you were scared of her, which probably would have helped convince me not to go through that area," Celes pointed out. Sorin rolled his eyes.

"Oh, where to begin," Sorin sighed. "Let's see...she's vicious, callous, antagonistic, and yes, we have a history of sorts. Bet you can't guess where I got my personal space issue from."

Celes frowned. "I'm not sure I want to guess."

"I'd prefer if you didn't actually make a guess," Sorin agreed. "I met her a few years ago, it was...I dunno, early December. No snow yet, but it was chilly, and she was doing some sort of battle training exercise or something. I thought she was training to burn off energy or the like, because she was...not pleasant to talk to. You can imagine."

"Vividly," Celes agreed, bobbing her head understandingly. Sorin was actually a little surprised at how much genuine interest the Flareon was showing, and much like when she had been talking to him about her clan, she seemed far gentler and at ease.

"I had nothing better to do, so I naively offered to be a sparring opponent, thinking it would be a fun, casual fight that might make her more approachable. Sometimes sparring brings people together, you know?"

"...I'd normally take your word for it, but for some reason, I'm not finding it credible right now. Not sure why," Celes mused. Sorin resisted the urge to glare at her. She wasn't using a sarcastic tone, but there was no way that she wasn't being sarcastic.

"Yeah...surprisingly, I didn't hate her back then," Sorin said brightly. Celes stifled a snort of amusement, this time successfully earning a glare from the Altaria. "Well...I don't really even hate her now, though I have every reason to."

"So how long were you two in touch?" Celes asked tentatively.

"Until that Christmas," Sorin sighed, his voice heavy. Celes cocked her head in confusion. "Well...that's because she uh...ended up expecting."

"Expecting what?" Celes asked blankly. Sorin gave her a look, maintaining it until the answer finally clicked. "Oh. Ohhh...really? That sounds like...literally the worst luck ever."

"She certainly thought so," Sorin sighed again. "I was a bit overwhelmed, but she was livid. Think she was vicious and mean-spirited earlier? That barely even registered compared to her nesting stage."

Celes winced, but then gave him a curious look. "You...stuck around...during that?"

Sorin gave the Flareon a mildly affronted glare. "Well...yeah. It was my kit-to-be, too. Regardless of circumstances or relationship status. Besides, I could actually calm Inferna's rage for a short time by embracing her with my wings. I often got scratched to hell and back whenever she snapped out of the serenity, but..."

Celes' eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, so when you said before that you could handle whatever pain she dished out..."

Sorin nodded. "I endured her at her literal worst."

Celes winced and her ears drooped, but then she refocused on the Altaria. "Then what happened?"

Sorin smiled a little bit. Despite the pain associated with the memories, to say nothing of the fear that still consumed his mind and body even years later, he could still look upon one moment with fondness no matter what.

"Well, the egg did hatch eventually, a week before Christmas, as it was. The seventeenth," Sorin said, refreshing his private mental reminder to never, ever, ever forget the significance of that date, even when discussing a completely unrelated subject. "The winter chill might have factored into the timing, for better or worse, but it produced the cutest little Charmander girl ever. Inferna was the closest thing to happy I've ever seen, my hunch is because it was a girl, because she referred to her as 'a tiny version of myself', and soon after mused that an inferno often begins as an ember, and named her as such."

"Aww, that's cute," Celes giggled, and her tail flicked briefly.

"Yeah, it was...ugh...I'm really not up for talking about what happened after that, though. Not today, not after running into Inferna again," Sorin said weakly. To his surprise, the Flareon seemed to completely understand his reservation on the subject.

"That's fine, it's been a long day," Celes said, and she yawned loudly, causing the Altaria to flinch in alarm. "Sorry," Celes mumbled. "Do you think we can stop for the night?"

"Uh...I suppose so, but we're not THAT far," Sorin noted, glancing ahead. He could even make out some of the city from this distance, but the sun was setting faster than he had anticipated, probably because of their reduced pace during the conversation.

Celes made a slight grunting sound and wandered off the path, sniffing a little at the ground and adjusting her direction every few moments. After circling the area a few times, she seemed to have found the perfect spot beneath a large tree, but she paused and looked at him.

"I'm going to insist on separate sleeping locations," she said firmly.

"I...wasn't going to suggest otherwise," Sorin admitted, shrugging his wings. "I like my personal space, and I'd never assume acquaintances of the opposite gender would want to share sleeping space with one another anyway. I just want to be sure you're settled in before I find my camping spot."

"I'm good," Celes stated, curling up. Although Sorin wasn't paying any particular attention to the fact, he still couldn't help but notice that whenever she stretched or shifted her position, she always adjusted her tail to minimize how much of her figure was exposed at any point. He doubted she did that specifically because of his presence - it was far too natural a motion for her to apply it only based on present company, and it again made him wonder how she had developed such a strong sense of modesty when raised in a clan.

Not really wanting to dwell on the question, and concerned that Celes might get agitated if he lingered in her sleeping space for any longer than necessary, the Altaria turned and began searching for a suitable tree to spend the night in.


	46. Nocturnal Meeting

Night was often said to be one of the most peaceful times of day. The rest of the world had retreated into their private shelters and prepared themselves for rest, and those that lingered outside savored the greater freedom and flexibility allowed to them during this time.

Others considered the night to be extraordinarily dangerous for the same reason. Darkness clouded their vision and allowed danger to creep closer to unsuspecting victims until it was too late to stop the approach. As such, protective parents would herd their children into the safety of their den or company at the first sight of sundown.

Fear of the unknown contributed the most to this paranoia. While many of the creatures that wandered the night meant no greater harm than the ones that wandered the daylight, the presence of shadows concealing the threat was the greatest problem. Furthermore, the fact many other creatures had retreated to their safe havens meant that those that did intend harm had minimal obstacles preventing them from achieving their objectives, and few would be available to come to the aid of the unfortunate target, if they chose to strike.

None of this particularly mattered to Aureia.

The Vaporeon was more than capable of taking care of herself, even in the face of adversity. In the rare occasions where she did come across a Pokemon that was convinced she would pose minimal threat to them, they soon discovered how grave a miscalculation they had made. In the even rarer event that their intentions were more malicious, rather than merely irksome, she showed them no mercy and then continued on her way.

Tonight was a fine night, and she had no intention of allowing anyone to disturb her when she took nightly strolls. It was a complete non-issue once she was within a body of water - her species' abilities would ensure her absolute protection and near-infinite fuel for her offense, assuming she would bother. She was most at risk away from water, yet there seemed to be a curious misconception that Vaporeon were inept at combat on land.

The night air was pleasantly cool with a delightful mist. The sky was mostly clear, allowing for an excellent view of the glittering stars overhead, adorned by a sliver of the moon. The grass underfoot was slick with dew, enabling a brisk, leisurely pace to the Vaporeon's footsteps. Her eyes were dull and distant, as was her default demeanor, but they flicked around the area as she walked, taking all details of her surroundings into account. As confident as she was regarding her ability to protect herself, being legitimately ambushed would nevertheless put her at a disadvantage. The solution was to take stock on her surroundings to prevent being taken off-guard.

Aureia's path ended at a small clearing, where a small lake sat nestled beneath an open sky and lined with trees and bushes. The ground here bore the mark of frequent habitation, the softer earth following the day's rain was marked with footprints leading to and from the lake itself. However, the water's surface was calm, perfectly reflecting the navy sky above and the splendor of the glittering stars glowing like fireflies around a crescent moon.

The Vaporeon surveyed the area one last time, turning in a full circle to confirm that no Pokemon or humans were within range of her location, and only then did she relax and approach the lake. The water shimmered a little, disturbed only mildly by the light breeze passing through, and Aureia took a moment to admire her reflection in the glassy water. It was an act of vanity she reserved only for when she was completely alone.

It wasn't as though she liked staring at herself like some self-absorbed nitwit, but there were times when she found it therapeutic to really look at herself, good and bad qualities alike, and be able to privately acknowledge both sides of the matter. Her figure was sleek and well-toned, and a trained eye would be able to detect the muscle that flexed with her every motion, a sure sign that she kept in shape and likely ate well. Her belly did have a bit of excessive fat, but Aureia scoffed at the notion that this was either unappealing or unhealthy. She was a Vaporeon, and while having a sleek figure was ideal for swimming speed, having bulk was just as important, and a worthy trade-off for agility.

Besides, she had seen some of the models displayed in human fashion magazines, and no matter who tried to convince her otherwise, she sincerely doubted that the models were truly happy with that sort of body image. It looked like a ridiculous amount of hassle to maintain, and she doubted it was even healthy. Then again, the magazines weren't intended to cater to her opinions, which was a shame, because it would certainly explain why humans seemed pretty miserable, with low self-esteem and a constant grumble about dieting.

Turning her focus away from such trite things like body figure, Aureia peered closer at her reflection, turning her head from side to side to observe various angles of her face. Her one consistent complaint about herself was her eyes. They were devoid of warmth and happiness, to the point where one could call them cold and uninviting. Even Ember's eyes occasionally shown brightly, especially when she was in good spirits, yet the Vaporeon's eyes refused to shine.

Even gazing at her reflection, Aureia could not label the Vaporeon gazing back at her as being happy, not even content. She seemed...bitter and distant. Cold and disinterested in the world around her, unable to marvel at simple beauty. Continuing to gaze at the reflected Vaporeon, Aureia would even go as far as to say that the reflected Pokemon had little to no investment in her self-image. Her short fur was groomed and well-cared for, and she seemed to be the pinnacle of health, but there was still some sort of emptiness in her gaze and stance.

If she really focused and convinced her mind that the reflection and herself were truly separate entities (to avoid self-bias, naturally), Aureia would further label the Vaporeon as...lonely, perhaps. Meaninglessly so, as well. She was attractive, strong, very independant, yet there was an underlying sense of guardedness. Her eyes were even narrowing in silent disapproval of the analysis, a burning in her heart insisting that she was fine the way she was, yet the eyes betrayed a wavering resolve. Doubtlessly, the reflected Vaporeon received plenty of admirers, sincere or otherwise, but denied them all by default, unwilling to expose the slightest weakness. It wasn't a matter of pride, but of something else. Her stance was intimidating, even unyielding, but if she could look a little deeper, she might see the reason for-

Aureia flinched as the surface of the water rippled, dispelling the reflection, and her gaze flicked towards the leaf that had landed in the water, blown from one of the nearby trees. She sighed, and took a deep, cleansing breath.

She found it therapeutic to observe both positive and negative aspects of herself...but she hated the results. The only benefit such self-guided reflection had was the ability to draw out her own negative feelings. She didn't need anyone to tell her what was great about her, nor nitpick her little flaws. Everyone had flaws, whether they accepted them or not. The cruelest judge was always oneself.

More than a little miffed by the results of her internal reflection, Aureia turned her back to the lake and slapped the water with her tail, producing a more violent ripple than that of the leaf, and disrupting the serenity of the water. Then she lay down and rested her chin on her forepaws, leaving the fin of her tail submerged, but the rest of her body securely on the shore. She wasn't even in the mood to swim tonight, she just wanted to get away from the rest of the world for a while.

Not that she expected to remain isolated for very long. Adrian was very familiar with this spot and Aureia's frequent routine of coming down here, and he would inevitably follow to check up on her. He never explicitly said he was concerned, but it was always apparent. He would usually let her be and give her space, even if he followed, but Aureia suspected he just didn't like leaving his Pokemon unattended for significant stretches of time, even though he gave them almost complete freedom when he wasn't traveling or working.

The pattering of paws along the grass alerted Aureia to an approaching presence, but she didn't even need to look up to figure out who it was, or even if she knew them. She just remained still, focusing on the blades of grass directly in front of her face.

"Oh, hi Aureia!"

The Vaporeon fought the urge to roll her eyes at the sound of the familiar male voice, which seemed to be inappropriately chipper, while also faking surprise at recognizing her. With a small sigh, she sat up, drawing her mermaid fin tail from the water and pulling it closer to the rest of her body. Only then did she turn her head to gaze towards the speaker.

The Pokemon standing a short distance away was a quadruped with brown fur and darker brown eyes. The tip of its bushy tail was a cream color that matched the collar of fur that encircled its neck. As if Aureia would have difficulty identifying an Eevee.

"Hi," she stated blandly. The Eevee didn't seem to expect any better response than that, because his tail wagged simply at being acknowledged.

"You're looking beautiful this evening, as usual," the Eevee said, and he moved closer and nuzzled against her foreleg. Had literally any other Pokemon, male or female, gone into Aureia's personal space in such a way without invitation, they would be unconscious or drenched, if not both. However, the Vaporeon showed absolutely no reaction, and simply permitted the contact in silence.

That said, when he continued to nuzzle near her shoulder, she very gently, but firmly, pushed him away. The Eevee didn't seem the least bit troubled by this response, because he simply smiled and sat down, his tail wagging.

"How's your day been?" he inquired.

"I don't want to talk about it," Aureia stated flatly. She wasn't really in the mood to go over the minutiae of her day, and even if she was willing to do so, she wouldn't. It was usually bad enough experiencing it once without doing so again verbally.

"Can I talk about it?" the Eevee asked, his eyes widening hopefully. Aureia blinked, her expression a mixture of confusion and amusement at the unevolved male's response.

"About...my day?" she asked uncertainly. The Eevee nodded enthusiastically, and she rolled her eyes. "Sure. Knock yourself out."

The Eevee grinned and stood up again, considering her thoughtfully. Aureia just raised an eyebrow slowly, the faintest trace of an amused smile gracing her face.

"Okay, so you got up this morning, had a rushed breakfast because your trainer slept in a little, then he went to work, dragging you guys in your Pokeballs as usual," the Eevee recited, tapping his chin with one paw.

He then walked around Aureia's front and inspected her other side, specifically focusing on her tail, an action that made absolutely no logical sense in Aureia's mind, and had anyone else done it, she might have assumed it was an unsubtle way of checking her out and resulted in a drenched male. Once again, she permitted the behavior in silence, although she did keep a fraction of her attention on him to make sure his eyes didn't attempt to wander.

"On his break, he let you guys out to watch your friend spar, and you slapped your tail against the wall for about fifteen minutes because you had nothing better to do," the Eevee continued. Aureia actually took a moment to study her tail after that comment, wondering if perhaps he was noticing some physical abnormality with her tail that might indicate such a thing, but she found nothing remotely unusual.

The Eevee then circled back to sit directly in front of her, gazing into her eyes. Aureia blinked uncomfortably a few times, beginning to get genuinely unnerved by his peculiar behavior, not to mention she normally detested prolonged eye contact. After a very short pause, she outright averted her gaze.

"After work, you guys went home, he whipped up something for food, which was nothing special, but edible, then he started interacting with you guys one-on-one, but started with uh...the grass one, what's-her-name?"

"Avis," Aureia supplied. The Eevee nodded brightly, and took another moment or two to think before continuing.

"Started with her, then got distracted by something for a while, and by the time he finished with that, you just wanted to be by yourself, so you came out here. And you hoped I'd be here because you think I'm cute."

"Not exactly trying to end on a high note there, Blaze," Aureia sighed, rolling her eyes. The Eevee just grinned a little in response.

"Was I ANYWHERE close?" Blaze asked, tail wagging.

"To the high note? Not particularly," Aureia replied flatly.

"But you DO think I'm cute," he complained. "You said so the other night."

"Did you perhaps wake up after me saying that?" Aureia asked, hiding a smile. The Eevee blinked, then pursed his mouth a little bit in what was unmistakably a small pout. The Vaporeon rolled her eyes again, but didn't say anything, instead ruffling the fur at the top of Blaze's head in what she assumed was a playful manner, although the slightly annoyed look she received in response suggested that maybe she just didn't know what that action meant.

"Was I close to how your day went?" Blaze clarified, licking his paw and fixing the fur that Aureia had messed up. She watched him with mild amusement for several seconds before realizing that he had asked her something.

"I didn't want to talk about it, remember?" Aureia stated, a bit more rudely than she had intended. Blaze frowned at her, but then shrugged it off. "Your version is fine, anyway. No idea where you pulled some of that, though."

"I pay attention when you talk," Blaze answered, sounding slightly hurt, as if Aureia was deliberately assuming otherwise. "So I just made guesses based on similar stories."

Aureia nodded in response, and an awkward silence fell between them. Aureia gazed around restlessly, but watched the Eevee from the corner of her eye. The two of them had met some time ago, in a situation very similar to tonight, where he happened upon her while she was at a water source. He had approached and offered a casual compliment (though he was certainly wise enough not to try and nuzzle her back then). She had brushed him off then, just as she brushed off the many males that had previously offered their compliments to her in the past.

But Blaze hadn't gotten the hint the first time.

Perserverence was a virtue, but it was not a virtue that Aureia encouraged, particularly not when one's persistence was to her expense. Despite the inevitable conflict that arose as a result, they somehow managed to mold it into a tentative...acquaintanceship. Aureia was not one to swiftly label another as a friend, and the Eevee was no exception to the rule. Still, they had agreed to meet again at a later date.

Aureia snorted to herself. Even on their second meeting, after the initial verbal slap she had given the Eevee, Blaze still offered her a flirty compliment. In fact, every time they met, he had some sort of praising comment for her. As time had passed, she had grown somewhat tolerant of this routine. He would drop by, compliment her, occasionally give her a light nuzzle, and after being inevitably nudged away, he would keep the rest of their interaction respectfully platonic.

They mostly spent their time talking, although he did a significantly greater amount of it than she did, but he seemed okay with this. Even the long silences where neither of them had anything to say didn't faze him too much, whereas most others grew awkward or irritated.

Adrian had seen them interacting at one point, and labeled them as adorable, which Aureia openly opposed. The human had merely smiled and refrained from teasing Aureia too much, but it was obvious that he thoroughly enjoyed seeing her spending time near a male Pokemon without lashing out at it.

Blaze's ears suddenly perked up, and Aureia snapped out of her thoughts, following the Eevee's gaze towards the path she had taken to get here. It didn't take long for her to spot the telltale sign of a small flame flickering in the distance, which eventually came near enough for her to notice it was attached to the tail of a familiar orange bipedal lizard. Less delightful to see was the shape of a green bipedal lizard walking beside the Charmander.

"Ooh, Adrian was right, she is out here!" Avis announced brightly. Aureia heaved a sigh, earning a curious look from Blaze. Although Ember and Avis had been mentioned to the Eevee in previous conversations, the same courtesy had not been extended to them. She was not particularly looking forward to introducing them to Blaze, and part of her was already hoping that neither of them would notice the Eevee at all, before being promptly shot down by the part of her brain that knew Blaze was unlikely to be completely silent, immobile, and invisible.

"Hello!" Blaze chirped, before Aureia could stop him. Ember did a slight double take, whereas Avis giggled and waved one of her tiny paws at the Eevee.

"Good evening!" the Snivy replied brightly. Aureia sighed again, already feeling a niggle of irritation towards the grass Pokemon, something that did not escape Ember's notice, because she glanced between Blaze and Avis, then gave the Vaporeon an incredulous look.

"Hi," the Charmander supplied hastily, realizing belatedly that Blaze's greeting had been to both of the newcomers. The Eevee smiled and nodded, his tail swishing a little.

"You're Aureia's friends, right?" Blaze guessed.

"Ooh, she thinks we're friends?" Avis giggled, giving Aureia a smug look. Blaze seemed confused by the response, and cast the Vaporeon an inquisitive look that she promptly ignored.

"Yeah, we're friends," Ember answered, sighing slightly and sitting down carefully near the lake. "Who are you?" she asked, focusing her full attention on the Eevee.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Avis interrupted, waving one of her paws quickly, cutting Blaze off before he could answer. The Snivy smirked, fixing her eyes upon Aureia, somehow appearing even more smug than usual. "Let our mutual acquaintance introduce one another."

Aureia gritted her teeth, but gave a curt nod. "Fine. Blaze, that one's Avis, she's a Snivy. That's Ember, she's a Charmander. Girls, this is Blaze, he's an Eevee."

"Come on, describe us a touch so he knows a bit more," Avis chided Aureia. "Like at the Ruins, I mentioned you were rude. Told them all they needed to know, right?" she added teasingly.

"And you called Ember a bright girl, which wasn't much of a description," Aureia countered. Ember rolled her eyes and sat herself down beside the lake. "Uh...no offense?" Aureia offered quickly.

"She was talking about my flame, so none taken," Ember commented dryly. "She also called Sorin 'softer than the Pillow of Arceus', so...just call it even and move on."

Avis folded her arms across her chest in what was obviously intended to be a pout, but completely failed to portray one due to her amused smirk. "Yeah, well...no one's perfect. Still, no excuse to lazily introduce us."

Aureia rolled her eyes. "Blaze, Avis is that bossy and annoying grass type that looks like she should be sitting in a revolving chair and stroking a Skitty. Ember is the one whose tail is on fire and looks like she needs a hug. Girls, Blaze is the only male present. If that somehow doesn't make it easier to identify him, I'll add that he's chipper, flirty, and way too socially outgoing."

"And yet, you tolerate him," Avis noted. Unable to truly deny this assertion, Aureia just shrugged. "He doesn't seem any of those things right now, though," the Snivy continued, looking Blaze over with a critical eye.

"And Ember doesn't look like she needs a hug right now, either," Aureia countered irritably. "Just because they don't match the description that moment doesn't mean they don't match at all."

Avis sniffed haughtily. "Well, you matched the description of rude when I gave it to you, Sorin matched the description of soft, and Ember was bright AND a girl."

"Quality of your argument dropped really badly at the end there," Ember noted, sounding amused. "Do you two ALWAYS have to argue when you get the chance?"

"Yes," Avis and Aureia answered simultaneously. The main difference between the statements was that Avis sounded delighted by the prospect, whereas Aureia sounded like she was only grudgingly admitting it.

Blaze choked with laughter, earning an annoyed glance from Aureia, although it softened as the humor of the moment sank in. Avis stifled a giggle of her own, using the leaf of her tail to conceal the tell tale smile. Ember just shook her head before taking a drink from the lake.

Once they had settled down a little, Avis stood up and walked nearer to Blaze. The Eevee blinked and tensed a little bit, even as Avis gave him a gentle smile. Ember and Aureia exchanged briefly puzzled looks, and the Vaporeon simply shrugged.

"So...you're a flirt, huh?" Avis asked, regarding Blaze with curious interest, as if he were a television program discovered by pressing random buttons on the remote control. "Why?"

"What?" Blaze asked, taken aback by the sudden question.

"No, not 'what'. Why?" Avis corrected.

"...why what?" Blaze amended, looking increasingly confused. Aureia rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny that she was a little entertained by the exchange. Avis was much more tolerable whenever other people were interacting with her, and she was always glad to see that someone else struggled to understand her behavior.

"Why are you a flirt?" Avis asked, her red eyes widening innocently, despite the fact that she had moved her face uncomfortably close to the Eevee's, as if she thought she could use Blaze's eyes as a magnifying glass to read tiny print.

"Um...w-what?" Blaze stammered, visibly unnerved by the Snivy's proximity.

"No!" Avis whined loudly, causing the Eevee to cringe as the exclamation was delivered half an inch from his ears. "Not 'what'! Stop saying 'what'! I want to know WHY."

"Avis, you're freaking him out pretty badly," Ember said seriously. "What kind of question is that, anyway?"

"Fine," Avis pouted, turning her back to Blaze, although this resulted in the leaf at the end of her tail tickling beneath his chin, presumably by accident, but Aureia wouldn't put anything past the Snivy. "Don't tell me why you flirt."

"...I don't even flirt that much," Blaze protested. "I'm not even good at it!"

"He really isn't," Aureia confirmed blandly.

"Oh?" Avis asked, smirking and peering over her shoulder at the Eevee. "So you're practicing? Very well, give it a shot. Flirt with..."

"Not you," Aureia interrupted bluntly.

Avis rolled her eyes. "Of course not me, how would I...never mind. Try flirting with Ember."

The Charmander expelled a small mouthful of water that she had been in the process of drinking, and she coughed once or twice before giving the Snivy a bewildered look.

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're not moody anymore," Avis explained, her eyes lighting up as if she was delighted by the chance to explain herself. "And Aureia doesn't react at all, so she's a lousy subject. And she's vetoing me, so...that leaves you!"

"Uh..." Blaze's eyes flicked around the area frantically, like a prey animal surrounded by large birds that were circling overhead, but might not have noticed him. Finally, his eyes settled on Aureia, silently pleading for salvation.

"I don't care, go for it," Aureia stated indifferently. "Don't take it so seriously, just do what you normally do. Wait...on second thought, don't try to nuzzle her."

"Whoa, whoa...he normally would try to nuzzle me?" Ember asked, her eyes widening, her expression amusingly similar to how Blaze had looked mere moments ago. "Then what's the difference between flirting and coming onto someone?"

"Intent?" Avis suggested brightly.

"What's the procedural difference?" Ember deadpanned. "How would I distinguish the two while it's happening in real time?"

"I dunno," Avis shrugged. "I've never been flirted with."

"Same," Ember sighed, but then she frowned. "Wait, was Kuro flirting with me?"

"I...wouldn't cite him as an example of proper flirting, if he was," Aureia said seriously. "Or an example of good mental health, for that matter."

"Wow, it's getting late," Blaze said abruptly, making a show of stifling an enormous fake yawn and stretching. "Mm, I'm exhausted. I better be going."

"Where do you even go?" Avis wondered, cocking her head curiously. "Do you live in the area? Or do you have a trainer in the area? For that matter-"

Ember cleared her throat, interrupting the Snivy's bombardment of questions. "Don't overwhelm him, Avis."

"Sorry," the Snivy said sheepishly. Blaze hesitated, then looked over at Aureia. She shrugged, understanding the unasked request.

"He travels," Aureia explained, using a firm, dismissive tone she usually employed whenever she wanted to have the final word on the subject. Not that the tone would necessarily prevent Avis from asking more questions, but it was at least an effort to assist Blaze in leaving the area without being assaulted with follow-up questions. "Based on what he's told me, he had a trainer previously, but was released."

"Released, or abandoned?" Avis wondered. Aureia scowled and fixed the Snivy with a stony stare. To her slight surprise, the Snivy winced and flicked her paw to the side with a sweeping gesture. When it was clear that Avis had genuinely gotten the message and was dropping the subject, Aureia relaxed her gaze.

"It was nice meeting you guys. Girls, whatever," Blaze said, offering a smile.

"Sorry for putting you on the spot before," Ember said awkwardly, but returned the Eevee's smile. Blaze just shrugged it off, his tail wagging.

"See you around, have a good night," he said, dipping his head in a polite bow to Aureia. She gave a curt nod, and the Eevee turned and began to walk away, pausing only when Aureia called for him to hang on.

"I don't know if you're planning on coming by in the next day or two, but I won't be able to be here," she said, mentally cursing herself for forgetting to mention this detail. Avis and Ember's arrival had caused the matter to completely slip her mind.

Blaze shrugged. "That's fine, I'll live," he said. "You don't show up every day, and neither do I."

Aureia nodded slowly. "Just...letting you know, I guess." She furrowed her brow and bit her lip, then shrugged. "Good night."

"Night," Blaze said, and continued walking. Aureia watched him leave, then braced herself before turning to face her companions. As expected, Avis was smirking so widely that she looked like the picture of a character from a book that Adrian had read recently, the title of which that Aureia could not recall.

"I'm not crushing on him," the Vaporeon blurted out irritably.

"And any chance of that claim having credibility just vanished," Ember mused. "Even Adrian thinks you are."

"He did say you were probably out here to meet someone," Avis agreed with a giggle. Aureia sighed. Ever since Adrian had come across her and Blaze interacting, he had rarely missed an opportunity to tease her in some fashion. He was wise enough to know not to reference the Eevee directly, but certain phrases were usually enough to get his playful jab across, such as referring to something as 'adorable', especially if it involved Aureia in some form. Even commenting on Ember's choice of napping against Aureia's shoulder back at the Ruins of Alph had been intended to get under her skin in a playful manner.

"Yeah? Well don't harass me about it," Aureia muttered.

"We won't," Ember promised, catching the Vaporeon off-guard. "Right, Avis?" the Charmander asked, giving the Snivy a sharp look.

"Nope!" Avis answered, then paused, perhaps realizing how ambiguous her response sounded. "Uh, nope, no teasing from us!" she clarified.

"Hm. Thanks, I guess," Aureia muttered. If there was anything positive to be said for Avis, it was that she sincerely refrained from prodding delicate subjects. Alternatively, Ember just had a lot more sway over the Snivy than Aureia did, but it amounted to the same in the end.

"So you didn't tell him earlier about us being away for a few days?" Ember wondered. "You probably could have had him tag along if he's not tied down to a trainer or anything. It's not like Adrian would mind."

"Yeah, like I'd ever hear the end of it if I did that," Aureia grumbled. "Besides, it's just up to Ecruteak, it's not like we're flying out to Hoenn or Sinnoh."

"That's not until next week," Avis chirped. Both Aureia and Ember looked over at the Snivy in blank confusion. Avis' eyes widened in innocent surprise. "You didn't know about that?"

"No, when was that planned?" Aureia demanded. At this point in time, she had no idea if Avis was messing with her or not, but the fact Ember seemed similarly confused suggested that at the very least, if it was a joke, Ember wasn't in on it.

"It's just a tentative plan right now," Avis answered, sounding a bit more pompous and smug now that she was sitting on information she alone was privy to. "Adrian wants to meet up with his little bro for a week or two, but he's worried that there might be a last-minute job assignment that'll keep him from those plans, so maybe that's why he didn't tell you guys."

"But he told you?" Ember asked skeptically.

"No, I eavesdropped on his phone call," Avis said nonchalantly. "Ooh, he did say you two hate big changes, though. But he said it'd have to happen during April, because he just put Ember back on the roster, and will have to cycle Aureia off next month."

"I don't even get why he claims he cycles us off the roster," Ember said blankly. "He's not into competitive battling, and he didn't take the gym trainer job, so why even SAY we're cycled off when he still carries us around normally?"

"He still has to report developments to that Bureau or whatever," Aureia answered. "You know, that agency that monitors his progress on rehabilitating difficult Pokemon. By marking us as 'off-roster', he's not required to detail our developments or relapses."

"Oh," Ember said, frowning. "I...didn't know he did that."

"Ooh, is that what he's writing about when he's observing us?" Avis wondered, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.

Aureia nodded solemnly. "He explained it me before he got Ember. He doesn't just get handed random Pokemon and left alone. He has to observe them, document their behavior, quirks, and triggers, and then work on rehabilitating those Pokemon. For the most part, they don't object to him keeping those Pokemon indefinitely, but if he wants to keep collecting a paycheck and being recommended highly for his talents, they have to see progress reports."

"Ooh...interesting," Avis cooed.

"There's more to it, but it's easier to get the details from him," Aureia added, shaking herself a little and climbing to her feet. "I'm heading back now."

"Sounds like a plan!" Avis chirped, bouncing to her feet, despite having settled into a sitting position a few moments ago. "I do have one more question, though."

"What's that?" Ember asked, catching sight of Aureia's exasperated expression.

"Is Adrian keeping us, or are we just making really slow progress?" the Snivy asked. Ember and Aureia both blinked, and then exchanged looks.

"Uh...well, for you, I don't think he's figured you out yet," Ember said slowly. "It's only been a few weeks. He's had Aureia and me for two years or so."

The Charmander bit her lip thoughtfully, and glanced at Aureia. The Vaporeon kept her expression unreadable. She had never considered the question before, and was unwilling to admit that Avis had an extremely good point. Did Adrian intend on keeping them, or was he continuing to work with them until he was satisfied that he could safely release them?

"Yeah?" Avis prompted, looking between the other two Pokemon expectantly.

"I...think I'm just making slow progress," Ember muttered finally.

"I want to believe that it'll depend on what WE want," Aureia said. "I know I'm not ready yet, but when the time comes...I think he'll know us well enough to act in our best interests. If we want to stay, he'll be glad to have us, and if we want to move on...he'll allow it."

"You think so?" Avis asked, her red eyes widening hopefully. "Like, Adrian's cool and all, but I don't know if I want to be under his care forever, you know?"

"Mm," Aureia murmured, beginning to walk back the way they had came. While satisfied with the answer she had given the Snivy, there was still a niggle of uncertainty in the back of her mind. It wasn't that she didn't trust Adrian to act in their best interests, because she had absolute confidence that he would definitely keep them or release them as they wished.

The question that bothered her was WHETHER she would ever want to be released.


	47. Completing a Journey

A good morning is being awakened by the gentle rays of sunshine softly caressing your body with inviting warmth and light, stirring you from sleep with care, so as not to bring you to alertness too abruptly.

Sounds and smells soon accompanied the light, working in tandem to invigorate both body and mind, drawing one from the comforting abyss of sleep and back into alertness. The transformation was best done slowly, allowing one to savor the last moments of total relaxation.

Celes could smell the sweet fragrance of dew mingling with grass, and the even sweeter scent of honey, and in the background, she could hear the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing. Her eyelids fluttered, resisting the allure of rolling over and returning to doze for a few more minutes, until at last her dark brown eyes opened, alertness triumphing over its more desirable foe.

The Flareon blinked in the morning light a few times. Her ear twitched subtly, scanning the surroundings for any sound to indicate the presence of another. Only after she mentally confirmed her isolation from onlookers did she allow herself to stretch her body, taking absolute care to nevertheless utilize her tail as a barrier while doing so.

Completing the stretch filled her weary limbs with energy, and she sat up, shaking herself a little to dispel any lingering haziness from her mind, and she slowly scanned the area with her eyes, confirming once and for all that she had been alone. This suited her perfectly well; back at the clan, it had been notoriously difficult to have complete privacy, even after evolution. Or maybe it would be better to say 'especially' after evolution.

The Flareon sighed and glanced around. She hadn't taken much time to inspect her sleeping location in terms of available resources, and was disappointed to find that there wasn't a water source within her line of sight. It wasn't that she was thirsty as much as she preferred to be able to inspect her reflection when she groomed, but on the other paw, the lack of such a water source would certain explain why she had gone completely undisturbed. In most areas she had chosen to spend the night, there usually was at least one Pokemon that passed by, or tried to make use of the same area.

And now it was beginning to occur to her that for the first time since leaving the clan, she was no longer operating entirely on her own schedule. If she wanted to proceed with the events of the day, she would require Sorin's presence, and she hadn't bothered to see where he had spent the night. Considering that she had met him while he had been perched in a tree, she imagined that he would be somewhere higher up, and that made it painfully inefficient to search for him.

The Flareon scowled to herself, but forced herself to relax, taking a moment to lick her paw and smooth out her fur. She needed to stay calm and not be impulsive. If she wandered off in search for Sorin, there was a chance that she'd miss him and he'd come by here and find her absent, and that would throw everything into chaos. It wasn't as if she could proceed with her search without his guidance anyway.

The secondary problem was that Sorin's undue wariness towards her meant that he might hesitate to approach the area while she might still be sleeping, out of fear of provoking her. Celes sighed to herself at the thought. She just wasn't used to interacting with people for longer than strictly necessary, and from the short time she had known Sorin, it was beginning to dawn on her just how much impact her tone and impatience had on others. For most interactions, the clipped and no-nonsense tone she used was to her benefit, but when it came to someone she relied on, or otherwise needed to keep around, she was slowly poisoning a relationship she otherwise profited from.

Celes bit her lip, her brown eyes glazing over in absent thought. Yet if she forced herself to behave differently, then she would be acting manipulatively for her own benefit. There had to be a balance somewhere that would keep Sorin from potentially becoming fed up with her attitude, but not force herself to come off as so kind and sweet that she would be acting like a total hypocrite.

The Flareon shook her head firmly, imagining that the thoughts clinging to her brain were being scattered aside by the head motion. She was just overthinking things now, and the last thing she needed was to get caught up in how much of her mindset was outright hypocritical.

"Guess the clan did teach me something, after all," she muttered bitterly. Her brown eyes swept the area again, and to her incredible relief, she spotted the blue dragon in the distance, moving towards her. By the time he reached her, she had taken several deep, cleansing breaths.

"Good morning," the Altaria stated cheerfully, although his expression sobered slightly, as if concerned that his tone would irritate her. Celes gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. Even back at the clan, she disliked greetings, no matter how harmless and well-intentioned they may be. She could never really get the hang of using them herself, at least not without coming off as phony, and after evolution, the Eevee that greeted her were just using it as a bridge to their true agenda, and so her tolerance for such empty words wore thin very quickly.

"Sleep okay?" Celes asked, not wanting the conversation to get awkward from the beginning. She wasn't in a particularly foul mood, she just wanted to get to the point of the interaction, something that was unlikely to occur quickly if Sorin was turned off by the way she acknowledged his greeting. Now and then, small talk was necessary to steer the conversation towards something relevant.

"Slept good," Sorin said, smiling briefly, which Celes did not bother returning. She wasn't in a bad mood, but she wasn't enthusiastic. Curt neutrality was easiest for keeping unwanted attention at bay. "You?" the Altaria added, still smiling a little.

"Perfectly," Celes answered, the corners of her mouth twitching in spite of herself. It had been a good night's sleep, and she definitely had the energy for the road ahead.

"All right," Sorin said brightly, pivoting his body to face the direction of the path they had been traveling the evening before. "If you need to eat something before we set off, now's the time to say so. Otherwise, I think we'll be able to grab brunch when we get there."

"I'll wait," Celes said after a short pause. Sorin had said the other night that it wasn't much further, and she didn't really want to backtrack to get more food, since there wasn't anything in the immediate area. Going back would only make her feel like her goal was further away than it actually was.

Sorin led the way down the path, with Celes trailing behind only a little bit, compared to the distance she had kept the previous day. Although neither of them had commented on the fact, it had been obvious that Sorin had a tendency of looking back at the person he was talking to, most likely judging the distance between them so that he could adjust his speaking volume, and Celes preferred if he didn't keep doing that. It made her feel a little self-conscious to have someone constantly glancing back, and it also made her nervous because Sorin would have his attention split and could potentially injure himself if he collided with something ahead of him.

The first few minutes of the trip were done in silence, broken only by Sorin absent-mindedly humming to himself. It was a different tune than the one he had been humming the other day, and Celes privately mused that had he not been humming when she had been passing through, they probably would not have met at all, as the melody of his voice had caught her attention and allowed her to pinpoint him. Even now, she was distinctly aware that the Altaria had a very lovely voice. She hadn't really noticed this when he was speaking, but his more musically inclined behaviors definitely demonstrated this talent.

"What is that tune?" the Flareon asked, startling Sorin into momentary silence.

"I dunno, just a tune I picked up somehow. I travel around a lot, and watch travelers, so bits and pieces of music and songs get all mixed together when I'm lost in thought," the Altaria answered, sounding a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry, was my humming bothering you?"

"No, nothing like that," Celes replied hastily. "It sounds nice."

"Oh, thanks," Sorin said, a little taken aback, but he smiled faintly. "I have to credit my evolution for that, because I was completely tone deaf as a Swablu."

"I don't think that's how it works," Celes said slowly. "You don't usually go from hopelessly bad to expert just by evolving."

"Maybe not," Sorin conceded. "But the change can streamline the learning process. Like maybe as an Eevee, you'd be a terrible swimmer, but evolve into a Vaporeon and you'll be a master before long. So as a Swablu, I was a terrible singer, but when I became an Altaria, my skills developed much faster with the advantages of my species."

Celes nodded thoughtfully. She hadn't really thought of that before, and it would make sense, especially with the specific example of an Eevee into a Vaporeon. She suspected he picked that example specifically to make it more relatable to her experiences.

They continued in relative silence, but the reason for this seemed to be that they were running into significantly more traffic now. Humans and Pokemon alike were passing them on the path, heading in the opposite direction, or just lingering on the side of the roads. More than once, Sorin indicated for them to go off the pathway entirely to better accommodate human travelers.

"Relax, we're fine," the Altaria said, noticing the heightened tension that was overtaking Celes' body whenever a human passed by. "Don't tense up so much, you draw more attention and make yourself look vulnerable."

"I know that," Celes grumbled. "I can't help it."

Sorin looked at her with a hint of concern. "You do realize we're heading towards one of the largest human cities in the region, right? There's going to be a lot of humans and Pokemon around us, so if you get that nervous, then this probably isn't going to work..."

"Then why did you suggest this?" Celes asked, trying to get the aggressiveness from her voice, but her growing anxiety was making her tone come off as more forceful than she wanted it to.

"Um..." the Altaria hesitated. "Well, you had a really...confrontational demeanor, so I figured it wouldn't be as much a problem, especially if you're with me."

Celes twitched, feeling a mixture of annoyance and exasperation welling up inside her. "I'll be fine," she said firmly. "Just keep going so I don't think about it much. Stopping and taking the passive road is what's messing with me right now."

"But showing poor manners on the road isn't doing you any favors, either," Sorin noted. "It comes off as antagonistic and challenging. It's that type of thing that sparks conflict with Pokemon like Inferna, who'd view you as a threat that needs to be dealt with."

Celes frowned. It sounded like Sorin was giving her conflicting advice, what with referencing her having a confrontational attitude, but then warning her not to act too passive or nervous, while still not being too confrontational...where was she supposed to draw the line?

As if he could read her thoughts, Sorin gave her a tiny smile. "Just act how you normally would, but let me guide you a little."

"Just go," Celes muttered. The Altaria shrugged his wings, but resumed flying towards the city. Even with the destination seemingly so near, it was still a considerable distance away, making it more difficult for Celes to simply relax and let her mind wander.

"Would it help to converse a little, and keep your mind off the traffic?" Sorin wondered. Celes cocked her head thoughtfully. It was not an unwelcome suggestion and she had little doubt that it would be effective in keeping her mind occupied, but there weren't many topics she particularly wanted to explore at length, and small talk was no better than absolute silence.

"Eh, why not?" she said with a shrug, and her dark brown eyes flicked towards the Altaria, a trace of amusement gracing her expression. "And we do owe one another further explanation of our previous conversations. So who'll talk first?"

"What do I owe you?" Sorin asked, sounding confused. Celes rolled her eyes, unseen by the cloud dragon. There was little chance that he had legitimately forgotten how he had prematurely ended a conversation last evening, but at the same time, it might be considered unfair of her to press the subject so soon.

"What happened after your kit was born," Celes explained, with an air of forced patience. "But never mind that for now, it's only fair that I take a turn this time. What do you want to know? More about the clan, my brother, or something else?"

Sorin was silent for several seconds, mulling over his options. Celes braced herself for his answer. While it was a nice change to have someone genuinely interested in her clan and history, many of the memories were tainted by Blaze's departure, and her own shortcomings.

"Okay," Sorin said finally, and there was a wariness in his voice that spoke volumes about how he expected her to react. "I know you weren't too fond of explaining the situation yesterday, but I feel like I'm missing something that'll enlighten me on why it-"

"Just say it," Celes interrupted impatiently. "You're not making me more willing to discuss it by beating around the bush, especially if I don't even know yet what you're going to ask about."

Sorin winced a little. "Your evolution. I don't get why you're hostile about the subject. And you also mentioned something yesterday about dealing with attention post-evolution."

Celes frowned, but perhaps to Sorin's surprise, the expression was thoughtful instead of aggravated. It was a perfectly fair question, and his hesitation in bringing it up served as an uncomfortable reminder that she had been a bit too prickly yesterday.

"I'm not normally hostile about my evolution," the Flareon admitted carefully. "Not in the sense that I'm unhappy with it. I enjoy being a Flareon, for whatever that's worth."

"Well...that's good, right?" Sorin asked awkwardly.

"But I shouldn't have evolved," Celes continued, ignoring the Altaria's comment. In her present mood, it would be best if she explained herself without distraction. "I didn't find the Fire Stone, and I didn't earn it. Blaze found it, but I touched it. He wanted it for himself, so that he could try to change things."

The Flareon closed her eyes, feeling a surge of emotion welling up in her chest, causing her eyes to burn with the beginning of tears, but she forced them away, gritting her teeth to focus her mind and energy away from the emotions tearing at her heart.

"Blaze hated the clan, you see. He found the rules too controlling and stifling, and felt that young Eevee should learn by having the freedom to make mistakes and improve themselves from experience, not by mindlessly following whatever they were told," Celes continued.

Sorin nodded slowly, but continued to listen without interruption.

"My brother wasn't stupid. He didn't just break rules for the sake of it. He wouldn't risk his safety or mine just to prove a point, but he got on the bad side of the leaders, so when it came to earning status and such, he had no hope of being chosen," Celes sighed, but her tail flicked a little.

"Did that bother him a lot?" Sorin wondered. Celes glanced up at him, briefly confused. "The fact he was more or less blacklisted from rising in status?"

"Not really," Celes mused. "But he resented the exclusiveness of the system. The real struggle for him was being ostracized from the community and becoming the target of mean-spirited pranks and insults to rile him up. By taunting a figure of ridicule, they hoped to get rewarded by the leaders that disliked him."

"And let me guess, it was stupidly effective?" Sorin asked, with an obvious note of distaste in his voice.

Celes gritted her teeth, practically spitting the words. "It destroyed his morale and self-esteem. He hated himself for being an easy target, and every time he was scolded for defending himself from the bullying, his hatred for the clan increased. If it weren't for my support...I don't know what he might have done."

The Flareon sighed heavily, the aggressiveness fading from her body. She was quiet for almost a full minute, and Sorin didn't dare break the silence, but she could practically feel his eyes on her, metaphorically if not literally.

"My evolution attracted the ire of the clan leaders, obviously," Celes continued finally. "It went against the system in a way they could not ignore."

The Flareon paused, her tail flicking as she replayed the scene in her head. She could still see the leaders in her mind's eye, flanking one another and scolding her, their eyes angry as they made accusations and inquiries, yet never permitting her to actually explain herself in favor of repeating their statements of how taking a shortcut was an insult to the Eevee that had put in the effort and time to be chosen and prepared for evolution.

Celes' mouth twitched. "I told them respectfully to piss off."

Sorin choked, turning his head to look at her, his expression a mixture of amusement and incredulity. "You did what?"

Celes smiled, taking a moment to make eye contact with the Altaria, simply so that he would realize that she was completely serious. "I told them, in no uncertain terms, that I didn't appreciate them yelling at me, because I couldn't take anything away from the situation. I can't undo evolution, and I wasn't going to put up with them screaming in my face."

"...then what happened?" Sorin asked uncertainly.

"They backed the hell off," Celes stated simply. Perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration. The leaders hadn't just backed off immediately, because doing so would have made them appear weak and easily intimidated not only by their peers, but by the Eevee stationed below them. Rather, one of the leaders had hastily stepped in and whispered something to the others that prompted them to step back from the situation. Things quickly diffused from there, but Celes had been told that they would speak to her again soon.

"Really? That can't have just been the end of it," Sorin noted.

"It wasn't," Celes agreed. "Later, one of the clan leaders came by and said that he was impressed by how I handled myself, and that I showed promise despite the unapproved evolution. Adding that with a little time and mentoring, I could probably receive a boost in status."

Sorin frowned a little. "So they decided to promote you anyway? That's...odd."

"I didn't have a rebellious reputation like my brother," Celes explained, but then she shrugged. "Maybe they thought it easier to get me on their side rather than risk me opposing them. Or maybe it's another piece of evidence supporting my theory of our heritage."

"But you accepted the offer?" Sorin asked.

Celes snorted, earning a puzzled look in return. "I asked him how he stood to benefit from the arrangement. He was offering a way for me to become a peer to him, for no apparent reason. I hadn't done anything to gain his approval, so it's not like I paid my due in advance like other Eevee might have."

"So even back then, you were paranoid of everyone's intentions?" Sorin asked, and then immediately winced, as if he realized that he said something dumb. Celes decided to ignore the inadvertent jab.

"Had a female made the offer, I might have taken it without question. A male making such an offer is much more suspect," Celes stated curtly. "I assumed he wished to court me, and enabling me to climb the social ladder could benefit his chances of earning my affection."

"Do you suspect that of every male who offers you help?" Sorin wondered.

"Every male except for you," Celes confirmed. Sorin gave her a weird look, and she smirked a little. "You were acting like I was diseased, remember? Not exactly lending yourself to the suspicion of wanting to hit on me."

"Touche," Sorin chuckled. "So...you rejected the offer?"

"Indeed," the Flareon said blandly. "I said I wasn't going to play games with them, and if they couldn't handle that, then they should have the guts to tell me to hit the road."

Sorin shrugged his wings. "I have no idea how that panned out. It could go either way right now."

Celes smiled a little. "Well, they very noticeably sent the only female Umbreon leader to notify me that I was approved for promotion, and to check in with the rest of the leaders in the morning."

The Flareon privately debated whether to mention that the Umbreon still got bitten for invading her personal space in the middle of the night, but decided against it. If Sorin hadn't already guessed that invading her sleeping area was unwise, then his own personal space issues were being exaggerated, because that was something he should be able to relate to perfectly.

Any further discussion was halted when they found themselves at the gate of the human city. From a distance, the city had seemed large and unnerving, but it was nothing compared to seeing it up close.

Enormous metal structures towered over them in every direction, each one many times larger than the archway decorating the entrance. Streets marked the path between each structure, yet it all seemed to be an enormous labyrinth, stretching on endlessly in every direction. And then there were the signs and banners covering almost every inch of the metal walls of each building, advertising wares in vibrant colors and lettering that Celes found overwhelming to gaze upon.

And if the sights were this difficult to behold, they still didn't compare to the noise. The entire city seemed to be consumed with a constant din, with armored vehicles navigating the streets with roaring commotion, the footsteps of passerby striking the stone pavement constantly, and the incessant chattering and calling of humans and Pokemon alike that were conversing with one another. People were everywhere; humans of all different sizes and colors, dressed in a dizzying variety of attire, from simple casual wear to sharp business attire. They were accompanied by more Pokemon species diversity than Celes had ever seen in her entire life, much less in one area, and all of them were doing different tasks in some form. The muscular humanoid Pokemon were assisting burly humans with their labor, and other species darted about the vendor stands, frolicking with customers or helping enable a transaction.

Still more people and Pokemon were moving about the enormous buildings, going in and out of them in a constant stream, like the ebb and flow of a river. No single individual seemed exactly the same as the others, yet they all blurred together, making it impossible to distinguish one from the fifty before them.

Sorin observed Celes' reaction with noticeable amusement, before gesturing grandly with one of his cloudy wings.

"Welcome, Celes, to Goldenrod City."


	48. Goldenrod Rendezvous

Goldenrod City was a daunting venue for newcomers. There were so many sights and sounds bombarding them in all directions that it could be overwhelming to navigate the streets and buildings if they were unfamiliar with their destination. And sometimes, even the veterans needed a minute to get their bearings.

The humans and Pokemon that lived in the City, or visited with greatest frequency due to their line of work, were much more desensitized to the absurd number of stimuli within the city, and so it was a cinch for those with a trained eye to differentiate between tourists and city residents.

With so many different faces and sounds and sights passing by them every day, few things really stood out to residents. The presence of Pokemon in the city never drew much attention, even if they were normally rarer or exclusive species, because the city was also a plaza for Pokemon trainers eager on visiting the Goldenrod City gym, or trying their hand at one of the other attractions in the city, such as the Game Corner.

For Cecilia, the city was a wild world of nostalgia. She had been born at the outskirts of the city, and even now, the streets and crowds had a sense of familiarity and homeliness that could not truly be replicated elsewhere. Not all the memories associated with the city were welcome, of course. She could also remember cold, lonely nights of wandering the streets, devoid of company except for the occasional night owl human or Pokemon that happened across her.

The Quilava's blue eyes scanned the streets as she walked, taking great care not to inadvertantly burn any of the passerby. She was given a slightly wider berth than the average resident, even with her flames extinguished, but she still got jostled now and then by humans that were walking at a brisker pace than she was. Many of them wore formal clothing, suggesting to her that they were running late for work or some other appointment, and so their rudeness was excused.

It had been a rough few weeks for Cecilia, but the past week in particular stuck out as especially trying, both physically and mentally. She had regrouped with Lin and Force at the Old Chateau back at Sinnoh, just in time for Iris and Kaito to return from their mission, empty-pawed, which didn't surprise Cecilia as much as it probably should have. Not every venture the team went out on turned up something of value. They had to have gone through half a dozen or more sites and ruins before they came across Diablos' Keystone fragment, so failure was something they had accepted as part of their ventures.

Good luck telling that to Kaito, however. The Togetic had been more irritable than usual, which was saying something, and his mood did not improve on being filled in regarding the mishap at the Solaceon Ruins, even though they had returned with that peculiar stone. Kaito had likewise been unable to identify it, but he took note of the odd rune inscribed upon the stone, admitting that it looked familiar, but his study of runes in general meant that almost every symbol looked familiar, and this did nothing to aid them in determining the stone's significance.

There had also been a bit of conflict within the group concerning Diablos. Recent events had suggested that Diablos was perfectly willing to act on his own agenda with little concern to how it affected the group, or those unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire, such as Rio. Cecilia's stomach still squirmed with guilt at the very thought. Force had been especially vocal about his displeasure, whereas Lin had inexplicably played the devil's advocate.

Kaito had listened to the discussion with a surprising amount of patience, whereas Iris and Cecilia had both chosen to say minimally. In Iris' case, this was probably because she was prone to siding with Force by default, but had nothing of her own to add to the discussion, and she couldn't really get involved without the risk of alienating someone. Cecilia just didn't want to get involved. She had made her own decision regarding the Spiritomb.

Cecilia paused her line of thought long enough to consider where she wanted to go next. If she kept walking in her current direction, she'd be heading out of the city entirely, which wasn't the worst idea in the world. As much as she didn't mind the bustle of the city, there were few familiar faces, and doing little else but immerse herself in nostalgic feelings wasn't going to remain satisfying for long.

A sad smile graced the Quilava's face. She never was the type that could spend most of her time alone. She needed other people to focus on, and to devote her energy towards. She liked to surround herself with others and feel like she was a part of their lives, even if it was brief. If anything, the brevity made her crave and appreciate the companionship even more.

Already, she missed Lin.

It wasn't that the Weavile was entirely inaccessible, of course. Kaito had decided he needed to re-examine some of his Johto-based research materials for whatever reason, and had managed to convince Lin to come along. Cecilia had jumped at the opportunity to travel to Johto and reacquaint herself with the region that had been her home, but she was unwilling to use this opportunity to pore over books or whatever other mundane activity that captured Kaito's interest, so she had set off on her own with plans to meet back up with them at a later time.

Yet she still found herself missing Lin's presence. The Weavile was a loyal friend, possibly the best friend Cecilia had, what with the majority of others drifting away with time, like a sand castle at the beach. Force and Iris were wonderful friends, of course, but those two had opted to remain in Sinnoh, once Iris returned from the exhausting task of Teleporting them. Cecilia had never realized how much effort it took for the Kirlia to Teleport others until then.

Iris had Teleported the group, one member at a time, and needed to rest for several minutes between trips, each time looking increasingly drained. If nothing else, it made Cecilia feel guilty for asking such a favor. Unlike Kaito and Lin, whose purpose for travel was related to Kaito's agenda, Cecilia's wish to go to Johto was little more than a selfish excuse to escape from Sinnoh for a while.

Something abruptly collided with Cecilia, nearly bowling her over, and she shot the offender a nasty look which went unnoticed. Sure, it might have been her fault for mentally zoning out in the middle of the sidewalk, but that didn't excuse someone for running into her so roughly without as much as a word of apology.

Cecilia sighed. Maybe Goldenrod wasn't the best city to be hanging around in during the mid-morning commute. With that in mind, she began walking towards the city gates. People and Pokemon were darting about the streets and sidewalk, some heading for work or school or whatever it was they did in the mornings, whereas a few others walked determinedly towards the northeast section of the City, where the infamous Goldenrod Pokemon Gym stood.

Although Cecilia normally wouldn't have minded sitting in to watch the battles, she somehow doubted her presence would be welcomed, as she was neither a challenger nor associated with any of the challengers. It just wasn't worth the potential hassle. It would be much easier and more beneficial to find a somewhat friendlier or more familiar face to hang around with.

The Quilava abruptly jerked her head up, surprise rapidly overtaking her features as she caught sight of a legitimately familiar face. For a moment, she was simply too taken aback to do anything other than stare at the Pokemon that had drifted into the city. A blue bird-like Pokemon with large, cloud-like wings, and a feathered tail.

Of course, her hopes died almost immediately afterwards. The Altaria may be a familiar face, but she couldn't really forget the fact that Sorin didn't particularly like her. They had met previously, and while her tendency to be playfully flirtatious didn't sit well with the dragon Pokemon, he wasn't very socially outgoing, either. Their interactions were quick to become awkwardly quiet, and he always regarded her with extreme wariness, admitting at one point that he didn't like Fire-types invading his personal space.

Then again, she wasn't really interested in trying to flirt with anyone for a while, so maybe there was a chance to get off on a better foot this time around? It was worth a shot.

"Hey, Sorin!" Cecilia called out, wincing a bit at the volume of her shout, before immediately remembering that due to the traffic of the city, it was actually necessary to call that loudly. The Altaria flinched and turned towards her, only to promptly flinch again. Wow, they were off to a fantastic start already. Despite the less-than-enthusiastic response, Cecilia began walking nearer, taking care not to approach so rapidly that he would immediately feel like his personal space was threatened.

In doing so, she soon spotted the other Pokemon that was standing in close proximity to the cloud dragon, a quadruped with bright orange, fluffy fur. Cecilia blinked at this Pokemon with mild confusion, swiftly managing to label it as a female Flareon. She had the weirdest luck ever when it came to encountering members of the Eevee evolutionary line.

"Oh, um...hi, Cecilia," Sorin muttered.

"Hi Sorin," Cecilia said, keeping her tone casual and pleasant, but then cocked her head at the Flareon. "Did you finally overcome your aversion to Fire-type females?" she wondered pointedly.

"No, he's still got that in spades," the Flareon replied dully. Cecilia stifled a giggle, a feat made more difficult by the exasperated look that Sorin shot his companion.

"Hi there! I'm Cecilia," Cecilia chirped, and offered her paw to the Flareon.

There was an uncomfortable pause as the fire Eon regarded her paw, before flicking her gaze up to meet Cecilia's eyes. "Celes."

Cecilia allowed her paw to just drop back to the ground, immediately put off a bit by the Flareon's somewhat standoffish demeanor, but rolling with it. "So, not a girlfriend, right?" she teased, before sobering. Even such a playful question might given Sorin the idea that she was going to hit on him, and his aversion to her would skyrocket.

"Baffling why you would think otherwise," Celes sniffed. "Are you always quick to assume romantic attachment between acquaintances of the opposite gender?"

Cecilia considered this for a moment, swiftly running down a list of examples of Pokemon she interacted with regularly. The weirdest part was, it really wasn't that rare for her to see potential couples within every group that involved at least one male and female. Rio and her mate had gotten attached very quickly, and then there was Force and Iris. She herself had the borderline need for affection and companionship, so she was always looking at options. If anything, the odd ones out were Kaito and Lin, but Lin fell into a different category entirely, and Cecilia had begun to assume Kaito was also uninterested in any sort of relationship.

"Yeah, kind of, I guess." Cecilia shrugged.

"Was she one of the contacts you mentioned?" Celes wondered, looking up towards the hovering Altaria.

"Weirdly, no. Running into her was a complete coincidence," Sorin admitted, shrugging his wings, yet somehow staying afloat. Then again, Kaito managed to stay afloat whether his wings were moving or not, so maybe Cecilia just thought it looked weird and it actually was totally normal for flying Pokemon to be able to do.

"Who are you contacting?" Cecilia wondered, her ears perking up a little. This was starting to sound potentially interesting, or at least more sociable than anything else she was going to do today.

"Um...just a friend or two that I keep in touch with, share gossip and news, you know?" Sorin answered awkwardly. Now he had both Fire-types giving him perplexed looks, and Cecilia could swear he was practically fidgeting in mid-air.

"Anyone specific? Like a name?" Cecilia pressed. "I grew up in the area, I might know them."

"Uh...his name's Matthias. He's human-owned, but-" Sorin began, but Cecilia brightened, remembering quickly to keep her flames at the softest of simmers if they had to be ignited at all.

"Runs the pawn shop at night?" she asked eagerly.

"Is that what that place is?" Sorin wondered absently. "Might explain how he gets his information and gossip."

"Ooh, and he likes me, so that's even better," Cecilia added. "What do you need to meet with him for? Is it about her somehow?" she asked, looking at Celes curiously.

"I'm looking for my brother," Celes said stiffly. "Sorin thinks someone in the area might be able to keep an eye out for any signs of him."

Cecilia blinked. "Do...all Eevee families have two or more kits? You're like...the third one who's mentioned having a brother."

"Siblings were very rare at my clan," Celes answered curtly. Cecilia frowned a little, but relaxed when she saw that Sorin was giving her an apologetic look. Apparently, Celes' clipped tone when speaking was not specifically directed towards the Quilava, which did make her feel a little better about the situation. It was hard to get too bent out of shape from rudeness when one was used to interacting with Lin.

"Wait, are you from the clan near here?" Cecilia wondered, pointing her paw towards one end of the city. Sorin looked baffled, following the direction of her paw. Celes also furrowed her brow in confusion. "No? Huh, because that'd have made a lot more sense why you're all uptight about me joking about you being Sorin's girlfriend."

"That's not even the right direction," Sorin said, squinting at the sky. "Violet City's the other way."

Now it was Cecilia's turn to be confused. "How many Eevee clans are there in this region?" she asked incredulously. "There's supposedly like three of them in Sinnoh."

"Isn't there a Daycare near this city? I blame them," Sorin deadpanned.

Cecilia fought the urge to scowl at Sorin for that remark, but privately reminded herself that Sorin didn't have the slightest idea why that comment might have been hurtful. Just the fact that he wasn't inching away from her was a good enough sign without his nonchalant comments creating conflict and hostility towards one another.

"So who's your brother? Knowing my luck, if I haven't met him, I might in the future," Cecilia chirped, looking over at Celes with a friendly smile.

"His name's Blaze, he was still an Eevee last I saw him," Celes answered with a heavy sigh, her dark brown eyes focusing on the ground. This did cause Cecilia's smile to fade a little, but she shrugged it off.

"Nope, haven't met him, but again, I might in the future. Especially if I stick around Johto for a while."

"Why are you even in Johto?" Sorin asked, wincing when Cecilia gave him an affronted look. "I'm curious, not...disgruntled."

"Could you maybe catch up later?" Celes asked impatiently, and she gave the surrounding area an anxious glance. It abruptly occurred to Cecilia that the Flareon probably hadn't spent as much time in human-controlled areas as she and Sorin probably had, and Goldenrod was definitely no friend to the uninitiated. The fact she hadn't gotten frazzled already by the noise and crowd was almost miraculous.

"Ooh, right!" Cecilia said brightly. "Let's go this way, less traffic," she suggested, and immediately set off along one of the side streets. Even without looking, she could tell that Sorin and Celes had chosen to follow her lead, which was another boost to her mood. Maybe the day wasn't going to be completely terrible, and her interactions with Sorin could still be salvaged.

If only the same could be said for all of her relationships and interactions. She supposed that was just a simple fact of life that she would have to one day adjust to and accept.

Even the side streets of Goldenrod City amounted to a huge maze at times, and if it weren't for Cecilia's almost intimate familiarity with all the city's hidden routes and alleyways, she was willing to bet that they would have gotten lost or at least extremely confused. Minimal traffic went through this way because it was almost impossible to judge one's location by the landmarks that made up sizeable portions of the City. Thankfully, Goldenrod was not really a popular location for criminal activity or other such concerns, but like every city, it did have its fair share of low-lifes.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Sorin asked uncertainly, as the alleyways began to get a little narrower and lighting became more scarce. Cecilia had taken a moment to ignite her flames again to assist with spotting anything hidden in the darkness, but she had almost forgotten that Sorin and Celes probably weren't as confident with taking these routes and shortcuts.

"If you want, we can backtrack and take the main sidewalk the rest of the way," Cecilia offered. "Only slightly longer, but probably safer."

"Yes, let's do that," Celes said promptly, already making her way back towards the previous fork in the path. Sorin blinked, then obligingly followed after the Flareon. Cecilia giggled to herself, and followed on their heels. Sorin ended up taking the lead once they had returned to a section of sidewalk, as Celes was preoccupied with warily observing the passing humans and Pokemon, several of which glanced at the Flareon, some of their gazes lingering or flicking back for a second glance, but no one stopped or said anything.

"Not used to cities much?" Cecilia asked the Flareon curiously.

"No," Celes answered bluntly. "I dislike the attention."

"Really?" Cecilia asked, pleasantly surprised at getting a more thorough answer from the fire Eon. "I kind of like it, although it can be annoying sometimes. Depends on the day, really."

Celes glanced at the Quilava from the corner of her eye, but was silent for just long enough for Cecilia to have refocused on their destination. Sorin was still leading, but he kept glancing back to make sure he wasn't accidentally leaving them behind. It baffled the Quilava how he was able to do that mid-flight and not just as quickly look forward again. It was dangerous enough glancing back when walking, to say nothing of when one had three dimensions to worry about.

"How does it depend on the day?" the Flareon asked abruptly. Cecilia blinked, but then giggled a little.

"More my mood. Some days I might be up for some casual flirting, other times I might just want to chat and hang out, or maybe have a spar. If no one is paying any attention to me, then it's hard to determine who'd be available or interested, you know?"

"I suppose," Celes sighed. "To each their own."

Cecilia was about to ask for elaboration as to what this could possibly mean, but Sorin had stopped in front of a familiar-looking building, signaling that they had arrived at the destination. It was a simple building, nearly impossible to distinguish from the other small shops along the same street, and the sign was fairly bland, a simple brown slab of wood with the name of the shop engraved in white lettering.

"Shall we?" Sorin asked, gesturing his wing to the door. Celes gave him a perplexed look. "Only problem is my wings can't open the door," he admitted.

"Got it!" Cecilia called, sitting back on her haunches and using her forepaws to pull on the door handle, the door swinging inwards once the lock was disengaged. There was no bell or other chime to indicate that someone was entering the store, but Cecilia strode inside anyway, extinguishing her flames as a safety measure. Sorin maneuvered through the doorway with a little more difficulty, and Celes followed with blatant apprehension.

The interior of the store wasn't any more elaborate. It was a dimly lit building, and to some people, it would be filled with nothing but random items and junk. Some of the small shelves had more commonplace items for purchase, such as candy bars or hygiene items like soap and oils.

A middle-aged human man sat behind the front counter, paging absently through a magazine, although it was clear that he was aware of the door opening, because he glanced up every few seconds. After several seconds of observing no one, he straightened up until he could get a clearer view of the three Pokemon that had come inside.

The man blinked blankly at them, giving Sorin the longest look of bafflement, then he chuckled to himself and pulled on some sort of cord hanging near the register, causing a bell to chime with a gentle tinkling sound.

"Hey, Matthias, there are Pokemon guests up front!" the man called out, immediately returning to his magazine. Celes was fidgeting a little bit, and Cecilia noticed she had drawn her tail up around herself in what was probably a display of self-consciousness.

There was a short silence after the human's announcement, and a cold wind seemed to fill the store. The human sighed quietly and began to drum his fingers impatiently on the counter as the dim lighting darkened further, extinguishing his only means to continue his magazine browsing. Cecilia flared up her flames a little bit to counteract the darkness and cold that had taken hold of the store, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Sorin wrap his fluffy wings tighter around himself.

Pale pink eyes materialized in the middle of the dark room, followed by the glitter of gold underneath that formed a horizontal mouth. Then the rest of the creature's dark grey body phased into existence, making up the shape of a vaguely humanoid-shaped creature, its head extending in the back like a ribbon. Its legs were stubby, and its slightly longer arms each ended with three fingers. As light gradually returned to the room, they could see that the gold sparkle beneath the creature's eyes was in reality a zipper that made up its mouth and teeth. An odd, star-like object acted as a tail.

The ghostly Pokemon leered at them ominously, with enough intensity for Celes to shiver a little, although her eyes narrowed and her stance shifted to a more aggressive form. Cecilia simply observed the display with faint amusement and awe. She knew this Pokemon, and appreciated the effort he put into his dramatic appearances.

"Hi, Matthias!" Cecilia greeted brightly. The Banette's zipper mouth widened into a grin.

"Cece! Long time no see!" he stated, darting forward and wrapping his arms around Cecilia's neck in an affectionate embrace. The touch of his ghostly body was cold, but not so intense as to be unpleasant, and Cecilia giggled and returned the hug, squeezing the Banette's body slightly like one might to a plush toy.

After they broke apart, Matthias turned to Sorin and gave him a nod of acknowledgment, which Sorin returned.

"Sorin, right?" Matthias asked, pointing a finger of each paw at the Altaria. Sorin chuckled and nodded again. "Good to see you're well, too."

The Banette then turned his eyes to Celes and studied her for a few seconds. After an awkward pause, he cocked his head sideways, as if this would improve his recognition abilities.

"Don't tell me, let me guess," he insisted, as the Flareon began to open her mouth. Celes rolled her eyes, but didn't argue this. Cecilia stifled a giggle, as Matthias tapped his chin thoughtfully, but finally, the ghost Pokemon chuckled. "You know what's funny?" he asked, scratching the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "I don't actually know any female Eevee evolutions."

"Celes," the Flareon supplied irritably.

"That's a pretty name, but I've got a rule 'round here," Matthias said, lowering himself to Celes' eye level, his legs phasing through the floor. The Flareon blinked, discomforted by the Banette's proximity. "Manners count, milady," Matthias continued, applying a gentle scolding tone to his words. "So none of that eye-rolling you did before, and no talking like I'm wasting your time, you hear?"

"Um...okay," Celes said nervously. Her eyes were focused on the ghost's zipper mouth, which didn't give any indication that it was speaking words, yet his sentences could be heard clearly.

"Splendid!" Matthias clapped his paws together, rising back into the air and sitting himself on the counter, crossing his legs casually and gazing down on them. "So what can I fix you with?"

Celes was the one who answered this question, applying a softer version of her otherwise clipped tone. Interestingly, this seemed to be an advantage, as it demonstrated how direct and to the point the Flareon made her statements. In far fewer words than it probably would have taken Cecilia or Sorin to pass the same information, Celes gave the Banette her brother's name, estimated age, last known species, and time since she had seen him last.

When she had finished, Matthias stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I thought asking you might help her with the search," Sorin explained. "We haven't ruled out the possibility of him having gotten captured by a trainer, and that'd be almost impossible to confirm without checking registration files."

The Banette shook his head. "Won't do no good. Most trainers register their team under names they pick out, not the Pokemon's original name, and some don't even do that, so they'll just be registered as 'Eevee'. Only way that'll help is if you miraculously hit upon someone who registered an Eevee under the name 'Blaze'. On the bright side, that's an easy database search, but you're not getting leads from anything else on files."

"Yeah...I knew that was a long shot..." Sorin conceded. Celes sighed audibly, her ears drooping a little.

"Keep your chin up, milady," Matthias said, grinning at her. "My palate has no appreciation for despair and self-loathing. How does my adage go, Cece?"

Cecilia blinked, but then smiled with a hint of fondness, recalling a stormy evening in front of a fireplace. "Keep your chin up, don't you dare start to pout; things will look up, and your flames won't go out."

Sorin snorted with laughter, whereas Celes raised an eyebrow incredulously. Cecilia continued to smile, unfazed by the reaction. Yeah, it had been kind of childish at the time, but it had done its job of reminding the young Cyndaquil to not let temporary setbacks destroy her outlook on life.

Matthias scratched his head. "Sure, let's...go with that one," he said finally. He turned towards the human sitting at the counter and snapped his claws. The man responded by sliding the Banette a notepad and pen. Matthias busied himself for a few seconds scrawling something on one of the pieces of paper and showing it to the man, who just stared at him.

"Sure, Matthias, I'll get right on that one," the man said, rolling his eyes and climbing to his feet before disappearing into the back room. Satisfied, the Banette dropped the notepad on the counter.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, his zipper mouth grinning. "So, what else can I get for y'all?"

"Uh...that was it, actually. Just wanted to ask about her brother," Sorin answered.

"I'll definitely get some eyes and ears out on that front," Matthias reassured him.

The Banette considered for a moment, and then abruptly reached his arm through the counter and withdraw a glittering object that Cecilia often observed attached to the wrists of humans in most cities. The ghost Pokemon inspected the object, turning it over several times before phasing his arm back through the counter, presumably returning the object to wherever it had been stored previously.

"In exchange, how about we go out for lunch, my treat?" the Banette asked, grinning widely. "Anyone hungry?"

"Sure!" Cecilia chirped brightly. She wouldn't mind a chance to catch up with Matthias for about an hour, even if Sorin and Celes chose to decline. Before either of the other two could speak, Celes' stomach rumbled audibly, and the Flareon flushed in embarrassment.

"Splendid!" Matthias chuckled, seizing the notepad and scrawling a hasty note, then slapped the notepad down and leapt off the counter, landing in front of the door. "Shall we?"


	49. Fanning the Flames

It was approaching mid-day by the time Adrian announced that they were getting closer to their destination. Avis had to wonder whether he habitually did this, even when traveling alone, or if it genuinely was for the benefit of his Pokemon. Still being a relative newcomer to the team made it difficult to distinguish their trainer's quirks from circumstantial behaviors.

The only reason she had to wonder about this was because neither she nor Ember had been troubled by the traveling up to that point. The sky was clear enough that Avis was free to bask in the sunshine, and the air temperature comfortable enough for Ember to be similarly content. The only Pokemon in the group that would have been displeased with the travel was Aureia, but Adrian had foreseen that issue and kept the Vaporeon in her ball.

It was almost a shame, but all of Avis' experience with Aureia had taught her that the Vaporeon could be needlessly stubborn when something wasn't going her way, and clearly Adrian wanted to avoid any hassle in that area. The weather was too nice for the Vaporeon to enjoy walking without pause, and unlike Ember who needed to vent excessive energy and aggression regularly, Aureia was far more slothful.

Not that Avis could really talk. She was the one riding on Adrian's shoulders like a lazy tree-snake pretending to be a scarf. She had initially tried to do this with Ember, but seeing as the two Pokemon were roughly the same height and weight, this proved to be ridiculously burdensome for the Charmander after a short interval of time, although Avis was amused that Ember had even gone along with it at all.

From her vantage point, Avis could observe the sky, the trees, other Pokemon and humans, but especially Ember herself. Since she did not require much of her energy or focus to be spent on walking, it gave her a lot of mental flexibility, and Ember had always been a subject of fascination to the Snivy.

Adrian was a remarkable human youth in his own right. From what Avis had gathered from the others, he specialized in adopting and working with difficult Pokemon, and worked a number of part-time employment positions over the years, often moving on to something else every few months. As such, the youth did not have a permanent home, but rented a place in whatever small city he settled in for the purposes of his work.

He was a kind young man, incredibly patient and with a good sense of humor. He would need such things, Avis reasoned, if he was to endure the potentially unstable behaviors of the Pokemon under his care. He prioritized them over himself more often than not, and did his best to offer comfort when any of them were upset or agitated. Yet he never seemed to push or needle too much, something Aureia even admitted she appreciated.

After learning that the youth kept observation notes on his Pokemon, Avis' curiosity had gotten the better of her. That night, she waited until the others had gone to sleep, and then she had peeked at one of the notepads. Seeing as he had kept Ember and Aureia for years, it would have been strange if a single notebook was sufficient to compile all his information, but the most recent entries were enough.

Some pages contained little more than the trainer's idle thought processes or reminders to himself, but the important entries were all dated and underneath a header of that Pokemon's name. Avis' first discovery, however immaterial, was that Aureia's name was spelled with an 'I', rather than a 'Y'. She had almost immediately wondered how Adrian had discovered this detail, or whether the Vaporeon had been named by Adrian. She had quickly refocused, but made a mental note to look into that history in the future.

Sadly, her snooping hadn't netted her very much. Most days had been pretty unremarkable, and Adrian's notes often stated the obvious, or were simple acknowledgements of the behaviors and attitudes of his Pokemon. Aureia's entries revealed nothing that Avis couldn't have figured out on her own, and an odd amount of emphasis was placed on the Vaporeon's interactions with Avis. This had easily attracted the Snivy's attention. Who hasn't wondered what another person thinks about them? Unfortunately, the observations ultimately boiled down to the simple observation that although Aureia's displeasure had yet to manifest as violent rejection, her tolerance of Avis was minimal, and she was quick to become hostile or exasperated, regardless of whether this reaction was reasonable in context.

Adrian had marked that entry with an asterisk, and it wasn't until later that Avis had discovered the corresponding footnote several pages later, under observations classified to her own name.

Avis had been a little disappointed by her own entries. Adrian's observations were often very dry and bland, simple statements that illuminated little of his thought process. Perhaps it was just easier for him to write his observations in such a manner. At any rate, he was still very far, in his own words, from having a thorough understanding of the Snivy's quirks and potential issues.

But then she had read the footnote pertaining to her interactions with Aureia:

 _"Avis shows a peculiar degree of inconsistency in her mannerisms and demeanor. While this could be considered evidence of poor social skills, other observations have suggested that Avis is highly intelligent and socially competent, but still very eccentric._

 _Taking Aureia's trust issues into account with the above, it is likely that Aureia subconsciously views Avis as untrustworthy, but is unable to recognize why she has this distaste for her."_

Although tempted to continue reading what Adrian had written about them all, Avis chose that point to call it a night. She had taken care to return the notebook in the exact place she had taken it from, and went to bed, her mind buzzing with curiosity and intrigue about her trainer and the other Pokemon under his care.

Adrian abruptly stopped walking, jolting Avis back into alertness. She blinked in confusion, refocusing on her present surroundings. The flip side of lazily riding on Adrian's shoulders was that the warm sunlight also made her a little drowsy and made it a little too easy to zone out. Staying up too late to read Adrian's notes may also have been a factor in that matter.

"Why'd you stop?" the Snivy asked, surveying the area with a tiny frown. They definitely were not within sight of a city yet, so they hadn't reached their destination, and a quick glance at Ember confirmed that the Charmander was also slightly puzzled.

"Phone," Adrian explained, attempting to carefully extract the device from his pocket without sending Avis crashing to the ground. "Could you get off for a minute, Avis?" he asked politely. Avis regarded the request with a salute and clambered down from her perch, using his travel bag as a shorter drop off point. Without the Snivy on his shoulder, Adrian swiftly removed the small object and flicked it open. "Hello?"

"How's it going?" Avis asked, turning her attention to Ember, who had chosen to lean against a nearby tree trunk, her blue eyes watching Adrian dully. Judging by their trainer's slight look of exasperation and the way he had already started pacing back and forth while talking, this call was not going to be brief.

"Well enough," Ember replied with a vague shrug. Avis smiled and gazed around the area. From the looks of it, the path branched off a little ways ahead, one path heading north, and the other continuing on a little ways. Curiosity being what it was, Avis began walking ahead, as if drawn by some bizarre magnet. Ember hesitated, but started to follow after the Snivy, shooting glances back at Adrian to make sure he at least was aware that they weren't still standing next to him.

"Do you know which way Adrian's going to take?" Avis wondered curiously, using one paw to shield her eyes from the sun and peering down each path option with interest.

"That one, I'm pretty sure," Ember said, nodding towards the northward path. "But we really shouldn't wander too far," she added quickly. Avis giggled a little, but nodded in acknowledgement. It was true that wandering away from Adrian was something she seemed to have an odd habit of doing, and the constant need for Aureia and Ember to all but drag her back was a blatant irritation for the Vaporeon. Ember was a little more tolerant, but she still seemed unwilling to leave Avis unsupervised when she wandered away.

"I won't go too far," the Snivy reassured her, ignoring the northward path and walking further straight. That way, it would be a straight shot back towards Adrian, and they would still be in sight for the maximum amount of time. It might have been her imagination, but Avis could have sworn that Ember heaved a small sigh, but didn't object. Then again, Ember rarely objected outright to Avis' little habits.

"That's far enough," Ember said abruptly, and Avis obediently froze in place, then turned on her heel to face the Charmander again. Ember had followed behind for a few paces, but then had stopped, leaving a reasonably-sized gap between the two Pokemon. Looking beyond Ember confirmed that Adrian was still in sight, and still on his phone, but he was definitely watching them from a distance.

"It's so quiet and peaceful around here," Avis giggled, spreading her arms to bask in the sunlight overhead. As she scanned the surrounding trees and bushes, she cocked her head. "Almost eerily quiet, now that I think on it. Is that weird around here?"

Ember made a non-committal sound and shrugged, walking closer to the Snivy, her own eyes starting to scan the area with a thoughtful frown. It was true; there were next to no sounds of other Pokemon around them, not even bird Pokemon in the trees. Avis didn't have that much exposure to the wild areas outside of cities, but it did seem a little bit odd for the area to be so empty in the middle of the day.

"If Aureia was out here, she'd probably be able to pick up scents," Ember said finally, offering another shrug. Avis giggled. Neither of them were really good at tracking Pokemon or similar, and even claiming that Aureia would do better wasn't saying much, as the Vaporeon's sense of smell, while better refined than theirs, was hardly on par with a hunting Pokemon's.

"Maybe it's a territory," Avis suggested. For once, one of her suggestions wasn't immediately shot down by Aureia, although this was still credited to the fact that Aureia wasn't physically present. Ember made another shrug and associated sound, causing the Snivy to frown. "At least pretend you care."

"We're not even going this way, so it's not important," Ember pointed out, but Avis wasn't really listening. In lieu of searching for scents or footprints, she had started wandering further down the path, keeping an eye out for some sort of territory marking. It wasn't until she was practically within a forested section of the path that Ember called for her to stop. "Seriously, don't go further than that," the Charmander ordered, walking over to the Snivy. "We should probably..."

Avis blinked, seeing that Ember had suddenly froze a couple paces away from her. Her eyes were fixed upon one of the nearby trees, but most concerning was the way the fire lizard had set her jaw. It was an expression that Avis had seen Ember wear far too often, the first warning sign of many that indicated her volatile temper. What worried Avis was the abruptness of the shift, and she nervously glanced around before managing to follow the Charmander's gaze.

It was so obvious that Avis could scarcely believe she hadn't noticed it before, because the markings in the bark of the tree were almost literally at her eye level. The markings formed a triangular shape, but the lines had jagged edges and the bark itself was slightly burnt where the markings had been carved, giving it a somewhat stylized, fiery look.

"What is it?" Avis asked, her red eyes widening curiously and she stepped forward, touching a paw to the bark and absently stroking the markings.

"Move," Ember growled, pushing past Avis with unusual rudeness, forcing the Snivy's paw away from the tree and standing in her place. The Snivy was a little taken aback. She expected that sort of curtness from Aureia, but Ember always treated her far nicer than that, even when in a poor mood. It wasn't as though the Charmander had shoved her or anything, but it was still a bit ill-mannered.

"Oww..." Avis whined, earning a genuinely confused look from Ember. She widened her red eyes innocently. "I just want to know what it is," she complained.

Ember scowled, but then hovered a claw in front of the marking, tracing the lines as it drawing the letter 'A' in mid-air. "See how it's that shape?" she asked, her voice dripping with venom. Avis nodded. Ember flicked her right paw to the side, purple flames erupting around her claws. With a careful swipe, Ember carved a diagonal slash far below the other marking, and when she moved away to show Avis, the Snivy could see that Ember's cut had taken on the same style of the other mark. The bark was slightly singed, and the flames around her claws had given it a vaguely jagged edge. "See how that was done?" she asked.

"Uh...yes," Avis confirmed, a little bewildered.

"Turn your head sideways slightly. Does the jagged edges look like the line is on fire?" Ember asked.

"Kind of?" Avis shrugged.

Ember rolled her eyes and jabbed her paw at the first marking on the tree. "It's an 'A' on fire, so it's an inferno with an 'A'. That's what the mark means. Get it?"

"Not in the slightest," Avis admitted, trying not to giggle from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Sure, she could follow Ember's explanation, but even if she could somehow decode the marking to mean 'inferno with an A' without being told how to reach that conclusion, the answer was completely nonsensical.

"Never mind," Ember growled. She continued to glare at the marking with such intensity that her tail flame seemed to double in size. Avis slowly began to back away from the Charmander, more than a little unnerved. This feeling escalated into an intense anxiety when Ember slashed her claws across the bark so viciously that whole chunks of the bark seemed to splinter outwards, scattering across the grass and obliterating a good portion of the drawing.

"...are you okay?" Avis asked quietly. Adrian often relied on the Snivy to soothe Ember's temper when it flared up like this, but neither he nor Aureia seemed to have the slightest idea how Avis achieved this. However, Avis doubted that she would be able to pull such a miracle now. It was far easier to soothe Ember before she reached the point of lashing out.

"Super," Ember replied, turning her back to the damaged tree and walking away from it, heading into the forested section of the path, and the opposite direction of Adrian.

"W-wait, where are you going?" Avis asked, her concern and bewilderment now transforming into alarm and borderline panic. Ember had made such a big deal about Avis not wandering too far away, and now the Charmander was the one setting off on her own. Normally, Avis would assume that Ember needed a moment alone to cool off after a loss of composure, but this wasn't something she was willing to risk. Something about the marking had set Ember off somehow, and if it was a territory marking as she originally thought, then going deeper into that territory would probably bring them face to face with the source behind Ember's sudden shift in aggression.

The Snivy hurried after Ember, her calls going completely unacknowledged by the fire lizard, who seemed to be looking for something as she walked, her head swiveling to keep an eye on every possible angle, yet the woods seemed silent and empty.

Avis abruptly tripped and sprawled onto the grass, prompting Ember to turn around quickly. "You okay?" Ember asked, walking over to the fallen grass lizard and helping to pull her back to her feet. "You're not hurt, right?"

"Just my pride," Avis giggled weakly. "What's going on? What are you even doing here?"

Ember looked away guiltily, and clenched her right paw into a fist, but even that wasn't enough for her to hide the way her body shook. Yet as Avis studied the Charmander's face, she realized that it wasn't anger that darkened her expression.

It was fear.

"Ember..." Avis whispered, touching the Charmander's back lightly. "What-?"

"Wow, that was FAST," a female voice mused, and Ember's entire body tensed, her tail flame flaring up momentarily. Avis jerked her head around and saw another Pokemon standing a short distance away. Even at an inexperienced glance, there were a stunning number of similarities between this Pokemon and Ember.

Both were bipedal reptilian Pokemon with tails that ended with a burning flame, but whereas Ember's scales were bright orange, the new Pokemon had crimson scales and stood taller than the Charmander. It also possessed a sharper snout and a horn at the top of its head, to say nothing of the significantly more developed claws on its paws and feet. Despite being a Fire-type, her eyes had none of the warmth. They were an icy blue that seemed to send chills through anyone who made eye contact, and Avis noted a scar marking the Pokemon's left eye.

"I'm astounded how quickly you showed," the crimson fire lizard sneered, approaching them with an air of absolute confidence and cold amusement. "I suppose Sorin really does know not to disappoint me."

"Sorin?" Avis repeated, surprised. The Charmeleon glanced at the Snivy with an expression as if she had stepped in something extremely unpleasant.

"Wasn't talking to you," she snorted, before turning those cold eyes back to Ember, who had worked up the nerve to fix the other fire lizard with a look that was every bit as cold as the one she was receiving. The evolved lizard smirked. "Ember."

The Charmander crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. "That's my name. You gave it to me."

Avis gave a little squeak of surprise, earning a look of annoyance from both fire lizards. In the Snivy's defense, this was literally the most personal information she had ever learned about Ember since meeting her.

"Really? So then how do you two know Sorin?"

Both Ember and the Charmeleon just stared at Avis with identical dumbfounded expressions, as if neither of them could believe that she was still trying to be a part of the conversation. If Avis had had any doubt as to whether they were really related, that doubt was eliminated just by seeing the similarity in their expressions.

"We weren't talking to you," the Charmeleon said again, but she sounded far too amused for the comment to have any real impact on the Snivy.

"Now you are!" Avis countered. "I'm Avis! What's your name?"

Ember had pressed her muzzle against her left paw in disbelief, and the Snivy could clearly hear her muttering about how the current events had to be a part of a really weird dream.

"Inferna," the Charmeleon said finally, looking even more amused by Ember's reaction. Avis cocked her head curiously, prompting the evolved lizard to hastily add, "It's inferno with an 'A', before you ask the spell-"

"Oh wow, I get it now!" the Snivy squealed triumphantly. Ember was either sobbing into her paws or laughing at this point. Inferna smirked, but then fixed Avis with a glare so intense that Avis was surprised she didn't turn to stone where she stood. As exciting and fascinating as this situation was, the Snivy couldn't forget that she was actually very prone to catching on fire.

"I trust we'll have no further interruptions from you," Inferna said coldly, and she flexed her claws threateningly, as if her tone and glare weren't enough to get the message across. "Once again, I'm surprised Sorin was so prompt. I was sure he'd wait until he had to pass through again before considering my-"

"What are you even going on about?" Ember growled, lifting her head and glaring at the Charmeleon. "I haven't even seen Sorin since last week."

"Oh?" Inferna drawled. "So Sorin didn't tell you I was in the area? He passed through yesterday and I told him to let you know."

Ember snorted, causing Avis to note how disturbingly similar the fire lizards' mannerisms were. "Then I'll get the message next December. Sorin visits for my birthday and avoids me like the plague otherwise. Last week was a fluke."

"Eh?" Avis asked, confused, and briefly forgetting the threat about not interrupting. Ember whirled on the Snivy with an exasperated growl, a wisp of flame escaping the corner of her mouth.

"My birthday's in December. The seventeenth. Why do you THINK Sorin knows when that is, and why would he visit then? Think REALLY hard about it, but for the love of Mew, just SHUT UP!"

Avis winced as Ember turned back to the Charmeleon, panting harder and flexing her claws in obvious agitation. In truth, she wasn't even upset that Ember was snapping at her right now. The Charmander had much more patience for her than Aureia did, and that was enough for her to be able to shrug off the unpleasantness when Ember was emotionally riled up.

"Temper, temper," Inferna mocked, waving one her claws in a scolding manner. "Or should I consider you beaten before we've even started?"

"Bite me," Ember spat.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, you haven't won yet, either," Inferna sneered. She smirked and flexed her claws, yet did not assume a battle stance. However, her eyes stared into Ember's own, silently offering the challenge. Ember just glared back, and flexed her own claws.

"Hey, what's going on?" Adrian's voice broke through the trees, and the human itself soon appeared in sight. He looked around in confusion, spotting Avis, and then Ember, and his expression froze upon seeing Inferna. There was a look of stunned disbelief on his face, and Avis could see that he was focusing specifically on the Charmeleon's scar.

"Ah yes, we cannot forget the human who broke our battle up two years ago, can we now?" Inferna taunted softly. "Two years of being forced to know you had been bested, but never officially beaten. I wonder how that has tormented you and driven you to prepare for our rematch...I guess we'll see, because he won't be interfering this time."

"Hm?" Ember blinked at the Charmeleon in confusion, and she simply smirked.

"Avis, get back," Adrian ordered seriously, and the Snivy immediately backpedaled, getting out of range of the two fire lizards. "Ember, you come back, too. I'll use Aureia to-"

But as Adrian reached for his Pokeball, thin steel chains materialized out of nowhere, wrapping themselves around Adrian's body and locking his arms to his sides. The human cried out in surprise, struggling vainly against the deceptively sturdy metal links.

"Now, now, you think I'd let you interrupt this performance?" a familiar male voice spoke from the shadows. Avis spun to face the voice, just in time to see a bipedal fox Pokemon with black fur and a red mane tied into a ponytail emerge from the darkness as if it were an extension of his body. Bright blue eyes glittered, but there was something unnatural about them, as if they could see something on a different plane of reality.

"You again?" Ember growled, giving the Zoroark a cold glare.

"Such a pretty expression," Kuro cooed. "Beautiful, you truly are your mother's daughter."

The Zoroark's shadow seemed to expand and extend until it reached the space between both fire lizards, and then the ebony fox slid forward with alarming speed, so quickly that it was as if he hadn't moved at all, but instead appeared instantaneously beside Inferna.

"I trust you two will put on the ultimate spectacle," he purred, stroking a strange golden necklace fastened around Inferna's neck. The Zoroark's eyes flicked to Ember. "Forgive me for shorting you on your prize, but I felt my firespitter here would be a more suitable challenge for you." He leaned close and pecked Inferna on the cheek. "Sorry, love, but if she beats you, that trinket goes to her."

"Touch me again and I'll steal your heart more literally than your stupid performances imply," Inferna growled.

"Alas, I am wounded by your harsh words," Kuro murmured, touching a paw to an imaginary wound on his chest, all while backing out of range of the larger fire lizard. "And we could not ask for a finer climax to this show! A captive audience! A deeply bitter, emotional confrontation involving kin, and a climactic battle to bury a long-held grudge."

"Yay?" Avis offered. This hadn't been quite the type of show she had been expecting when she had seen Kuro last time.

"It exceeds your expectations, no?" Kuro cooed, gesturing to the area dramatically. "More tricks, a double act, a conflict you're invested in...ah, the joy of the spectacle and thrill of the stage! Maybe I've even got another surprise for you all, but no spoilers!"

"Are we going to sit through this type of nonsense for another ten minutes or something?" Ember asked irritably.

"I have to hype up the crowd," Kuro protested. Inferna made a simple gesture that unambiguously and graphically got her message across, because the Zoroark smiled awkwardly and quickly gestured for them to begin.

"That's better," Inferna purred, making eye contact with Ember, her tail flame flaring up with visible excitement. "Be sure to keep me entertained, little flame."


	50. Snuffing the Flames

At Inferna's remark, Kuro snapped his claws dramatically, and the grassy clearing shimmered, just like the chamber at the Ruins had done. Ember growled quietly, her eyes scanning the surrounding area, silently taking measure of the alterations. Lush grass beneath their feet was replaced with white sand, realistic enough for the Charmander to feel individual grains of the stuff beneath her feet. The trees surrounding them seemed to fade away before her eyes, and others transformed into decorative pillars, forming the structure of a small battle arena.

Like at the Ruins, a silvery guardrail materialized around the perimeter of the illusionary stage, barring the onlookers from direct interference. Ember heard Avis make a coo of admiration, her red eyes widening with interest, which only caused the Charmander's scowl to deepen.

Inferna snorted contemptuously, her icy blue eyes observing the changes to the area with far less enthusiasm than Avis. "How unnecessary," the Charmeleon sneered, giving Kuro an annoyed glare. "This territory was perfectly suited to battle without your..." she paused, considering the right word to use.

"Embellishments," Kuro supplied, earning another glare from the Charmeleon, which he politely ignored. Ember looked over her shoulder uncertainly, making mental notes of how much space was between her and the guardrail, but also taking the opportunity to check on Adrian. He was still struggling a little against the odd chains, but the links had dissolved into a peculiar silver-grey energy that swirled around his arms, allowing him more mobility, but still restricting him from reaching for any of his Pokeball or other possessions.

Avis was circling Adrian, presumably on his request, while examining the energy chains. As the trainer looked up, he met Ember's eyes, and the Charmander saw an expression of tremendous concern on his face. It wasn't concern for himself, or even his situation, but concern for her. She couldn't blame him for that anxiety; her own body was shaking from a mixture of apprehension and fear, and it was rare for Adrian himself to be unable to assist his Pokemon when they got into a troublesome situation.

However, as they held eye contact, even without words, Ember could understand the message he was giving her. She was not to worry about him, but to focus on her own fight. His expression was still grim, but it was exactly the reassurance that she needed. If Adrian was not in any danger, then she could devote her attention to her battle with her mind at ease. The energy chains seemed to have no other purpose than to prevent Adrian from withdrawing her or sending out Aureia to support her. Just as Inferna said, there would be no interference from him this time.

With a soft growl, Ember faced forward, and saw that Inferna was watching her closely, her body held at a relaxed variant of a battle stance, so relaxed that if it hadn't been a parallel to Ember's own stance, she might not have known that Inferna was on guard at all. When that thought crossed her mind, it likewise occurred to her that this was deliberate, to give the opponent the impression that they could get a first strike advantage, only to have it turned back on them with dire consequences.

The two Char-lizards made eye contact, silently confirming the other's resolve to battle. Even in Kuro's imaginary environment, the flames in their hearts burned as powerfully as their tails. Inferna's mouth twitched into a smirk, goading Ember into action.

Ember darted towards the Charmeleon, purple flames erupting from her right claws as she swiped at her mother's stomach. Her eyes widened in surprise as strong claws seized her wrist, ending her assault before it could make contact. Operating entirely on her instinct, Ember jabbed her left paw forward, but Inferna's free arm slapped it down, then pitched her head forward, striking Ember's muzzle with enough force for her to literally see stars on contact.

Avis cried out in alarm, and Ember groaned, dimly aware that she was lying on the ground, bright spots still exploding in front of her eyes, but Inferna had evidently released her grip on the Charmander's arm, allowing her to push herself up again. Her legs swayed briefly, but she recovered quickly, reassured that she was still in the fight. Inferna was smirking widely, her tail flame burning with even greater intensity in her excitement.

Ember feinted another charge, only to yelp in surprise as a fireball exploded against her muzzle, the fireproof scales negating the worst of the flames, but the impact and heat still forcing her eyes closed. Realizing what was about to happen, the Charmander flailed, lashing her claws out in front of her in a desperate attempt to deter the Charmeleon. Just as her eyes were able to fly open again, sharp claws raked across her shoulder, but as she pivoted to retaliate, Inferna shoved her forcefully with both paws, sending the Charmander sprawling across the sand.

"I hope that's not the only entertainment you can provide," Inferna sneered, stepping back and allowing Ember to climb back to her feet. The Charmander's bright blue eyes were narrowed at the evolved fire lizard, tiny wisps of smoke leaking from the corner of her mouth. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her claws flexed aggressively, but Inferna remained nonchalantly amused.

Ember took a small pace closer, keeping her claws at the ready and watching Inferna's movements with a critical eye. So far, she had discovered that she couldn't fight the Charmeleon head-on. Inferna was every bit as fast as she was, if not faster, and her reach was longer. The Charmander's best bet was to take advantage of the difference in their size.

Taking a breath to steel herself, Ember darted towards Inferna, purple flames engulfing her left claws this time, and she raked them towards the Charmeleon's right side. Inferna met the advance with her own glowing claws, but hers assumed the blue fire of Dragon Claw.

Sparks of flame popped and hissed as their burning claws clashed, some purple, some blue, and Inferna's mouth curled into a wicked grin as she pushed against Ember's claws, the crackling of the elemental flames growing louder. Ember gritted her teeth, her forehead furrowing as Inferna slowly began to push back against her, forcing her arm back, away from the Charmeleon and closer to Ember's body. No matter how much effort Ember put into slowing the steady movement towards herself, it was an uphill and inevitably struggle.

Seeing no other option available, Ember crouched down, tucking her body into a smaller, denser shape. With the sudden removal of resistance, Inferna's momentum caused her to stumble forward, her foot catching on Ember's body and tumbling over with a grunt.

This maneuver cost Ember more than the satisfaction was worth, for she had neglected to notice the vicious claws protruding from the Charmeleon's foot. Although Inferna did fall over with minimal dignity, her foot claws struck Ember when she tripped, drawing a crimson cut across Ember's scales on the way down.

Despite the injury, Ember seized the chance to strike while Inferna was down, but she only had time to rake her claws once across Inferna's thigh before receiving a vicious kick to her left leg, and the positions were reversed in what felt like an instant. Inferna was back on her feet, breathing heavily with barely restrained excitement, and Ember was on the ground, vainly attempting to recover her footing before the Charmeleon could strike.

The strike never came. Once again, Inferna waited for Ember to rise, but the moment the Charmander's two feet were grounded, Inferna closed the gap between them and shoved her backwards. Ember snarled as she hit the ground for what felt like the tenth time since the battle had started. The sand cushioned the fall, but nothing could prevent the repeated indignity of falling on her back, and the burning humiliation of her opponent just waiting for her to get back up.

"You're entertaining, but for the wrong reasons," Inferna mocked, her icy blue eyes glittering. Ember snarled again, rolling over and climbing back to her feet, her claws readied in case Inferna attempted the same trick again, but either Inferna wasn't trying the same thing twice in a row, or she was pausing her attack to continue mocking Ember.

Ember growled and lunged, and Inferna darted towards her, facing the charge head-on. Searing pain flashed across Ember's face as the Charmeleon raked her twice with her claws, acquiring some scratches of her own in the process, but the strikes to her face obliterated any focus Ember might have had to employ Shadow or Dragon variants to her claws, and Inferna's scales were more than capable of resisting such feeble scratches.

Ember clutched her face, tears running down her cheeks and agitating the cuts. She could definitely tell that such marks would not be permanent, but the pain was another matter entirely. The stinging of her injuries sent a surge of hatred through her body, and it was with defiant bravado that she raised her eyes to glare at Inferna with all the contempt she could muster. The strength of her tail flame almost doubled, and every breath she took was accompanied by a furious growl.

Inferna snorted, unimpressed by Ember's attempt at intimidation. "Too naive!" she sneered. "Is this your first time fighting another claw combatant? You can't fight me head-on in your unevolved state!"

"Watch me," Ember spat, but even she knew her bravado was hinging on desperate. Her eye twitched as she forced her paws away from her facial scratches and she flexed her claws aggressively. Inferna snorted again, but there was no real amusement in her tone now.

"Will you charge me again and be reminded of my superior reach?" Inferna asked coldly. "Or perhaps you'll use your smaller size to get under my guard, only to discover your firepower is lacking, and my retaliation swifter than your retreat. To get so close to me without a compensating tactic is a death wish in battle. I thought you learned this when we last fought. Whatever pitiful training you've undergone in the last two years wasn't even enough to evolve."

"I don't want to evolve," Ember growled.

"What."

It wasn't a question. Inferna's response was flat, as if her disbelief was so great that she couldn't even put emotion into the word. Ember continued to glare at Inferna in silence, privately relieved for the chance to catch her breath. Inferna's incapacitation did not last for long, however.

"I can only wonder what untold skill you must have to justify a lifelong handicap," Inferna sneered, but there was something else within her eyes as she gazed at Ember, a softer emotion mingling with the coldness of her gaze.

Any reply Ember might have had was interrupted by the swiftness at which Inferna resumed the battle. She moved in a blur of motion, slashing her claws viciously at the Charmander. Acting on reflex alone, Ember batted one of Inferna's arms aside, and stabbed her free paw into the Charmeleon's gut. Inferna hissed in pain, but as promised, her retaliation was swift and merciless. One paw tightened into a fist and struck Ember in the side of the head, dazing her and knocking her off-balance. Without giving her the slightest chance to recover, Inferna dug her claws into Ember's shoulder, drawing blood as her claws easily broke through the already damaged scales.

Inferna spun on her heel, her strong tail whipping around and striking Ember in the midriff, bowling her over and forcing the wind from the Charmander's lungs. Ember wheezed, glaring up at the Charmeleon, one of her paws clutching her stomach, the other grasping her injured shoulder, doing her best to stem the bleeding.

"How dare you squander your potential, you meaningless little maggot," Inferna hissed. Her gaze was colder than anything Ember had even seen before, and the resulting chill more intense, as if ice had somehow entered her blood from the open wound and was traveling through her veins, freezing every inch of her body from the inside.

The Charmeleon's scarred eye twitched as she glared down at Ember, the intensity of the stare rivaling that of a basilisk. It seemed to freeze the Charmander in place, keeping her trapped and unable to do or say anything in her defense.

"Get up," Inferna ordered. Ember didn't move, part of her intent on defying any command issued by the Charmeleon, no matter what it cost. When Ember refused to comply after several seconds, Inferna spun, her tail swinging around and striking the Charmander across the muzzle. Ember cringed from the blow, tasting a bit of blood in her mouth, her vision blurry from tears of rage and pain.

"Ember!" Avis yelled, and the Charmander closed her eyes in shame, the scratches on her face burning as her tears rolled down her cheeks. She had forgotten about the fact that Avis and Adrian were watching this fight. Neither had seen her performance two years ago, and it was by sheer luck that Adrian had come across the conflict in time to rescue her from the ordeal back then.

Ember's body shook and she buried her head in her arms. The pain was just too much. The tempest of agonizing emotions gnawing at her soul. Fear, hatred, sorrow, and even anger, all coming together and overwhelming her mind.

"Ember, come on, don't give up like this," Adrian's voice urged her, breaking through the storm of her emotions, only to be ripped away by the metaphorical wind, losing all impact on the way. There wasn't anything she could do to fight back. Two years of training, of telling herself that she'd be able to surpass her mother someday...it all amounted to little more than the same. More pain. More shame. More bitter truth that she was nothing. An unwanted parasite leeching onto some semblence of love or hope.

Through the haze of her tear-stained eyes, Ember could see the sand fading away, becoming replaced by grass once more, but she didn't dare lift her head. She didn't want anyone to see her tears falling, or hear the way her breath was catching in her throat with a humiliating, sobbing wheeze. She was expecting another blow from Inferna's tail at any moment, or the agonizing sting of claws stabbing through her scales again. Something painful at any rate, to officially declare the fight as Inferna's victory.

"Ember! Are you okay? Answer me!" Adrian urged, his voice becoming more desperate, practically pleading for the Charmander to respond, but the will to fight had been completely drained from her body, and she didn't even lift her head to acknowledge the shout.

She could feel another presence approaching her from above, and she waited with bated breath, expecting the worst. Something touched her, and she flinched, but soon realized that the touch was feather soft, and gentle.

Everything else had gone silent, and this allowed another sound to fill Ember's mind. A soft melody, so quiet it sounded like a tune being whispered by the wind, and swirling around her mind and heart, easing her pain, gradually lifting the burden from her chest. The soft touch enveloped her, lifting her from her prone position and draping around her body, embracing her. It was the softest thing Ember had ever felt, softer than any pillow, any mattress, and warmer than any blanket. It was like being wrapped in a protective cloud, and being rocked into the lulls of the greatest sleep imaginable. The melody continued to play, growing in volume, as if it were being hummed directly beside her. It was familiar, it was beautiful...and it was safe.

Ember shivered, and buried her tear-streaked face into Sorin's chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly. The Altaria continued to hum, his wings rocking her gently, his voice soothing the soreness and pain clinging to her body.

Sorin was the only one she'd ever let see her cry, and the sheer beauty of his humming voice, and the overwhelming relief at having him here, in one of her darker moments, was all that was needed for her to break down completely. It didn't matter how he was here, or why he was here. All that matter was that he was here, and that she needed him. In her mind's eye, the Altaria fixed her with a small smile, unbothered by the tears soaking his cloud-like wings. They both knew the emotional storm would pass before long.

"Feeling better?" Sorin asked her quietly, as the last of her tears subsided. Ember sniffled a little bit, but nodded, still holding onto him tightly. There was a short silence, and then Sorin coughed awkwardly. "Um...you do realize that I technically interrupted your battle, right?"

Ember mumbled an affirmative. Sorin fidgeted awkwardly.

"So you...also realize it's still ongoing?"

Again, an affirmative. Sorin coughed again.

"Inferna's kind of glaring at me now."

Ember mumbled something that was definitely not an affirmative, and Sorin laughed, but then fidgeted nervously.

"I'm SO not going to repeat that."

Ember very reluctantly released Sorin, and managed to give the Altaria a weak smile of gratitude. He smiled at her fondly, then turned towards the Charmeleon, who was reclining against a nearby tree with a sour expression. From the corner of her eye, Ember could see two unfamiliar quadruped Pokemon standing nearby, but keeping their distance. One of them had tan fur with active flames burning from her head and backside, and the other had orange, fluffy fur.

"Ember, on the verge of a crushing defeat, is granted her second wind by the timely arrival of another important figure in her life," Kuro narrated, gesturing dramatically. "Inspired by his song and loving embrace, her resolve is rekindled, and burns as strongly as-"

The Zoroark ducked hastily as Inferna spat a burst of flame at him, silencing the narration. Inferna made a threatening gesture with her claws, and Kuro nodded, smiling apologetically. The Charmeleon snorted and turned her focus back to Sorin and Ember.

"I'm finished with you," she spat to Ember, punctuating the venomous statement by stabbing the air with her claws. "Second wind or not, you have no chance against me in your current state. Even if you used Dragon Dance, your resolve is too weak to be of any challenge."

Inferna snapped her claws, gesturing to Kuro. The Zoroark looked confused, and then incredulous, his words heavy with protesting disappointment.

"But...the audience! The build-up, the thrill of-"

"Would you rather be my opponent, Kuro?" Inferna snarled, brandishing her claws threateningly. "Because that can be arranged, and you'll be much more satisfying to crush into the dirt. Anything to make you shut up..."

"Ahh...I think I'll pass on that," Kuro sighed.

"Good choice," Inferna sneered. She turned on her heel, but then paused, glancing partially over her shoulder at Sorin and Ember, a small smirk forming across her muzzle. "Not exactly an unfamiliar arrangement, so I'm sure I don't need to remind you not to pursue me, Sorin, and the consequences in store if you try."

"Blah blah blah, Dragon Claw, blah," Sorin deadpanned. He draped his wings around Ember again, startling the Charmander, but she relaxed, making no effort to get free of the embrace. In the back of her mind, she was aware that this was probably deliberate, to deter her from trying to continue the fight herself. Inferna snickered, and began to walk away, only to pause once more.

"Oh, and Ember?" she said, looking over her shoulder once more. Ember tensed, but didn't answer. The two Char-lizards made eye contact for a split second. "Your value isn't set by others," Inferna stated curtly, facing forward, but speaking clearly. "Hating yourself only ensures you'll never have any. Remedy that before you ever consider fighting me again."

With that enigmatic note, the Charmeleon continued walking, rounding a bend and disappearing from view, until even the glimmer of her tail flame had vanished. Kuro snapped his claws and vanished in a much more dramatic display involving wisps of black energy and his body fading away little by little like a ghost's.

"Ugh, finally!" Adrian gasped in relief, massaging his wrists with a pained expression, the chains of energy binding him having finally disappeared with the Zoroark's departure. "I didn't even know Embargo worked on humans," he muttered.

"Wow, I just realized something!" squealed a bubbly, female voice. Ember shifted a bit and gave the speaker an inquisitive look. The two quadruped Pokemon she had noticed earlier had come nearer, although the fluffier one kept further back, but even with the distance, Ember was now able to identify it clearly as a Flareon, the Fire-type member of the Eevee evolutionary line. The one talking was the one with active flame vents, a Quilava.

"Yeah? Cecilia?" Sorin responded. Ember noticed the short pause between Sorin's first response and the addition of the Quilava's name, making it seem like it was only mentioned for Ember's benefit.

"Is she yours?" Cecilia asked, her eyes widening with amazement as she nodded her head towards the Charmander still draped in the Altaria's wings. Sorin groaned audibly. "Sorry, it just suddenly clicked," Cecilia explained sheepishly. "I was wondering why you were being so cuddly."

"...is everyone learning this today?" Ember wondered. "Avis just found out earlier," she explained, when Sorin looked perplexed.

"I found out yesterday," the Flareon supplied, raising her paw. Ember just blinked in confusion.

"...what?" she asked, bewildered. She took a few seconds of silently wondering whether she had somehow met this Pokemon previously. There was the vaguest hint of familiarity about her, but Ember ultimately dismissed the notion. The only female member of the Eevee line she knew was Aureia, who was definitely NOT a Flareon.

"This is going to be a long, weird day," Sorin sighed.


	51. Emotional Burdens

It was like being hit over the head with a frying pan.

And yes, Cecilia knew exactly how that felt. Details were a little foggy, but she remembered pain, feeling a little dizzy, and having a difficult time piecing words and thoughts together for a few minutes.

Okay, so this situation wasn't quite as painful and unpleasant, and one could argue that it really had very little to do with the actual experience of being smacked around by cookware. To that argument, Cecilia was willing to concede the point, but wow did that make it difficult to follow up on her thought. Sort of like how it felt when she got hit over the head with a frying pan. Details were a little foggy, but-

Cecilia shook herself quickly, interrupting what was sure to be a looping train of thought that could last several minutes if she wasn't careful. Every so often, the Quilava would hit a weird snag in her mental commentary, and then catch herself when she had deviated onto a tangent so far removed from the original line of thought that she had no idea how she got there. Matthias had once referred to the phenomenon as a "Mental Wiki Walk". She never did figure out what that phrase meant.

Thankfully, the simple act of gazing around at her surroundings was enough to refocus her thoughts. So many things had been happening, and so many little details had finally clicked within her mind that she was finding the whole thing a bit overwhelming and dizzying, torn between wondering if she was slow for just figuring it out, or delighted by the realization. That...sort of was similar to being smacked on the head, right?

Then again, these discoveries had been made in a very short span of time, and had occurred so swiftly that Cecilia really had needed a few moments to piece things together. After their lunch with Matthias back in Goldenrod, and concluding that the city had little else to offer their Flareon companion, Cecilia had suggested heading north to Ecruteak City, seeing as Kaito was doing his research there, and it had the bonus of enabling her to get back in touch with Lin for a while. As a double bonus, it'd give the opportunity for Sorin to officially meet the Weavile, so with little argument from either side, the three of them had left the city and gone north.

It had been a little more confusing when Sorin and Celes began acting noticeably more on-edge the closer they came to the forested pathway, and neither of them had been keen on explaining their apprehension to Cecilia. The most she had gotten out of them was that the area was currently occupied, and that neither of them particularly trusted the reassurance that they'd be allowed through without hassle.

Sorin pointed out a territory marking just outside the grove of trees, and Cecilia had done her best not to get sidetracked admiring the artistic complexity of the marking. Lin had sometimes made comments on the fact that Cecilia herself used a needlessly complicated territory mark, and the Quilava was just pleased to note that she wasn't the only one who did things like that.

Despite the nervousness that the fluffier Pokemon displayed, they ventured ahead anyway, and Cecilia was quick to follow. The sounds of battle drew their attention relatively quickly, and coming upon the scene of the fight itself was the first dose of overwhelming information for the day.

Two fire Pokemon had been in the midst of combat, both of them similar enough species for Cecilia to immediately peg them as members of the same evolutionary family, and only another second or two to identify them as the Kanto counterparts of her own evolutionary family - a Charmander and a Charmeleon. That wasn't what had caught the Quilava by surprise, however. That honor belonged to Sorin's reaction.

The Altaria had cursed under his breath, loud enough for both Celes and Cecilia to hear him, and he answered their perplexed looks with a weak sigh and a wing gesture towards the smaller of the fire lizards. "That's Ember," he had said.

Irritatingly, this had given Cecilia absolutely no information, but Celes' eyes had widened in alarm and sudden understanding. Sorin's apprehension was undeniable now, and he had practically frozen in place, watching the combatants and oblivious to any further efforts to get his attention and ask for elaboration.

Frustrated, Cecilia had asked Celes for a summarized explanation, but the most she could get in this brief window of time had been that the one identified as 'Ember' was 'their daughter'. Initially, Cecilia had assumed that this had only referred to the Charmeleon, mainly because of the ambiguous pronoun and the obvious species relationship, and the equally obvious clue that both of them were using an identical battle style focusing on claws.

The second shocking event had been Sorin's intervention. Not long after they had arrived, they witnessed what could only be described as the smaller fire lizard utterly having her tail handed to her with almost cruel viciousness. Celes had cringed and looked away, whereas Sorin's feathers bristled and he rushed forward. The movement had caught the Charmeleon's eyes, distracting her from the downed Charmander.

Cecilia had started forward herself, intent on assisting the situation, but had stopped short when the Charmeleon addressed Sorin nonchalantly, and the Altaria made no attempt to attack. After a brief exchange, the Charmeleon had backed off and leaned idly against a nearby tree, giving Sorin the opportunity to comfort the defeated Charmander, draping her in his wings in the most bizarrely affectionate embrace that Cecilia had even seen Sorin provide. After all the emphasis placed on staying out of Sorin's personal space, and his specific wariness regarding Fire-type females, today was the day that Cecilia found him in the company of a female Flareon, platonic as that might be, and ridiculously cuddly with a female Charmander.

"He really does know how to handle her," Celes had muttered, earning a confused look from the Quilava, but the question was dismissed with a curt wave of her paw. The tension in the air had thickened, with the Charmeleon giving Sorin an annoyed look, but otherwise remaining passive, and the Charmander hugging Sorin as though he were a security blanket of some sort, all behavior that the Altaria endured without the slightest trace of discomfort or nervousness. It completely baffled Cecilia to no end.

They broke apart within a minute or two, and after another exchange of words and some aggressive gestures by the Charmeleon towards another figure that Cecilia couldn't get a clear look at, the crimson fire lizard turned to leave. It was at this point that the Charmeleon's statements carried over clearly to Cecilia's location, allowing her to overhear the fire lizard's taunting comment in regards to a familiar arrangement, to which Sorin gave a snarky response and again embraced the Charmander. The crimson fire lizard had paused again, delivering a curt statement to the younger fire lizard, and then walked away, disappearing from sight.

As if this had been the signal to approach, Celes and Cecilia moved practically as one towards the Altaria and his Charmander charge. This was when suddenly everything clicked in Cecilia's mind. She had been on the verge of assuming Sorin and the Charmander were possibly lovers, and that the Charmeleon was an overprotective parent or even an abusive one, which is why Sorin was so uneasy, but the rest of the Charmeleon's parting statement abruptly clicked into place, coupled with Celes' earlier explanation of Ember being "their daughter".

Conversation had died off awkwardly after Sorin had confirmed this realization, and while this gave Cecilia the chance to get her bearings, it led to the present fact that she was still just coming to terms with this information, and the questions surfacing in her mind were not really appropriate ways to break the ice again.

For example, Kaito had never once referenced the fact that Sorin had a daughter, nor had it ever been brought up in previous interactions, and it seemed like it would be crossing a line to ask aloud if Sorin had kept this detail a secret, or if it was simply information delivered on a need-to-know basis, kind of like how Lin labeled all information related to Diablos.

Then again, Cecilia abruptly recalled how Kaito had reacted to her complaints about Sorin back at the Chateau, right after she had discovered Rio's fate. At the time, she had been too agitated to listen properly, but now she could remember Kaito muttering that he couldn't blame Sorin for his issue with personal space, and his insistence that he wasn't implying that Cecilia was unlikable.

This was making an uncomfortable amount of sense now that she had seen the mother of Sorin's kit. It also suggested that Kaito did know the details behind Sorin's issues, and deliberately chose to withhold them. Once again, Cecilia had to concede that she wouldn't be too thrilled if Kaito or someone else started telling all their mutual acquaintances about her personal history without her consent, so she couldn't really be too annoyed on that front.

Cecilia cocked her head at the other individuals present in the clearing. One of them was some sort of short, bipedal green lizard with its tail ending in a leaf, confirming its likely status as a Grass-type Pokemon. The other was a male human, but oddly, his presence didn't seem to rattle anyone else, Celes notwithstanding. The Flareon had been keeping some of her attention on the human ever since she had noticed he was there. Cecilia, on the other hand, was well acquainted to having humans around, and could easily label the human as non-threatening.

That said, he was watching Ember and Sorin with mild interest and concern. The two had broken their embrace a while ago, but Ember was keeping close to the Altaria, her blue eyes avoiding eye contact whenever possible. Even from this distance, Cecilia noticed a couple of rather nasty-looking scratches across the Charmander's muzzle, marks undoubtedly picked up from the recent skirmish with the Charmeleon.

"Ooh, we didn't get introduced officially, did we?" Cecilia asked, breaking the silence for the first time. Ember actually flinched briefly at the sound of her voice, and Sorin looked up in surprise, as if he too had just remembered that there were others around. "I'm Cecilia, um...kind of an acquaintance of Sorin?"

"Not exactly drowning in confidence there," Ember remarked blandly. Cecilia smiled weakly. She wasn't nearly as good at reading people or situations as she would have liked. Lin was the absolute master of that skill, and even if she could get decent reads, she was nowhere on the Weavile's level. "I'm Ember," the Charmander said after an awkward pause.

"And you're Sorin's...daughter, right?"

"I'm sure hell not a son," Ember retorted crisply. Cecilia winced. Maybe she had misread the situation or something and hadn't realized how moody the fire lizard was right now.

"Ugh...I already said 'yes' to that question," Sorin sighed wearily. "I don't get why you need this confirmed again...well, unless you're just using it as a stepping stone to a related topic. Either way, the answer's still yes. She's my kit."

Cecilia winced again and shifted her weight in mild embarrassment. "I know. I think it's just taking me longer for that to sink in. Kaito's never mentioned that, and you never mentioned it the few times we've met, so..."

Ember snorted quietly. "We don't bring it up much," she said coolly.

"Ooh, I was wondering about that!" the grass lizard piped up brightly, causing Cecilia to flinch at the sudden sound. "I met Sorin with you at the Ruins, and you guys didn't act like you were related."

"Why would we have?" Ember retorted, rolling her eyes. "Showing even a hint of being related would have just gotten you or Iris to ask us personal questions neither of us want to talk about. I didn't act like I recognized Kaito, either, but that doesn't mean I didn't."

"You know Iris?" Cecilia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "And Kaito, too?"

"Oh boy," Sorin sighed. "Cecilia, when Kaito and Iris went to the Ruins of Alph to follow my lead, Ember's trainer was there researching the same thing. We ran into each other there."

"But you knew Kaito before that?" the Quilava pressed.

Ember massaged her forehead with one paw before answering through gritted teeth, practically growling the words as clearly as possible. "I know Kaito because Sorin knows Kaito. I wasn't with Adrian my whole life."

"Ooh, quick question!" the grass lizard interrupted, earning an annoyed look from Ember. "Oh, I'm Avis! Nice to meet you, Cecilia!" she chirped, ignoring the Charmander's stare. Cecilia stifled a giggle, but nodded in return, not wanting to distract from the conversation.

"What's the question?" Sorin asked flatly.

"Why do you call your parents by their names?" Avis wondered. "Is that normal, or is there a reason behind it?"

Ember and Sorin exchanged glances. "See what I mean about asking personal questions?" Ember noted dryly, but then sighed, gesturing towards Sorin expectantly.

"Um...I more or less never gave her a designation to call me, and she heard everyone else call me 'Sorin', so that's just how that went. As for Inferna..." the Altaria winced and glanced at Ember warily.

"I don't call her anything," Ember snapped. Her expression had darkened, her blue eyes narrowed into slits of anger that sent a slight shiver through Cecilia. It was an expression she had seen before, but not from the Charmander. It was the expression she had seen in Shadow's silver eyes the last time they had spoken. Like with Shadow, the expression was not directed at her, but at an entity that was not physically presence, yet cast a dark shadow over their soul.

"She doesn't call her anything," Sorin echoed promptly.

"Ember? You okay, girl?" the human interjected, taking note of Ember's expression. Ember flinched and looked away, unwilling to make eye contact with her trainer. Adrian stepped nearer, giving Sorin a brief glance, prompting the Altaria to shift out of his path. This movement confused Cecilia for a moment, but the reason for it became more obvious when the human continued forward without further hesitation - he had probably been feeling out the situation to see whether Sorin was going to shield Ember, or if he would be permitted to pass.

Adrian knelt beside the Charmander and began to speak to her with a quiet, reassuring tone, too softly for Cecilia to overhear most of what was being said. Of the snatches she did catch, he seemed to be concerned for both her physical and emotional well-being, and kept trying to get her to lift her chin a little so he could get a better look at the scratch marks, probably to judge whether she needed medical attention.

The exchange didn't last too long, although Ember held up one claw to pause the interaction, and whispered something to Sorin, giving him a quick hug, which he returned with a fond smile. When they broke apart, Ember nodded to her trainer and stepped away from the Altaria. This allowed Adrian to point a Pokeball at the Charmander without interference, and a beam of red light absorbed the fire lizard back into the sphere.

"Thanks, I owe you one," Adrian said to Sorin. At the Altaria's nod, the human turned towards the grass lizard. "Come on, Avis, we've got to get going," he said.

"Aww, we're leaving already?" Avis whined, but she got up promptly and waved at the other Pokemon present. "Bye!"

"Uh...see you?" Cecilia offered, a little taken aback at how quickly they had chosen to depart, but at the same time, it occurred to her that the battle that had transpired here had not been a part of their plans for the day, and they couldn't spend a lot of time hanging around an area, even if the most threatening Pokemon had left already.

Once the trainer and his Pokemon had left, there was a few minutes of a significantly more relaxed atmosphere. The tension in Celes' body had diminished, and even Sorin seemed to perk up a little bit. No one spoke, but they all seemed to relish the short reprieve.

"She's cute," Celes commented. Sorin chuckled a little.

"Not much for conversation, though," Cecilia lamented. "Is she always moody like that, or just a bad day?"

To the Quilava's surprise, Sorin heaved a heavy sigh. It was the type of sigh made by someone who is really down about something, yet hesitant to burden another with the knowledge.

"She's really sweet at heart, but...she hasn't been the same for a while now," he confided finally. The two fire females exchanged puzzled glances. "It's a bit of a long, complicated story," Sorin continued, shrugging his wings.

"Is it related to what we were talking about yesterday?" Celes wondered, earning yet another confused look from Cecilia. Just how much personal information had Sorin been willing to divulge to the Flareon? They couldn't possibly have known one another long enough for him to cough up personal details that easily. Yet, the evidence thus far had proved otherwise. Celes had evidently learned about Sorin's kit before Cecilia had been let in on the secret, and she had only gotten that chance by being physically present when Sorin encountered Ember in a precarious situation.

Sorin nodded. "Oh boy, does it ever," he said, and then heaved another sigh. "Also goes hand in hand with what I said yesterday, about things I wished I handled differently, and still kick myself over my mistakes."

"You realize we're not going to let you off without elaborating, right?" Cecilia asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're baiting the hook with way too many delectable morsels for us to let it slide."

Sorin considered the two females with a thoughtful frown. "Okay," he said, nodding his head and adjusting his position for comfort. "I'll fill you both in on two conditions. First: I don't want you to discuss the details with other people, even if those people already know the information. It's just the kind of personal information I don't want thrown around casually."

"Understandable," Celes noted.

"Sounds fair," Cecilia agreed. "What's the second condition?"

Sorin hesitated for a moment. "Originally, I was going to say that I'd prefer if you also don't bring it up often with me, but more importantly than that, I don't want you to bring it up around Ember."

"So both conditions amount to us not talking about it at all," Celes said, raising an eyebrow of her own. "Then why bother confiding in us at all?"

Cecilia giggled, turning towards the Flareon with mild amusement. "What, do you subscribe to that phrase of 'two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead', or something?" she wondered.

"No, nothing that extreme," Celes said, frowning at the Quilava. "I'm just wondering why- just never mind. Forget I said anything," she cut herself off hastily and averted her gaze. Cecilia blinked at the Flareon, mildly discomforted by the sudden shift in mood. Did Celes not realize she had just been teasing her, or had she somehow offended the Flareon without realizing it?

"I was just-" she began, but Celes immediately cut her off with a dismissive wave of her paw.

"I know," she said curtly. Cecilia frowned, and the Flareon winced. "I know," she repeated, in a much softer tone. Sorin looked between the two of them uncomfortably, his body tensing, but at Celes' softer tone, he relaxed a little bit. After a pause, he cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him.

"Um...anyway, to answer that, uh, I don't have as much of a problem if you bring it up around me, so long as you're not like, rubbing salt in the wound or anything. But it's very important to me that you not talk about it around Ember, whether you meet her again in the future or not," he explained seriously.

"Okay," Cecilia said with a shrug.

Sorin nodded earnestly. "As for why I'm willing to explain at all, it's because sometimes, knowing the background surrounding someone gives you insight that you wouldn't have normally. Insight that you can use to help them, or at least navigate around the sore points."

"Makes sense," Celes agreed, the faintest trace of a smile flashing across her face. Cecilia simply nodded in silence. That made perfect sense to her. With her group, they were all relatively familiar with one another's circumstances or situations, maybe lacking in key details, but nevertheless knowing the gist. Rather than creating a sense of treading on eggshells, as some might expect, it gave them all a greater sense of comradery. It was important to keep these things in mind when making jokes or idle commentary, so as not to offend one another by mistake. For example, Cecilia would never tease Force by criticizing his physique or battle skill, because he took such comments extremely personally. Likewise, teasing Iris about her shyness or social grace was another major taboo.

Sorin took a soothing breath, but sighed.

"A week after Ember was born, Inferna told me bluntly that she was leaving. I didn't understand originally, and asked if Ember really was old enough to travel. To which she replied, with that usual dismissive snort she does..." the Altaria winced, his expression pained. "She said 'I'm not taking her with me'."

"What?" Celes gasped, her eyes widening. Cecilia flinched, her own expression twisting into a sympathetic wince. It had been kind of obvious that the story was going to cover something along those lines, from Inferna's departing comment and Ember's obvious contempt towards her mother, but to hear the way Sorin's voice fluctuated as he repeated the words, and to see the unhappiness in his eyes...it just sent a jolt through her heart that she could relate to all too well.

Sorin took another breath before continuing, but he wasn't making eye contact. "I tried to persuade her to stay just a little longer, for Ember's sake. She was too young yet, and needed her mother. Inferna refused, stating that she only stayed that long to recover her strength from nesting. I pleaded with her to reconsider...but I was too naive."

"Naive?" Cecilia repeated, surprised. Sorin never struck her as the type to be easily labeled as naive, although she had definitely gotten the impression that the events he was referencing was the source of many of his present behaviors.

"Yeah," Sorin acknowledged. "I thought that she'd put Ember's well-being ahead of herself. That's what I thought parents would do, even if they hadn't wanted to be a parent. I thought the flickers of happiness that Inferna showed when Ember hatched was the sign of a gradual change within her, that maybe she would evolve from being cold and vicious to something better suited for a parent. It just goes to show that I never understood Inferna back then. I couldn't grasp that she acted entirely on her own desires, no matter who got hurt in the process, so long as she got what she wanted."

The Altaria bristled indignantly, but then sighed and forced himself to relax, shaking his head miserably. Neither of the Fire-types broke the silence. The only sounds around them was the gentle crackling of Cecilia's flames, and the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind.

"When I made a third attempt to convince her otherwise, she got nasty about it," Sorin continued blandly. "Threatened to Dragon Claw me, even brandishing her claws to remind me she was fully capable of acting on it. Told me not to expect the same outcome as the last time I tangled with her."

He paused, as if expecting one of them to question that comment, but both females determinedly avoided eye contact, allowing him to continue without interruption.

"You...can't imagine how terrifying she was to me," Sorin practically whispered. "How she radiated with absolute confidence and merciless coldness. I was intimidated by the threat and backed off...but I had forgotten how vicious she had been during the nesting stage, and how I had endured that time without complaint. I could have persisted...I should have persisted. Inferna doesn't respect defiance, but still..."

"You feel guilty over that failure," Celes finished quietly.

"...yeah," Sorin said softly. "But then I made everything worse."

"Hm? How?" Cecilia asked, taken aback. Feeling guilty over something that wasn't technically his fault was...yet another thing she could relate to perfectly, although it still pained her to reflect on that. Shadow had even absolved her of the responsibility, but she still felt that was letting her off too easily. Time away from Sinnoh was to help her overcome those lingering feelings, but at the same time, coming to understand Sorin and his circumstances seemed to remind her of things all over again. Maybe this was proof of what Sorin had said - knowing the circumstances of another's background gave insight you could use, if not for yourself, then at least for their sake.

For the first time, Sorin's voice cracked.

"How do you begin to explain something like that to your kit?" he asked quietly. "How do you tell them that their mother abandoned them? That someone they loved didn't love them back?"

Cecilia cringed. The pain and sorrow in the Altaria's voice was almost too much for her to bear, yet she didn't dare try to silence him. To make matters worse, visible tears were forming in Sorin's eyes, but he didn't seem to care that they could see. He was looking at them both in the eyes as he spoke, unashamed of his emotion, and all the shame poured into his personal failure instead.

"It was only a week, but Ember had bonded with her mother. Severing the bond like that was cruel, but she was too young to understand. If you want to judge me, it should be because I failed to tell her when she got older, when she asked about her mother."

"W-what would you say when she asked?" Celes asked nervously.

Sorin closed his eyes briefly, taking a breath, but even when he spoke again, his voice shook with barely restrained emotion. "I said the other day, that I didn't hate Inferna back then, and I still don't. No matter what she put me through, or the callousness she displayed, I didn't speak ill of her to Ember. I told her Inferna's name, about the distinguishing scar on her left eye, and her skill in claw combat. That...was the inspiration for Ember to focus on the same style. She barely remembered Inferna, but she still had that bond in her heart."

"I don't really understand how this made things worse," Cecilia commented, frowning a little. "That's...pretty noble of you, actually, to not bash the absent parent or make up a lie about her absence, like saying she was dead."

Sorin shook his head, and his voice cracked again. "I inadvertently put Inferna on a pedestal for Ember's sake, because I couldn't bear to hurt her by telling her the full truth. Even though we were different species, I did everything I could for her. If anyone is to judge, it'll be for my cowardice, but like hell will I let anyone claim I didn't care about her!"

Cecilia flinched. The normally serene features of the Altaria's face had contorted into a momentary look of fury, and she was abruptly reminded that although Sorin's species was reknowned for being peace-loving, they were still part-dragon, and likely carried an incredible amount of power and primal instincts within themselves. The way his eyes had flashed had given her an uneasy feeling.

Sorin took several deep, soothing breaths. "Sorry," he muttered, once he had fully calmed down again. "I underestimated Ember's attachment to her mother. And it's my fault that they ever met."

"Huh?" Celes blinked in confusion, and Cecilia raised an eyebrow curiously.

"About two years ago, I came across an area that Inferna had been recently, but had since moved on from. Ember asked about the territory marking, and I explained its significance. Inferna uses a distinct pattern that's a subtle pun on her name," Sorin explained, in a tone that suggested that he was aware, in retrospect, that he had done something incredibly stupid.

"Uh-oh," Cecilia said, already getting an idea of where the story was going. Typically, if a territory marking was still intact, the owner intended to return. Otherwise, it didn't take too long for the marking to be demolished or replaced, or otherwise vandalized, unless the marking Pokemon made a point of punishing such infractions, but that required them to frequently check-in on their territory if they were the type to leave for stretches of time. It was how she personally maintained her den, although considering the reputation of her den's previous owner, she wasn't surprised that her den was usually left alone - no one wanted to risk it.

"I don't know all the details. I wasn't there, and Ember was almost three at the time, so she didn't need constant supervision," Sorin explained with a sigh. "But she came across Inferna, and evidently expected some happy reunion or something."

"Dare I ask what happened?" Celes asked, biting her lip.

Sorin bristled a bit. "From my understanding, Inferna viciously revealed the truth of Ember's birth, undoubtedly phrased in a callous manner that mocked any delusions Ember might have clung onto. By speaking of Inferna favorably, I made her someone to look up to, and that must have come crashing down on the poor girl. I can't even imagine how much that hurt for her..."

Sorin closed his eyes again, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Ever since that day, she's been different...and now I wish, more than ever, that I had been the one to tell her. It would have been a blow, but I'd have softened it, and been there to comfort and reassure her that even if Inferna hadn't cared, I had still looked out for her, and loved her," Sorin murmured, his voice shaking again as he opened his eyes, his words coated with desperation and sorrow. "And what can I do to fix my mistakes now? How will I ever undo all the pain that's been caused because I held my tongue?"

"Sorin..." Celes whispered, almost too quietly to be heard. Cecilia could only stare at Sorin in stunned disbelief. She never would have imagined that the quiet, almost laidback Altaria carried such a burden within himself. His words resonated with her in a way she wouldn't have thought possible. Although Sorin carried such a weight, he didn't let it detract from his life much, nor did he seem to sulk all the time. It made her way of coping with guilt and such seem incredibly immature and weak-willed.

Sorin sniffed quietly, slowly regaining his composure. "But even after those mistakes and lack of progress, I won't ever give up. I promised myself I'd never abandon her, and that's why I had to intervene in that battle. The last time Ember faced Inferna, she lost badly, and was rescued by Adrian. She's been in his care since, and I trust him to help her work through things. But she wasn't ready to face Inferna again, and now I see why."

"You do?" Cecilia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sorin nodded grimly. "Ember hates herself more than she hates Inferna. Most of her drive is disguised self-loathing, so when the chips are down, she'll give up on herself, because she thinks she's worthless."

"...seriously?" Celes asked, horrified.

Sorin turned his gaze to Celes and nodded solemnly. "So I guess you know now...whether I can relate to your situation, after all."

Celes gave the Altaria a piercing look for a moment, and then averted her gaze awkwardly without a word. Sorin glanced over at Cecilia, to find that the Quilava was regarding him with a different expression than usual.

Cecilia had often wondered whether Kaito had a specific criteria in mind when it came to gathering the group together. He never said anything to suggest this, and at a glance, most of the group were just barely similar enough to be passed off as a coincidence. There were rumors that Togetic and the rest of the evolutionary family could sense the purity in a person's heart, and that one approaching you was a mark of good luck and a sign of improved fortune.

But now she was really starting to question whether the other members of the group were really so coincidental after all. Each could be described as having a noble heart, and most of them deflected signs of stress or difficult history within a calm or friendly persona . Lin was aloof, Cecilia was bubbly, Force was friendly, Iris was shy, and Sorin was laidback. If anything, Kaito was the odd man out.

So for what purpose had the Togetic gotten a group together, and what did it have to do with unsealing Diablos?


	52. Contrast of Souls

Floaroma Meadow.

The name alone could inspire vivid daydreams of a lush meadow painted with an infinite number of flowers as far as the eye could see, colors dancing through the field like a picture ripped straight off an artist's canvas and pasted in the mind's eye.

The area was unimaginably serene and beautiful, but the images could not compare to the reality of physically being there. The scents of the flower arrangements were undeniably sweet and incredibly potent, and those that opted to visit the meadow were rewarded by the fantastic combinations that delighted their senses.

The people and Pokemon who lived in the small town claimed that the area was once barren, and devoid of the joy now captured within the beautiful meadow, with some going as far as suggesting that the legendary Shaymin itself had reversed the initial desolate conditions.

Since then, the town and meadow had been a fairly popular resort for those who wished to appreciate absolute beauty and tranquility. Some liked to stroll around the meadow, admiring the various flowers that coated the fields, and many brought small sprinkling cans, purchased in the local flower shop, to sprinkle some of the plants as a means of repaying the world for allowing them to witness such floral splendor.

And others, like Force and Iris, were content to simply bask in the sunlight and relax among the flower beds, savoring the sweetness and beauty that surrounded them. No matter how dark the rest of the world could be, or how hopeless a situation, nothing could put their minds and hearts at ease much like the Floaroma Meadow.

The two Pokemon sat in the center of the meadow, Iris leaning against her Riolu companion's shoulder, content to simply take in all the sights and smells the flower garden had to offer. Whenever they came here, their stress and concerns evaporated, like water in the sun. Sometimes, they could spend hours here, barely speaking a word, and appreciating their presence amid the beauty.

With the rest of their group out of the region for the time being, Force and Iris had chosen to spend a lot of their time here. It was one of their favorite relaxation locations, and they both felt an odd affinity for the place. It let them clear their heads and hearts of all that weighed upon them, and rekindled the clarity of mind they both needed to fully utilize their respective aura and psychic abilities.

"Hey...Force?" Iris spoke softly, barely breaking the serene silence that had hovered around them like a veil of mist. The Riolu blinked, turning his red eyes from the distant flowers across the meadow and refocusing on the lovely Kirlia sitting beside him.

"Yeah?" he asked, giving her a fond smile. Another reason they were taking advantage of the isolation from the rest of the group was that it gave them more of a chance to really talk to one another, or show simple signs of affection. They could still do these things when around the others, but Cecilia in particular had a knack for overstaying her welcome or making commentary. They were acutely aware of the fact that sometimes their endearments to one another sounded cheesy or sickeningly sweet, but the awkwardness was part of the charm, and one couldn't really maintain the charm and sincerity when there existed the possibility of ridicule from their peers.

As such, Force and Iris usually tried to downplay this aspect of their romantic relationship when around the others, except when it was more entertaining to blow it out of proportion.

"I was just thinking," Iris continued, her pink eyes gazing longingly around the meadow. "When the time comes that we can uh, settle down together...this is the kind of place I'd want us to live."

Force smiled, a faint crimson blush spreading across his muzzle in spite of himself. They had occasionally chatted about their future as a couple. It had started as simple wishful thinking initially, when they were getting close, but not exactly rushing to label one another as "The One", and sometimes it cropped up again now that they were more decided in whether they were a good fit together. There was just something adorably sweet about the subtle fact that neither of them seemed to doubt the future's possibility, and instead focused on the details of 'where' and 'when'.

"I agree," the Riolu said, giving his mate a light peck on the cheek, to her blushing delight. "Not _here_ per say, but somewhere like this. Maybe even earn a favor with Shaymin or something to make another paradise like this. Wonder what I'd have to do to earn her blessing...save her life or something?" he mused thoughtfully.

"You think so?" Iris giggled.

"Well, if you saved a legendary Pokemon's life, you'd think they'd grant you some sort of wish, right? Well, that's what I'd pick, our own little flower paradise," Force said.

"Aww, you're sweet," Iris said, smiling at him. "Let's not jinx this, now," she added quickly. Force nodded, wondering privately whether she had picked up on a foreboding vibe in the air or from the other visitors. Iris wasn't really superstitious or anything, but there was a limit of how much she was willing to discuss at length before wanting to change the subject.

They continued to talk and exchange sweet words for a little longer, until a somewhat larger group of visitors arrived at the meadow. Either their presence made Iris nervous or she was satisfied with the time spent here, because she soon suggested returning to the Chateau. Even with the absence of the rest of the group, they still spent the evenings inside the abandoned mansion, mostly because it remained relatively undisturbed, making it enough of a safe haven to counteract its otherwise uninhabitable condition, and because if Kaito or the others found a means to return to Sinnoh, that would be their meeting place, and it was better to be accessible.

Also, because leaving Diablos almost literally unsupervised for an indefinite amount of time seemed like a really, really bad idea, in the wake of some of the recent conflicts. The Spiritomb was still insisting that his initial course of action involving Force was a necessary step to ensure that he was not abandoned in a helpless state.

The Chateau was as haunting to look upon from outside its walls as it always was. Surrounded by the thick Eterna Forest, the sky always seemed dark and ominous, and the odd creaking and lifeless exterior of the mansion was enough to send chills down their spines. Iris also had admitted to getting uncomfortable vibes from within the mansion, which ironically was a relief to Force that he wasn't just imagining things that didn't exist.

For that matter, no one really seemed completely at ease around the Chateau. Wild Pokemon seemed to give the place a wide berth, and the group themselves seemed to be the only ones brave enough to actually go inside, and even fewer were brave enough to stay inside for the duration of the night. However, Diablos notwithstanding, there had never been any signs of anything potentially threatening inside.

The door creaked eerily as Force led the way inside. The two of them had done their best to make the conditions a little more bearable, and the first two days they had alone had been spent cleaning as much of the living room and main entrance as possible. Their efforts definitely shone. The ancient wooden floorboards now shone, even in the poor lighting, and almost every surface had been polished.

True, it could not have been reasonably called 'a good time', but the company of one another had made it bearable, and having access to telekinesis was definitely a perk. The living room had been trickier to deal with, because the furniture was already in relatively good shape, thanks to the white coverings that had been over them for some time, but the whole place still stunk with a musty scent, and cracking open the windows had only been of some consolation.

And that was yet another reason why they kept revisiting the Floaroma Meadow.

Force carefully shut the front door behind them, absently conjuring a sphere of aura energy within his paw, casting a pale blue light over the recently dusted walls and floor. He was actually somewhat curious what Kaito's reaction might be when he returned here, but put it out of mind for now. The frequency of spider webs in the corners of the rooms had previously suggested that maybe some of the Bug-type Pokemon from the Eterna Forest had come inside in the past, so if that was true, it was possible that much of the work would be undone by the time the Togetic returned.

The house was still eerie, even with better conditions. The darkness of the rooms, and the hollowness of the large amount of space still resonated with a sense of unease, and with their footsteps no longer muffled by a layer of dust, the light tapping of their feet on the creaking wood added another dimension of foreboding to each movement.

Force would have liked nothing better than to ignore the staircase leading to the upper floor and instead go into the drawing room and spend the remainder of the day relaxing with Iris, but in the back of his mind, he knew that this was an overly selfish wish, and that putting off any other obligations would not make them any easier to swallow. Not to mention, he had spent the better part of the day at Floaroma Meadow, so he couldn't really make many excuses to put it off.

With that in mind, and a heart weighted with reluctance, he made for the staircase. Behind him, he could hear Iris taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, and she followed behind him, practically stepping on his heels in her eagerness to not be left behind in the dark and lonely house. The lack of protest and argument further reinforced the Riolu's decision - it meant that Iris knew just as well as he did that they needed to check in with Diablos, as undesirable as that prospect might be.

They hadn't even tried to make progress with dusting the rest of the house, so the stairs were still coated in a layer of dust, only disturbed by the treading and retreading of their footsteps whenever they, Cecilia, or Lin had gone to the attic in recent weeks. The musty scent of age and decay stung their nostrils more intensely up here than anywhere else, and the narrow hallway leading to the attic staircase often felt claustrophobic and more nerve-wracking than the attic itself.

The ladder even creaked underfoot as they ascended, all but holding their breaths until they had emerged within the dimly lit attic, as cluttered as the last time they had been here. Force paused to assist Iris' last steps, and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek, intended to be a reassurance that everything was all right, but at the same time, he wondered whether he was actually reassuring her, or just himself.

They hesitated once again, while still behind the shelter of the boxes that obscured their view of the Spiritomb's resting space. It was always this last obstacle that tested their courage and willpower the most. It was much easier of a hurdle to overcome when Kaito or Lin were already present, as they would take up the majority of the Spiritomb's attention. Furthermore, Lin and Cecilia were much more straightforward in addressing any concerns or questions they had for the Spiritomb, particularly when it came to criticizing Diablos' methods or actions, and Force could usually rely on Lin or Kaito to keep their cool, even when addressing an emotional topic.

"I know you're there," Diablos' voice spoke, piercing the silence. In spite of steeling himself for this conversation, Force flinched and shuddered, his nerve breaking apart. "No need to hover in the entranceway, come forward, Force...and I can only presume Iris is with you. Welcome back."

The Riolu scowled briefly, but complied, stepping out from behind the boxes, guiding Iris gently by the hand. Diablos was positioned in the same spot as always, near the back of the attic room, not far from the static-filled television set that somehow defied the rules of technology by remaining active even when unplugged. The Spiritomb even appeared the same as usual, a mass of swirling purple fog with yellow-green spheres rotating around its core. Green eyes and a jagged green mouth leered at them from the purple mass, and its pupils were distinct and eerily yellow, gleaming in the darkness.

"How do you always know when we're here?" Force asked sourly. This had not been the first time that Diablos had demonstrated an uncanny ability to detect the Riolu, coupled with the seemingly more difficult task of predicting whether Iris or any of the others were likewise present.

Diablos chuckled, and his eyes gleamed a little bit, meeting Force's red gaze.

"Have I never explained that? How...completely characteristic of me," the Spiritomb mused, the jagged mouth smirking, as if inviting them to share the joke. Force didn't smile, and the Spiritomb's expression sobered, although his tone remained as amused as ever. "I am, of course, able to pinpoint the whereabouts of my souls, fragmented or otherwise. No matter how far they wander away, they cannot hide from the call of my core. Observe..."

The Spiritomb's pupils contacted until they were nearly invisible, and the spheres spiraling around its mass began to move faster, until they were practically a single blur. At the same time, a peculiar force seemed to emanate from the Keystone, like a Zubat's sonar pulse, expanding outwards and passing over him and Iris.

Force staggered abruptly and his paw instinctively clutched at his chest, yet there was no pain, only a pounding sense of fear and unease flooding his body. In the next moment, the feeling was gone, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the Spiritomb.

Diablos' pupils enlargened once more, and his mouth curled into an even wider smirk. "Well, well...five fragments return my call."

"What was that?" Force demanded, his fist clenching. "Lin said you took it out of me!"

"I did," Diablos confirmed. "And as I was doing so, Lin shattered it again. All that remains within you is but a sliver...that is to say, the sliver that has bonded with the darkness in your heart. You needn't worry...such a tiny fragment gives me nothing over you, my ability to pinpoint you notwithstanding, of course."

"Get. It. Out," Force snarled.

"Impossible," Diablos chuckled. "It has been nourished by the darkness within you, making it more a part of you than a part of me. You have more command of it than I do."

"Then how do I command it to leave my body?" Force demanded, clenching and unclenching his fists, practically spitting his words.

Diablos laughed, a cold, humorless sound that sent chills running down Force's spine, and Iris clutched the Riolu's arm, using it to anchor herself in a standing position even as her legs shook.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" the Spiritomb murmured, smirking widely. His yellow eyes stared intently at Force, as if reading the answer already. Force fidgeted, unnerved by the intensity of the Spiritomb's gaze. "With the exception of Kaito, none of you know anything about my power...I suspected as much before now, but to have it spelled out for me like this is such a bittersweet victory."

"What are you even talking about?" Force demanded, finding his voice again.

Diablos chuckled, slowly regaining his more collected demeanor. "Forgive me, but what you suggest is impossible. One cannot simply evict their inner darkness. It's a piece of your very soul."

"I don't want something like that," Force insisted, but his resolve was wavering, unable to tell whether Diablos was making another attempt at deception. He wasn't using the same tone as he usually did when dancing around a subject or giving false reassurances, although with the Spiritomb, one could never truly tell whether there was a pattern to its tone and inflection.

"No one really does," Diablos mused. "That is why one struggles to keep their darkness dormant. But everyone has a darkness within. Good, evil, neutral, it's all the same...darkness sleeps in every heart, in every soul, in every mind."

"W-what do you mean?" Iris asked, her voice barely rising above a whisper, and she clutched onto Force's shoulder nervously as Diablos glanced her way.

"Firstly, for you to truly understand, I need you to abandon the very notion that darkness is evil," Diablos whispered, yet his words carried clearly. "Do not associate darkness with malice or wickedness, for it is not the same at all. People driven by their inner darkness are not evil. No one performs evil for the sake of evil...but because they believe they are righteous. That what they do is a necessity, whether palatable or not."

Iris nodded slowly, casting a glance at Force. To her surprise, Force seemed to be contemplating the Spiritomb's words with a thoughtful silence. Diablos paid the Riolu no attention, his focus entirely on Iris.

"Secondly, understand that everyone in the world seeks different things, and uses different methods. Morality is at the root of many conflicts that exists, so once again, I will emphasize that darkness is not evil. People who act on their inner darkness are not necessarily the reason for conflict. Heroes can use inner darkness as well as villains. The reality is not divided in such crude, black and white terms."

"O-okay?" Iris stammered, unnerved by the Spiritomb's gaze.

"Lovely. Now that we've established that...I will explain to you the very nature of inner darkness. It is the part of your self, of your true self, that you view as forbidden. The black stain upon an otherwise perfect painting, yet it is that very flaw that gives it the charm it has. Many are not aware of their own darkness, and those that are often mistake it for something despicable about themselves, something they are not proud of...something to fear and loathe. Something to lock away within the recesses of their heart, and never, ever succumb to it, no matter how tempting..."

Diablos paused, relishing the looks of curiosity and nervousness on his audience's faces.

"My power is to expose that darkness...to encourage its growth, to spread its influence...and then to take its power for sustenance. Have you not felt uneasy in my presence?" Diablos murmured, his yellow eyes glinting. "Fearful and unnerved, but unable to justify why? That is because my presence calls to your darkness. Your higher consciousness instinctively resists the call. It is the subconscious equivalent of a fight-or-flight response, but as you are not in physical danger, you don't recognize why your mind and body are responding to a threat you cannot perceive...and because I am a Spiritomb, you have come to label me as a malicious being, because that's the only logical justification for the reaction...am I wrong?"

Force scowled. "Sure. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with your ability to take over our bodies and kill people with them."

Diablos chuckled, unfazed by the challenging comment. "I have already addressed my reasons for those actions. Self-serving as my agenda had been, my only regret is botching the effort. And those who died were necessary losses to preserve your life. Regardless, you feared me before knowing of those actions."

"Doesn't change the fact that we have a good reason to be on-edge around you," Force countered stubbornly, crossing his arms defiantly.

"I'll concede that point," Diablos mused. "Mutual distrust did its number on our relationship, it seems. I did not trust you initially, and so took underhanded methods to ensure my survival at your expense. Because of my distrust, you no longer trust me, requiring me to further conceal my agenda to acquire your cooperation, and so you trust me even less. It's an endless cycle. Ironically, while Cecilia might have had a legitimate reason to distrust me, it is being amplified by her own darkness of heart."

"Really?" Iris wondered, wrinkling her face skeptically. "Cecilia's like...the most open, unrestrained person ever."

Diablos' jagged mouth smiled, in an odd expression of fond approval. "Sadly, your abilities to empathize with another is superficial. A person's darkness manifests differently per individual. The true conflict a person endures is the inability or refusal to accept this part of themselves when the situation requires it. A darkness often represents the power or ability one could possess if they could properly tap into it...unfortunately, few can do so without suffering the repercussions."

"Repercussions?" Force repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Diablos chuckled. "It would hardly be considered a forbidden aspect of oneself if it didn't carry risk. Power for a price, yes? Cecilia is a fascinating case...you call her open and unrestrained...but tell me, then...what is her true face? Is it the bubbly, chipper and flirtatious Quilava that loves puns and playful innuendo? Or...is it the emotionally volatile, clingy, and vulnerable Quilava that uses the former persona as a mask to hide how unhappy she truly is, and cannot bond with others to save her life, incapable of accepting rejection lest her entire facade crumble bene-"

"STOP IT!" Iris screeched, clutching her head and falling to her knees, shaking her head desperately. Force immediately knelt beside the Kirlia, holding her in his arms, fear and concern consuming his expression. Diablos blinked several times, obediently falling silent, but observing the effect his words had on the empath. "St-stop it..." Iris practically sobbed, burying her face in Force's chest.

"So...you did know that pain after all," Diablos murmured, almost too softly to be heard. Force glared at the Spiritomb in silence, his eyes narrowed to slits. "But I will remind you that inner darkness is not always destructive. Cecilia's pain makes her...immeasurably powerful as an ally. She will do whatever is necessary to protect those she cares about. A noble heart still wields a darkness."

"Are all of us so transparent to you?" Force growled, stroking Iris' back as soothingly as possible, despite the death glare he was fixing Diablos with.

"I wouldn't go that far," Diablos answered silkily. "A person's heart is exceedingly complex, filled with contradictions and variables. Knowing only darkness is no more the solution than knowing only light. Embracing one approach to the exclusion of all else will cause only ruin. If Kaito wishes to have all darkness purged, then he is utterly and irredeemably misguided."

Any further comment on the subject was interrupted by a noticeable rattling from the static-filled television set. Force flinched, regarding the box with a startled expression, and even Iris lifted her head to look over. Diablos chuckled, vaguely amused by their reactions.

"...what was that?" Iris asked, when the television remained still for several seconds.

"Ah, I do believe I neglected to mention our Rotom infestation," Diablos murmured. "Give it a few minutes and I'll introduce you. Until then, let's move on. I trust you had a specific reason for coming up here, for I dare say your social circle is not so narrow that you seek me out for companionship."

Force blinked. With the direction the conversation had taken since arriving, he had completely forgotten their main reason for checking in on Diablos. After returning to the Chateau from the Solaceon Ruins, and Kaito and Iris from their own unsuccessful venture, they had presented the acquired stone to Diablos for inspection. None of them had any luck identifying its origins or purpose, and if it was associated with the Spiritomb in some fashion, then he was the one most likely to uncover its mystery during the time that Kaito was away doing research or whatever.

On the other hand, he didn't particularly want to linger in Diablos' presence longer than strictly necessary. Iris was already agitated enough as it was, and Force doubted that mood was going to improve in the immediate presence of Diablos.

"Maybe we'll save that conversation for another time," Force said.

Diablos looked vaguely amused. "You'll save your reason for visiting for another visit? How quaint. No matter, I do look forward to meetings where someone other than Kaito or myself speaks. Perhaps next time, one of you will actually do so."

The Spiritomb chuckled in good humor, but the laugh still sounded malicious and eerie. Without waiting for a response, or even offering a parting word of his own, the purple flames extinguished themselves and the spheres of light remaining were drawn back within the Keystone's fissure, until nothing remained but silence.

"Do you ever get the sense we're digging ourselves deeper every time we come here?" Force sighed.


	53. Returning Home

"Are we there yet?"

No points earned for guessing which of the three Eons decided to ask that question.

Shadow sighed, casting a resentful look towards Frost, in a manner that clearly labeled the Glaceon as the cause of the current unrest. Frost either didn't notice the look, or chose to ignore it. Neither of them said anything, in the hopes that the young Leafeon would spot something shiny or something, and not notice that they hadn't answered.

Unfortunately, Leaf did not take well to being ignored.

"Are we there yet?" he repeated, more loudly and clearly than the first time.

"Take a day off of traveling, you said," Shadow muttered from the corner of his mouth. Frost rolled his eyes in response. "What's one more day, you said," Shadow continued.

"Ahem...ARE WE THERE YET?!" Leaf repeated, practically shouting this time. When the two older Eons turned and gave him a dirty look, he smiled innocently, but with visible smugness, much like he used to whenever he had successfully manipulated his parents into giving him what he wanted, often at Shadow's expense.

"No, you'd know if we were," Shadow muttered, silently reminding himself to hold onto his patience. The trip back towards the Eterna Forest should have been, by all logic, a shorter trip than leaving the area had originally taken, since the original trip had been mostly filled with absent wandering and extreme paranoia of all potential confrontations, human or Pokemon alike, to say nothing of the difficulty of adapting to their respective evolutions.

While the ebony Espeon had not been keeping track of how much time had passed since leaving A/C's den, he hadn't expected it to take as long as it had. The first thing they had done was head back to the lake area where Raze lived, and the Buizel cheerfully parted ways with them then. Shadow thought this to be a strange choice, but Frost noted that Raze's distaste for long-distance traveling would probably have doubled their travel time, and the Glaceon couldn't afford a one-way trip taking two weeks.

They traveled mostly by daylight, as Leaf was most energetic and cheerful with sunlight available, and almost completely uncooperative when night fell. To compensate for these spurts of energy and compliance, Frost had insisted the three of them continue with their battle training during the late afternoon, before the sun fully set. Needless to say, this set them back by a considerable amount of time, but Shadow didn't really have any complaints. Frost had further noted that once they had more training, their wariness of Pokemon trainers or wild Pokemon would be greatly reduced, allowing them better mobility in the future, and with Shadow still a prime target due to his unique fur coloration, this was all-around advantageous.

Yet the closer they drew towards the Eterna area, the more anxious Shadow became. While his nightmares had dissolved and left him untroubled during the nights, the memories still lingered, and fear still clutched his heart. The forest itself still resonated with pangs of anxiety within him, try as he might to dismiss them.

The true reason for Shadow's anxiety had nothing to do with the forest, or even the nightmares. After his conversation with Cecilia the other day, he had resolved to return to their old home, perhaps seeking a true sense of closure to accompany the revelation of his parents' fates. The anxiety came from not knowing what he would find there. Enough time had passed that any number of things could have befallen the clearing that he and Leaf had once called home, and there was one particularly unpleasant thought that stuck out vividly in Shadow's mind. One that haunted him even more than the nightmares that had once plagued him ever could.

This was why he had yet to explain his intentions to Frost and Leaf. He felt that was a possible discovery the young Leafeon should not be exposed to, and one that he himself didn't relish the prospect of coming across. Even if he was fortunate enough that the clearing had been undisturbed in the past several weeks, the flip side was that anything he came across might be even more grisly or disturbing, once exposed to the elements and passage of time. And if something else had come across the area, there was no telling what might have become of things.

It was thoughts like these that haunted Shadow. Nothing for certain, but the almost undeniable guarantee that no matter what he came across, it would not be pleasant. The Espeon had still kept to his promise to stop withholding vital things from his brother, but when it came to the remains of the deceased, he was definitely drawing the line there. Leaf may have accepted the demise of their parents, but Shadow wasn't going to test the limits to see what would actually traumatize him.

As for himself, he had stepped past the line of trauma since the first day. No matter how much it hurt, or what it cost him, Shadow knew there was no going back, and the only way he could truly move on from the event that removed his parents from his life, was once he had confirmed their loss with his own eyes, whether any physical sign remained or not.

"Something on your mind?" Frost asked quietly, startling Shadow back into alertness. He blinked and looked over at the Glaceon. Frost was watching him from the corner of his eye, but for how long, Shadow had no idea.

"It's nothing," Shadow said, hoping that his tone sounded at least slightly nonchalant. Judging by the skeptical look Frost was giving him, he had failed miserably.

"Don't give me that," Frost chided sternly. He paused to glance over at Leaf, but the grass Eon remained oblivious to their exchange. Even so, the Glaceon lowered his voice further, and continued walking, his head still facing forward, but the words spoken from the corner of his mouth so that Shadow could hear him. "You said before leaving you need to visit something in the area. As we draw nearer, you've gotten this uncomfortably serious expression and unfocused gaze. Why the secrecy?"

"It's personal," Shadow answered, but his stomach squirmed. He never could tell whether Frost was exceptionally astute, or whether he was just painfully obvious about his emotional state. Even with the progress he had made with his psychic abilities and focus during the past week of traveling and training, he hadn't made much headway on appearing stoic and calm. He didn't want to appear unemotional, but there were definitely times when panic or uncertainty would be better off hidden from the surface, so as not to alarm Leaf.

"I've gathered as much," Frost stated dismissively. "As much as I respect the desire for privacy and personal secrets, it's another matter when it affects others. One of these days, your refusal to communicate important information is going to put those you wish to protect in harm's way, because you didn't prepare them for the danger."

Shadow flinched. He had considered that possibility ever since encountering Diablos at the Solaceon Ruins. The possessed Riolu had made a comment about Leaf, even if it hadn't been an explicit threat, and although Shadow had resolved to gradually stop hiding things from Leaf, he still didn't have a complete understanding of his foe to be able to explain to Leaf what the danger was.

Even so, hearing Frost vocalize the concern was much more powerful than his internal debating on the subject had been. The Espeon frowned a little, remaining silent for several seconds before looking back at Frost.

"This...isn't quite like that," he said awkwardly. "It's something I have to do...for myself."

Frost rolled his eyes, gazing around the area with an idle air. "We're almost there, Leaf," he told the young Leafeon, who immediately brightened, his tail flicking. As Frost faced forward once more, he resumed speaking to Shadow from the corner of his mouth. "Even so, there remain a number of questions and concerns I have that you have not addressed. This was acceptable before, when our interactions were expected to be temporary and short-lived. However, if you intend to continue growing alongside me, then I'd expect you to extend me the courtesy of knowing more about the circumstances or your intentions."

Shadow scowled, shooting the Glaceon a somewhat venomous look. He had almost forgotten that Frost had a downright grating attitude at times. There was a certain smugness in his tone, and he seemed to choose his words carefully, crafting a complicated and eloquent-sounding speech pattern. The problem was that the word choice needlessly bogged down the communication process, as it took an extra few moments for the recipient to fully understand Frost's statements and react appropriately, and Leaf usually just gave up if Frost failed to mince his words into something reasonably simple by the third attempt.

"What are you even trying to say there?" Shadow asked, forgetting for a moment that they had been trying to keep the conversation quiet and casual, to avoid drawing Leaf's attention. The Leafeon looked over briefly in confusion, but the prospect of getting closer to the destination pulled his attention away.

Frost clicked his tongue absently. "Hm, I suppose that did come off too much like an ultimatum, didn't it? My mistake. I was merely attempting to-"

"Smaller words!" Leaf complained, turning towards the Glaceon with a frown.

"Leaf, you're technically eavesdropping," Shadow noted.

"You use smaller words, too!" the Leafeon whined again, pouting and giving both of the older Eons an irritated look.

There was an awkward pause. Frost was clearly struggling to hide his amusement behind an expression of frustration, and Shadow felt that he just didn't need to say anything in response to his brother's complaint. Despite their original intentions, Leaf was fully aware that they were trying to have a conversation, and any further attempts to conceal the fact would not sit well with him.

"Never mind, we can discuss this another time," Frost said finally. "I don't mean to pressure you unfairly, it was intended to be food for thought for the time being."

"Fine," Shadow replied, turning his focus back to the surrounding area. It was past mid-day at this point, and there was a far greater number of local Pokemon moving about, some of which were species Shadow had never seen before, or had never gotten more than a passing glimpse of in the past. Since many of them were along the lines of Starly and Bidoof, usually labeled as 'prey species', they were giving the group of Eons a lot more space than probably necessary. It was interesting to notice, actually. It hadn't occurred to Shadow much before then that they had gone overall unharassed by the wild Pokemon during the travel, aside from Frost occasionally setting up a spar or two with a passerby. Now that he thought about it, most Pokemon probably assumed they were either part of a small pack or were members of a hunting party, and kept their distance for that reason.

Frost stopped suddenly and gestured for Leaf and Shadow to do likewise. From their current vantage point, Shadow could see the Eterna Forest, as well as the human city that was built on the outskirts of the forest.

"Why did we stop?" Leaf wondered, looking around warily, as if expecting to see some obvious sign of danger around. Aside from the wild Pokemon going about their daily lives, the the glimpses of humans walking in and out of the city, there was nothing immediately noticeable that would cause Frost to hesitate.

"I'm debating the most practical approach. The forest entrance ahead is a little too close to the city for comfort, and Shadow draws enough attention as it is," Frost explained seriously, nodding towards the Espeon's black fur. He wasn't exaggerating, either. Although the wild Pokemon gave them more space than they needed, that didn't mean they were being ignored.

"We didn't go in that way before, did we, Shadow?" Leaf asked.

"Hm?" Shadow blinked, refocusing on the two Pokemon closest to him, and then shaking his head. "No, we had camped on the other side," he said, gesturing his paw vaguely to the south side of the forest. That said, he did remember how uncomfortable he had felt passing by this area when he and Leaf had left the Eterna area. The presence of humans and the forest combined had practically given him an anxiety attack, even though they had gotten through without any hassle.

"Hmm...yes, I can see a pathway on the west side of the city that probably goes southward," Frost mused to himself. "And the friend you're visiting lives on the other side of the forest?" he asked.

"I have no idea!" Leaf responded with a smile. Frost stared at him, then turned towards Shadow.

"I dunno," Shadow muttered, shrugging. "Uh...probably more on that side? We ran into her a second time on that side so..."

Frost groaned quietly and buried his face in one of his paws, earning a confused look from the younger Eons. "You have no idea where we're going once we go into the forest, do you?" he asked blandly.

"Nope," Leaf admitted and Shadow smiled weakly.

"Lovely," Frost muttered. "Okay, then we're going to take a detour this way," he said, pointing in one direction, and tracing the route in the air with his paw. "And go around the city from this side, and cut back towards the forest once we're south of the city."

This soon proved to be easier said than done. Frost's idea of a detour was a narrow gap in the natural trees and other plants bordering the area. While there was definitely space for them to get through, there were also several unpleasant aspects, such as rocks and broken twigs lining the ground. Shadow was never going to voice the thought, but the paws of an Espeon were very delicate, and he had evidently been spoiled by all the time spent traveling over grass or dirt pathways, and in no way was he prepared to handle terrain that was blatantly ill-suited to travel.

He could tell from Leaf's slight vocalizations every few steps that the Leafeon was not finding the objects underfoot to be any more pleasant than he was, and some of the maneuvering the three of them had to do to avoid being scratched in the face by thorny twigs was more akin to obstacle course training than traveling.

Needless to say, Frost was not having nearly as rough a time as they were. There were definitely moments where he would struggle, or re-evaluate his course, but there was a notable absence of pained winces and gasps from his end, and he seemed much more in his element, ironically, ducking and weaving around trees and bushes and slipping through gaps just large enough for Pokemon their size to get through without earning more than a few scratches and cuts for their effort.

"How...much...longer?" Leaf panted weakly, nearly tripping over a jagged rock partially concealed by fallen leaves, and cringing as he stepped on a sharp twig immediately afterwards. Shadow gave a weary shrug and smile, letting the Leafeon know that he wasn't the only one struggling.

"Oh, by the way," Frost called from his significant lead ahead of them, as Shadow narrowly escaped a natural trap of thorns and twigs that had somehow weaved themselves into a net. "Don't feel obligated to leave everything intact. You can use telekinesis or your razor leaves to clear out some of the more difficult obstacles."

"...is he kidding me?" Shadow growled under his breath. "NOW he tells us this?"

"Shadow, duck," Leaf said. The Espeon turned towards the Leafeon in confusion, and then immediately afterwards tucked his body tight to the ground. The Leafeon flicked his head to the side, and a pair of sharp leaves launched from his body, easily slicing through the thin sticks and branches that made up the thickest of the thorny obstacles in their path. Shadow focused, feeling energy welling up within his body, flowing through him until he channeled it outwards, pushing the severed branches to the side of their path, leaving a significantly simpler series of natural obstacles to weave around.

Progression sped up from that point on. They still did their best not to just rampage through the area and obliterate everything in sight, but it was so much easier to cut through the denser collection of twigs and roots and slip through the remainder. When at last they untangled themselves from the last of the brambled woods and practically collapsed on clear, green grass again, they found Frost calmly waiting for them, licking some of his own cuts, and observing them with mild amusement.

"You two look like you wrestled with a pack of Sneasel," he noted, to neither of their amusement.

"Why didn't you tell us to clear a path before?" Shadow demanded. Leaf was distracted with checking his tan fur over and tentatively touching the red scratches that adorned his sides.

"Frankly, it didn't occur to me to mention it. I assumed you would use your natural abilities when needed. I, of course, was not going to do the same."

"For what, bragging rights or something?" Shadow deadpanned, taking a moment to study his own cuts and scratches.

"No, it'd be extremely unwise for me to use my abilities in such a way," Frost explained seriously. "Whereas Leaf can cut through the thorns and such, and you can telekinetically push them aside, my element is Ice, and while it would be an effective path-clearer, it would damage the environment beyond what it necessary. Freezing living plants and trees is all but killing them, and would chill the area too severely in a manner it would not easily recover from. Any Pokemon living in that area, or depending on the plant life would be uprooted needlessly from their homes for my own convenience."

"Oh..." Shadow said, a little taken aback. "That's...thoughtful...of you." he finished awkwardly.

"It's self-awareness," Frost correctly smoothly. "The springtime is still young, and bringing about an abrupt frost in an enclosed area is unhealthy for any natural environment. I would sooner lick my wounds or choose a different path than devastate what could be a growing nest of wild Pokemon. Pruning the thorns and clearing branches that stretch too far is not nearly on the same level of destruction."

"Fair enough," Shadow agreed, turning his attention to Leaf now and inspecting the Leafeon. Like himself, Leaf bore numerous cuts, but none of them seemed so deep that they needed immediate attention, and the worst ones were already sealed up by the Leafeon's natural healing cycle.

"So now what?" Leaf asked, his tail flicking eagerly, now that he had confirmed that his injuries weren't worth worrying about. Frost considered the sky for a few seconds, and as he did so, Shadow looked around the area with a critical eye.

"I've never been to this area," Frost admitted. "Ideally, we'd find a spot to camp in the general area, such as by a lake or a stream, and then try to work out how to tackle the forest."

"There should be a decent spot that way," Shadow said tonelessly. Frost blinked at him, and then followed the direction of his paw. The Espeon wasn't even looking in the direction he was pointing, instead his gaze was fixed on a vaguely familiar tree stump. To anyone else, it was entirely unremarkable, but Shadow recognized it all the same.

It was a small landmark of sorts, one that had been engraved into his memory from when he was just a young Eevee. A landmark that he had remembered during a crisis, assuring that he was on the right path.

As if his legs were moving of their own accord, Shadow walked towards the stump in silence, ignoring the puzzled expressions of his brother and Glaceon companion. He touched his paw to the worn bark, stroking it like it was a nostalgic memory, revisited after years apart.

 _"See that tree stump, Shadow? Keeping going after you see that, until you hit a grove of trees. That'll be our emergency spot. Think you can remember that? If you see the stump, you're almost there."_

Tears stung the Espeon's eyes, and he averted his gaze, stepping back from the tree stump, but refusing to look at his companions. He didn't want them to see him breaking down over something as unimportant as an old tree stump. It didn't even have the luxury of being part of some happy kithood memories or anything like that.

But it was a reminder that he was physically half-way between past and present circumstances. In one direction was the place he and Leaf had stayed for several days, waiting with no end in sight. And in the other direction...was home. One direction was the site of his and Leaf's birth as Eevee. The other direction was the location where he and Leaf had evolved.

"Shadow?" Leaf spoke softly, his voice laced with concern, and he started to pad towards his brother. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Shadow insisted weakly, wiping his eyes with his paw, but his voice caught in his throat. He couldn't even try to explain why he was reacting like this to something so trivial and unrelated to anything.

"Is it...because we're near home?" Leaf asked quietly, circling around Shadow's side and standing in front of him, his soft brown eyes looking up at Shadow's face. The Espeon flinched, opening his mouth to instinctively deny it, but as his silver eyes met Leaf's, he found that he couldn't form the words.

His throat felt constricted and tight, and even breathing had become a challenge. Furthermore, it was as if his eyes were stinging, yet tears would no longer form or fall from his eyes. The most the Espeon could muster was a sniffle, and he compensated by draping his forepaws around his brother and pulling him into a tight embrace that, in his mind, would convey the intensity of his emotions, no matter how complicated and turbulent they might be.

Leaf accepted the embrace for several seconds, but then whined very quietly. "Too tight, Shadow," he complained. Shadow immediately released his grip, concerned that he might have been hurting Leaf, only for the Leafeon to add, "I can't hug you back."

In spite of himself, Shadow smiled weakly. Leaf gave the Espeon a quick squeeze, but then backed off a few paces, as if afraid that the brief embrace would prompt Shadow to go back into 'hug constrictor' mode.

"Better?" Leaf asked. Shadow gave a weak nod. "Good!" the Leafeon chirped, but then his expression fell. "What don't you want to tell me?"

Shadow blinked. And then blinked again. And considered blinking a third time before remembering that this was not a sufficient response. There was something increasingly unnerving about how perceptive Leaf could be, and this was definitely turning into one of those times.

"Leaf...I need to go back home first," Shadow said seriously. He was vaguely aware that Frost was watching them, but the two of them had been speaking so quietly that he doubted anything was carrying over to the Glaceon, and he honestly didn't care right now either way. "I want you and Frost to go the other way, though."

"That way?" Leaf asked, pointing in the direction that Shadow had indicated to Frost previously. The Espeon nodded, and Leaf tilted his head inquisitively. "Why?"

Shadow hesitated, and took a breath to steel himself for this answer. "Because...I'm not sure what our old home is going to look like, and I...don't want you to see it until I know it's okay."

"Oh. Okay," Leaf replied, evidently satisfied with that answer, and Shadow breathed a small sigh of relief. He had expected, or more accurately, dreaded, that Leaf would put up more resistance to the notion. It was getting to the point that Shadow was starting to seriously put stock in the idea that Leaf might not be nearly as difficult to work with as he used to be as an Eevee, but if that was true, the transformation in personality had either happened really recently, or had gone unnoticed over time until now.

"Frost," Shadow stated, addressing the Glaceon. "I need you two to go on ahead," he said seriously. "I...shouldn't be too long."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "How long do you anticipate being gone?" he asked. "In case someone needs to check up on you?"

"...I don't know," Shadow admitted. "I'll definitely return by nightfall, if not sooner," he said, after a moment's thought.

"Promise?" Leaf asked, his eyes widening innocently. Shadow cracked a smile.

"Yeah, promise," he said. No matter what he discovered back at their old home, he would make sure to return to Frost and Leaf by the designated time. If something proved too dangerous to approach, he would head back without confirmation, if necessary. The promise was being made less to Leaf, and more to himself in that sense.

"Very well, then I suppose we'll see you soon," Frost murmured, giving the Espeon a sarcastic salute with his paw, before gesturing for Leaf to follow him. Leaf smiled at Shadow before moving to follow after Frost. At the same time, Shadow turned and began walking in the opposite direction, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had come this far towards the place where his fate had forever changed. All that was left was to return one last time, and then move on. Perhaps, like Leaf, he just needed to take the opportunity to say his good-byes, whether it be to a friend, or the home of his past.

Every step he took drew further and further into familiar territory, and the Espeon's eyes gazed around warily. The area was so quiet, unnaturally so. So quiet that he could practically hear the thudding of his heart against his ribs.

Vaguely familiar sights and smells, were beginning to surface all around him, but everything was devoid of life and sound. No other Pokemon as far as the eye could see, as if something unnatural had forced them all out. True, their home clearing had always been private and isolated, even by most territory standards, but there were still occasional passerby, so the fact that he saw and heard nothing was as unnerving as the terrifying speculation that was racing through his mind as he rounded the last bend. Now it was just one final stretch until he would be upon his home clearing.

Fear began to clutch as his heart, and more than once, he had to stop to take several deep breaths.

 _What happened to your parents?_

That had been the question echoing within his mind the last time he had faced Diablos. That had been the comment posed to him, like a foreign tongue whispering to his brain, completely distinct from that of telepathy or Diablos' mocking. And when he had mentally refuted the question, it had reminded him that he had never found out for sure.

Now here he was, standing not even fifty feet from the place where he could find the answers, and confirm the reality. Yet even as he continued walking, a new thought occurred to him.

The real question gnawing at him now wasn't what had happened.

The real question was "Why?"


	54. Seeking Closure

Silence greeted Shadow as he stepped past the invisible boundary that marked the territory that had once belonged to his family. His silver eyes scanned the area, each passing moment bringing even greater apprehension to his heart as he wondered what his gaze might fall upon next.

It was like stepping into a picture. An environment captured in time, preserved in an unchanging state forever. Everything here seemed to be precisely how he remembered it when he was still an Eevee. The grass was green and healthy, the stream running along the clearing still bubbled peacefully, and the wind still carried the sweet smells of spring with its gentle breeze.

Shadow tentatively stepped further into the area, turning his head in all directions before taking any further steps. There was nothing here. No other Pokemon in sight, no signs of recent habitation, and most alarming, no sign that his parents had perished here. The ground showed nothing out of place, no concerning trails or noticeable damage.

If anything, the absence of such signs was even more concerning than if he had found their remains, but he still hadn't ruled out the possibility of coming across such a sight. This was why he had to insist on coming here without Leaf.

The Espeon's heart pounded in his chest painfully, but he pressed on, heading towards the opposite end of the clearing. Maybe if he retraced some of the steps he had taken on that fateful day, he would come across something, as unpleasant as that might be. After all, he and Leaf had fled from this side, but the actual clash with Diablos had occurred on the opposite end.

The clearing was so quiet that he could distinctly hear the sounds of his paws padding across the grass, and no matter where he looked, nothing stood out to him as unusual. Had he still been living here, however, such open, untouched scenery would have concerned him. His parents never left simultaneously, with the exception of when the entire family left for their winter den. But if the territory had been empty for so long, then why hadn't anything else moved in? Enough time should have passed that some local Pokemon might have noticed and tried to take it for themselves.

Shadow sighed softly. On the other paw, his parents were always able to return here when spring came around and reclaim the area with no issue. He never had thought about it before, but now that he had seen more of the world, the fact they were able to vacate an area for months, even during cold weather, and return with no conflict, seemed...weird.

The Espeon paused at the far end of the clearing, where there was the beginning of a dirt path leading away from his home. This had been the path he had taken on that day, and further ahead he could see the spot where he had first met Diablos. Yet there was no sign of anything else here. The path, the plants, the entire clearing...everything seemed normal, except for the fact that it was empty.

Shadow tentatively walked along the path, keeping his eyes and ears perked for anything out of the ordinary. A gentle wind was passing through the leaves overhead, and even though the sun was beginning to set, the orange glow of the sky still illuminated his surroundings. Shadow stopped at the point where the path turned, and glanced back at his old home, a familiar chill running down his spine at how often this exact vantage point had replayed itself in his dreams for the past few weeks.

His body even tensed, as if expecting the possessed Riolu to step into sight once more, its paw alight with the eerie blue glow. It wasn't until his chest was burning that he realized that he had been holding his breath, and let it out with a loud whoosh.

Studying the path itself was no help. Enough of the area had been exposed to time and the natural elements to leave any tell-tale signs. No blood or other signs of injury, no disturbed earth or damaged plant-life to indicate a scuffle, and nothing more blatantly horrifying like decaying-

Shadow flinched, breaking free from that particular line of thought. Although he was relieved to not have encountered something so disturbing, the absence of any evidence to confirm Cecilia's information left him feeling...hollow and disappointed. He believed her when she said they were dead, but then what could have happened to take their bodies away if they had died here? Had they simply been taken, body and soul, out of existence somehow? Or had someone or something come by and removed the remains?

Shadow closed his eyes, fighting back the stinging tears that were threatening to form. He had come here in the hopes of finding comfort from the lingering doubts in his heart. To find closure in a way that words alone were not enough. But now, coming here had seemed to give him more questions and unease than he had before.

And now, more than ever, the question lingering in his mind haunted him. Why had Diablos come here originally? What did such a entity have to gain from all the pain it had caused him and his brother? Cecilia hadn't known the answer, and coming back here hadn't given Shadow any new information, either. It was something that only Diablos himself seemed to know.

Shadow wiped his eyes with his paw, dispelling the remnants of the tears that had tried to escape, and sniffled. It was at that precise moment that something in his brain clicked, and he jolted himself back into alertness. He hadn't really noticed previously, but now that he was standing next to a small number of flowers, it occurred to him how incredibly strong the scent was. Okay, that seemed stupid to note, even within the privacy of his brain (not to mention absurdly inappropriate to notice at this moment), but other parts of his mind were taking note.

Ever since his evolution, Shadow had become increasingly aware of some of the transformations within his body. The access to psychic abilities was obvious, but the more curious changes were those that would have suited him much better as an Eevee, like the incredible night vision, and better hearing, all which would have been useful when he actively hunted. Hunting had become a rarity as of late, because Leaf post-evolution hadn't needed food as often or with as much urgency, and Shadow was content to go after fish or fruits when available as opposed to meat sources.

As such, he hadn't had much opportunity to notice his sense of smell. He had briefly noted it back at Solaceon, when he was the only one to notice the smell of something burning prior to Cecilia revealing her presence, but otherwise, smell was the sense he used the least.

The Espeon turned back towards the main clearing, not yet daring to get his hopes up, but maybe there was more to the area than his eyes and ears could perceive. Something had felt off about his old home. The sheer lack of life and activity here was too unnatural to be dismissed, and if his other senses were being misled, then perhaps his sense of smell could find something.

He sniffed the air once he was back in the area proper, closing his eyes and allowing his mind to wander a little, searching idly for any psychic currents, and blocking out the distracting stimuli that his eyes might provide. It took him several moments to fully focus and clear his thoughts like A/C had taught him, but once he had, his mind seemed to connect the dots much faster. He could somehow process the scents in the air and his mind would decode their meanings in a heartbeat, whether he recognized them or not. It was similar to how he was able to pinpoint shifts in the area, but weirdly more precise when first filtered through his sense of smell, rather than the vague ripples he picked up through his psychic abilities.

The first thing he determined was that there was probably going to be a light drizzle late that night, for the scent of rain was already in the air, and the wind was blowing in this direction. The second thing he determined was that the clearing had not been empty for as long as it looked. There was still a very pronounced, foreign scent, definitely belonging to a living creature, and it had been here less than an hour ago.

Shadow pivoted, sniffing again in an effort to pinpoint the scent's origin, and soon managed to differentiate mental 'time-stamps' for the scent. The fresher scent had gone in one direction, and with that in mind, Shadow opened his eyes, blinking a little to regain awareness of his surroundings.

The direction he currently was facing was towards the north side of the clearing, closer to the river. He heading over, pausing to re-evaluate whether he was going in the right direction, and adjusting his path as necessary. When he reached the river bank, he found that the scent changed directions, moving along the river bank, but never going into the water itself. Convenient, seeing as he wasn't too keen on getting his fur wet without good reason.

Memories resurfaced little by little as he walked, following the trail he had discovered. Flashes of an older male Vaporeon showing him how to fish, and encouraging him whenever he failed. More flashes of talking to an older female Jolteon, asking her questions about everyday things, and having her respond with gentle patience, even when he started to get really obnoxious about details. And then the less pleasant memory of a certain younger Eevee pushing him into the water and then laughing hysterically.

Shadow smiled faintly in spite of himself, but returned his attention back to the scent trail. It seemed to be moving back towards the rest of the clearing, or maybe towards the large oak tree that had once served as the family's nesting area. Tears successfully blurred his vision at the reminder that, not too long ago, the four of them would sleep beneath the shade of the majestic tree, in varying formations depending on the weather. A cooler night saw them all cuddled together, with Echo's large tail draped around them protectively. Warmer nights had them scattered about more.

A vague prickling was starting to travel along Shadow's spine, but whenever he tried to focus on it, his mind offered no answers. He could sense something shifting in his surroundings, but for whatever reason, the cause was like a void on his mental radar, eluding any attempts to pinpoint or identify it. The Espeon tensed and stopped walking, turning his head to gaze around the area. Nothing stood out, and no matter what direction he faced, the prickling in his mind offered no help.

The Espeon scowled, continuing to walk back towards the large oak, pausing occasionally to sniff at the grass in pursuit of the scent trail, but he took care to keep a fraction of his attention on the rest of his surroundings. If not for the warning signals his mind and body picked up, he could only imagine how many times he might have gotten caught completely off-guard by a variety of threats. And it almost made him feel bad for the prey Pokemon he had hunted as an Eevee, many of which had no such danger sense and no chance to avert the ambush.

The tickle at the back of his mind faded as he reached the large tree, and he paused to gaze around at the clearing as a whole. From this angle, he could easily see both paths that led out of the area, but he didn't see any living creatures. Frowning, he lowered his head to sniff at the grass again, hoping that his mind would make a few more connections to put him on the right path to actually getting some answers. If it weren't the fact that the scent trail was fairly recent, he would have been tempted to consider the entire venture a waste and just head back to Frost and Leaf.

His fur prickled again and he lifted his head, glancing around him with even greater wariness. He was definitely sensing SOMETHING, but then why couldn't he pinpoint it? He couldn't even get a vague idea of how close the source was, nor if it was actually a threat.

As much as he tried to settle down, the prickling in his mind refused to die down this time, and Shadow had long since learned to trust that instinct. The problem was that even if he chose to flee, he couldn't tell what direction the invisible threat was looming from. The left side was clear, the right was clear, and in front of him had gone unchanged for a similar span of time. The only direction left was behind him, and-

The next mental warning struck with the swiftness and intensity of a bolt of lightning, and Shadow turned, detecting movement behind him far too late to actually react. A blur of white slammed into him, bowling him over with incredible ease. Before he could even register much about his assailant, he found himself pinned against the grass beneath him, staring into the face of his attacker.

A mammalian face looked down at him, its face colored dark blue, with pale green eyes. Its forehead had a odd black marking, similar in color to its face, and white fur hung from its head, covering part of its forehead like overgrown bangs. The rest of its body was also covered in white fur, but Shadow was ultimately more concerned by the claws that ended each paw, and the odd blade-like horn protruding from its head.

The grinning mouth of sharp teeth wasn't helping matters, either.

The pressure building up in Shadow's skull unleashed a powerful wave of psychic energy, but to Shadow's alarm, the energy passed through the other Pokemon with absolutely no effect, as if it didn't even exist.

"Wha-?" Shadow managed to gasp, unable to comprehend what had happened. The Pokemon pinning him blinked at him curiously for a moment, then peered closer at his facial features.

"Wait, you're a Psychic-type?" the other Pokemon wondered, its voice distinctly feminine, although Shadow didn't consider labeling his attacker's gender to be a priority. "Aww, that takes the fun out of the game," it lamented.

"What?" Shadow asked, bewildered.

The white quadruped grinned again. "I thought you were a fellow Dark-type, trying to hunt something. So I started up a Predator game, where I win if I ambush you before you notice me. I won, as you can tell, but if you're a Psychic-type, then I had such a huge advantage it's not even satisfying to win."

"...is there any way I can convince you not to kill me?" Shadow asked nervously. The other Pokemon blinked.

"I...wasn't actually hunting you. It's just a game," she explained, stifling a giggle with one paw. Shadow immediately tried to squirm out from under her, only for her to pin him again with a lazy grin. "But now I'm curious. How would you convince a legitimate predator that's immune to your psychic abilities to let you go?"

Shadow opened his mouth to reply, only to discover that he had absolutely no idea. He had been lucky to even think of trying to barter in time to suggest it, but when it came to actual ideas, he had nothing. Mostly nothing.

"Um..."

"Thing is, predators don't usually give their prey that much time," the female quadruped mused, as she took a few paces backwards, removing the pressure she had been exerting on Shadow's shoulders. "So if you're being toyed with, they probably weren't after food in the first place."

Shadow rolled back to his feet and grumbled a response.

"Oh, lighten up," the other Pokemon chided, her tail flicking almost playfully. "My name's Astrid, I'm an Absol," she said, lowering her front half into a bow, her green eyes flicking to meet Shadow's. "And you're...a very interestingly colored Espeon. What's your name?"

"Shadow," the Espeon grunted, eyeing the Absol warily.

"A pleasure to hunt you," Astrid replied with a cheeky grin, but then she blinked, her expression sobering. "Wait, are you Echo's kid?"

For the second time in an uncomfortably short period of time, Shadow found himself too stunned to form coherent words. "Wha-? How do you-? You know-?"

Astrid giggled a little at his reaction, but her expression turned solemn shortly afterwards. "Yeah, I knew Echo," she said, a sad smile flicking across her muzzle. "He was a good friend of mine back in the day. We were part of a team, did a lot of traveling together...but that's whatever. When the time came to retire, we all went our separate ways."

Shadow blinked, but then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. It wasn't entirely that he doubted her words, but her presence at his old home seemed too...convenient. He may not have known much about his parents' old friends and such, there didn't seem to be any reason for the Absol to be spending time here, where they had lived, especially if it was also the site of their death.

"So why are you hanging out here?" he demanded. Astrid blinked at his tone, but then shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm not. Renard's holding down the fort," she said. Shadow just stared at her blankly, but she either assumed that he understood that, or was waiting for him to ask, because she didn't say anything else.

"I don't know who that is," he growled impatiently.

The Absol's green eyes widened a little in surprise. "Really? But he watches over the territory during winter, or other times when your parents are both going to be absent. He's the reason no one's settled in here since...well, you know," she finished with a casual shrug.

"Do I?" Shadow inquired softly. "And how do you know what happened?" he asked, his words gradually becoming colder as he gazed at the Absol.

Astrid fidgeted, looking a little uncomfortable. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to seem nonchalant about that," she said seriously. "I'm just...kind of used to it."

"Used to what?" Shadow demanded, anger welling up within his chest, but he couldn't really explain why he felt this way. Much like how he felt after his second encounter with Diablos, the strength of his anger seemed irrational for the situation, and he could feel the energy throbbing within his skull, threatening to lash out at anything in its way.

Astrid frowned, definitely taking note of his tone, but unlike Cecilia in similar circumstances, she didn't seem the least bit intimidated by his aggressiveness towards her.

"Maybe I'll leave this to Renard," she said, rising to her feet. "Come this way," she said, applying a bit too much bounce to her words than was reasonably appropriate, and she started walking away from the tree towards one of the more densely forested sections of the territory, away from both the river and the entrances to the clearing. Shadow's frown deepened into a scowl, but he complied, walking several paces behind the white quadruped.

The travel time was ultimately shorter than he expected. Within the more forested area, after navigating a small maze of trees, Astrid abruptly stopped and cleared her throat politely. Shadow gave her a look, but peered past her, soon spotting a larger fox-like Pokemon with vibrant golden-white fur. Almost a dozen long tails fanned out behind its body, each one ending in a light brown tip, and it sat with its back to them, but what it was looking at, Shadow couldn't tell, due to the surprising bulk of the Pokemon's tails.

"What is it, Astrid?" the other Pokemon inquired, not even bothering to look their way.

"So, you remember how my bedside manner sucks, and Echo used to say I should never be trusted to handle delicate topics because I sound flippant?" Astrid asked, her tone weirdly casual for such a self-depreciating comment.

"Yes. We loved and hated you for that reason," the multi-tailed fox murmured, turning towards them. On noticing Shadow, he blinked, and then cocked his head curiously, like a child perplexed at the appearance of a foreign object among its usual toys. "And who might you be?"

"Shadow. Who are you?" the Espeon retorted.

"I am Renard. A Ninetales, as I see by your eyes that you don't recognize my species," the fox replied. Shadow noticed that the fox Pokemon had mesmerizing red eyes, but at the same time, they were like a void, completely empty of feeling, as if numb to the world. The same vibe did not extend to the rest of his body, for his tails flicked idly, and a gentle smile graced his face, despite his otherwise solemn demeanor.

"I'm pretty sure he's Echo's eldest," Astrid supplied.

"I discerned as much from his name," Renard agreed. Shadow scowled slightly. Both of them had quickly determined his identity from his name, completely disregarding his evolution and unusual appearance. Astrid had commented on it earlier, but still hadn't had much difficulty labeling him.

Astrid glanced between Shadow and Renard with slight amusement. "So anyway, maybe you can explain why we're here more...uh, tactfully, than I can?" she suggested to the Ninetales, the flicking of her tail enough to illustrate where her manner was lacking.

"Of course," Renard said, nodding his head towards the Absol before refocusing on Shadow. The Espeon simply frowned, but said nothing. "I hope you will excuse my friend's manner. She has spent much of her life with the ability to sense impending disasters, and is drawn to them, rarely with enough time to avert them. As such, she has become very desensitized to the aftermath of such events, and admittedly comes off as very nonchalant, if not flippant, towards the misfortunes of others. I assure you, she does not mean any offense, she simply copes with life in her own way."

Shadow simply grunted in response. That...at least partially explained Astrid's earlier remark about being used to it. "Go on," he said, gesturing impatiently.

"I regret to inform you, if you are yet unaware-"

"I know that part," Shadow interrupted, internally wincing at how rude he probably sounded at this point.

"Ah, very well. In that case, I took the liberties of preparing this," Renard said, and he stepped to the side, for the first time enabling Shadow to see what had been placed behind him.

It was like receiving a punch to the gut. Shadow nearly reeled, his legs becoming almost too wobbly to hold his body up, and he stumbled a little, tears stinging his eyes. He felt like his heart had just plummeted from his chest down into his toes, and all he could do was stare.

Two simple stone markers stood before him, and a single white flower lay across the ground in front of the markers, connecting the space between them. Upon each of the stone markers was engraved a single word, a name, the only designations they needed.

"We'll leave you alone for a few minutes," Renard stated softly, and he stepped past the Espeon, one of his warm tails brushing across Shadow's side as he passed, leaving the Espeon with a sense of cold as the touch was removed, and the other departed.

But he didn't care. He barely even noticed that they had left. His paw reached out and touched the engraved stone, tracing the letters one by one, as tears ran down his cheeks freely, like the river.

There was no more anger or frustration welling up within him. Those emotions had been swept away like his tears, rolling down his face and falling to the grass underfoot, if not landing upon the soil that grass had not yet resprouted from. All that was left within him right now was the pure, cleansing sorrow he had been craving, and yet pained him to experience.

His tears were like a river, and his quiet sobs seemed to reverberate from the trees spread around him. And there was some bittersweet satisfaction to be found in the appropriateness of it all. In the shadows from the leaves overhead, sound echoed as tears flowed freely.

It was beautiful in a poetic way, and Shadow couldn't help but smile weakly, stepping back from the grave markers and settling himself down on the grass, laying on his stomach and gazing forlornly at the white flower connecting the graves. He just wanted to stay here for a few minutes, and lose himself in the moment, until acceptance overcame his sorrow.

In the back of his mind, he suspected that his parents would have liked the memorial made for them. It was simple, but it was powerful and emotional, the type of strength that couldn't be put into words, and could only be appreciated with silence and respect.


	55. Parting Advice

There was a sense of calm about Shadow when he finally returned to the main clearing. It felt like an enormous weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders, in the sense that although soreness was certain to follow and linger, the immediate stress had been lifted and he felt far lighter and relaxed.

The Espeon found Astrid and Renard waiting for his return a fair distance from the section of trees leading to the memorial stones, meaning they had given him space in addition to privacy, probably to give him time to reconcile with things without interruption. He probably would not admit as much, but he greatly appreciated this small gesture.

Astrid perked up on spotting him, and her tail flicked cheerfully. Renard gave his companion a disapproving look, but the Absol seemed oblivious. Shadow chanced a glance skywards, privately judging the position of the sun. He couldn't forget that he had assured Leaf and Frost that he would return in a timely fashion, but at the same time, he felt it necessary to at least have a proper conversation with these Pokemon before dashing off to rejoin the others.

"Before you go, Shadow, there are a few items we wish to discuss with you," Renard said, once the Espeon had come within earshot. The Espeon blinked, but nodded, regarding the two with mild interest.

"First things, I hope you're good with the burial site, or whatever," Astrid said. Her manner was still somewhat inappropriately cheerful for the content of her statement, but it was also clear that she was consciously making an effort to appear serious and solemn.

"It's...wonderful. Really," Shadow said, struggling not to choke up as he spoke. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you find it so," Renard said solemnly. "I am aware we still did not fully explain our presence here. Astrid's ability foretold the event, and she arrived after the fact, sad to say."

The Absol nodded soberly, remaining silent. Shadow didn't say anything, content to simply hear out the explanation. Before, he had been more agitated because of the absence of evidence of his parents' fate, and their presence and familiarity with his father only heightened his frustration.

"She fetched me soon after, and I confirmed the situation," Renard continued, the tips of his tails twitching idly over the grass, similar to how one might drum their fingers absently when lost in thought. "As we did not find you or your brother in the area, we came to the conclusion that you may have fled, and I made the decision to remain here to continue overseeing the territory in the event one of you returned."

"And that way, if you came back soon afterwards, he could break the bad news to you in the least traumatizing manner possible," Astrid piped up. "We also didn't know if you two had just been absent entirely when things went down, and might be on the way back, unaware that anything bad happened."

Shadow nodded slowly. It was similar to his reasons for returning here alone, and a major factor as to why he was terrified to head back home the first week after fleeing with Leaf. It was a relief to discover now that even if they had gone back, the worst of the experience would have been softened by these two.

"On that subject, is your brother all right?" Renard asked. Shadow nodded, and the Ninetales smiled. "Wonderful. In any case, I suppose we should move on to the next important matter. What are your plans moving forward?"

"What?" Shadow blurted, taken aback by the question. He supposed it was a natural question to ask under the circumstances, but it also brought up the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't really have any set plans in mind. His goals were all vaguely defined at the moment. Growing stronger to protect himself and Leaf...but then what?

"Your parents loved this small territory," Renard said, gazing around the area with a trace of fondness in his voice. "It's quite comfortable, and they considered it almost ideal for raising a family. That was why I was requested to oversee it during times of their absence, so that it could continue to serve that purpose for their family. Perhaps now is not the ideal stage in your life to inherit it, but it is yours."

"Oh...I don't know," Shadow said awkwardly. He didn't feel like he really wanted to try to hold onto a territory. He wasn't really confident in his strength to protect it, and staying here would all but ensure he'd never accomplish anything. When the incident had happened, he had been fast approaching the age where he would have been expected to leave the territory and his family to find his own independence. And now, he wasn't exactly convinced of it being the safe haven it had been for him as a kit, particularly since his parents had died here. No, they hadn't just died, they had been killed. The Espeon clenched his teeth at the thought, dimly aware that one of his paws was shaking.

"There's no rush for you to take over," Renard assured him softly. "I can continue to hold down the fort until you're ready to reclaim it."

"Huh? That's...not a problem for you?" Shadow asked, taken aback by the offer. For all he knew, it could be several years before he was prepared to settle down. He had no idea where his life would take him, or whether he ever would wish to come back to live here. He knew for sure that visiting his parents' graves might be enough reason to drop by, but settling down permanently was not currently on his foreseeable agenda.

Renard chuckled and shook his head. "Hardly an issue at all. When one has lived for centuries, individual months or years are trivial. Rest assured, you are not shackling me to the premises. I can come and go as I need, and the territory will remain secure."

"...how?" Shadow asked, his silver eyes widening in disbelief. Was there some secret to keeping an area safe, even when one was away from it? Was it possible to learn such a trick or ability?

"As a Ninetales, I have access to many abilities," Renard explained, and his mesmerizing red eyes seemed to glow with a subtle, ethereal blue gleam. "I can create illusions, or cast curses to inflict upon those I deem worthy of punishment. Those who have wronged me, or destroyed what was close to me...none escape my judgment. The same sort can be used as a protective ward, to ensure none intrude with impunity."

The Ninetales blinked abruptly, and the blue glow faded from his eyes. The fire fox abruptly seemed very tired, as if he had been on the verge of dozing off.

Astrid cleared her throat quickly. "So your territory'll be safe until you're ready for it or whatever," she said, glancing over at the dazed Ninetales. "Right, Renard?"

"Yes, of course," the Ninetales answered, regaining its composure and smiling gently. "But it still begs the question of what your plans might be."

"I'm not sure," Shadow admitted, averting his eyes and frowning. "I'm training and stuff to become stronger, but..." he hesitated.

"For what purpose?" Renard inquired. Shadow scowled. Why did everyone seem to enjoy nagging him with such a question? Frost had done so before they had even started out towards Eterna, and he had brought up a similar question earlier today, wanting to know Shadow's intentions and circumstances.

"Does it matter?" the Espeon asked irritably.

"Well, yeah!" Astrid answered playfully. "Without a drive behind a goal, it's an empty promise, like dieting, or visiting your parent...er, in-laws!"

"Smooth recovery," Shadow deadpanned. The Absol smiled sheepishly, and very noticeably nudged Renard's side with one paw.

"I ask not as much to hear the answer, but to urge you to reflect on it yourself," Renard explained solemnly. "In the wake of your loss, I'm sure that you've wrestled with your inner demons at least once. Your parents had not been lost naturally, but they were taken from you. Is your pursuit of strength the path of vengeance?"

"What? No, I-" Shadow began, but Renard shook his head, silencing him with a serious look.

"That is the message I wish to impart above all else, Shadow," the Ninetales said, barely speaking above a whisper. "It is natural to grieve, to experience anger or sorrow. But do not lose sight of yourself. Do not allow those emotions to consume you, and do not avoid forming new bonds and relationships. Loss is part of a natural cycle. One you may experience many times in a lifetime, as I have innumerable times. I am cursed to outlive my friends and loved ones, but despite all that, I will not isolate myself, physically or emotionally, nor seek retribution for my pain. Therefore, neither should you."

"I'm not-" Shadow started again, but he faltered beneath the Ninetales' gaze. The red eyes were still void of light and emotion, but yet glittered with intensity that was incredibly intimidating.

"Simply say the word, and I will curse the one who robbed you of your family," Renard said softly. Astrid flinched, but the Ninetales paid the reaction no notice. "For what they took was dear to me, and dear to those close to me. But I need your approval to cast it. Just nod, and it'll be done. A well-deserved punishment, am I not correct?"

Shadow gaped at the fox, his mouth moving soundlessly for a few moments. Finally, he shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" Renard inquired, speaking softer still. "I can almost literally call hell fire down upon their very soul, or have them watch their own loved ones perish in cruelly ironic ways before they too succumb. Or give them such misfortune that death will be a blessing, but one only granted by my will, and not their own hand."

"Why are you asking me this?" Shadow demanded, his stomach tying itself into knots as he glared at the Ninetales. "You just told me not to..." he froze mid-sentence, realization dawning on him. "Oh...you're testing me?"

Renard smiled, but unlike his other smiles, this one was filled with sorrow. "Temptation and power are a very dangerous mixture," he said quietly. "Hatred and revenge form an endless cycle. Suppose for every cut inflicted to you, you cut them back. It starts out as mild, petty, and stupid, but every cut is more damaging to the big picture. Little by little, the dozens of cuts take their toll, but you both just bleed to death, and no one wins."

"Unless you cut them with something REALLY good, like a scythe," Astrid noted, her tail wagging.

"Just as well, since such large blades pose a risk to the wielder as well as the target," Renard countered. "And collateral damage is almost impossible to avoid."

"Talking to an Absol," Astrid said brightly. Renard looked at her blankly for a moment. "Uh, it's meant to be similar to the phrase about talking to the singers," she explained.

"Preaching to the choir," Renard corrected, but he smiled and shook his head. "Let's not get sidetracked here."

"Too late," Shadow said, unable to keep a straight face. There was admittedly something very entertaining about these two Pokemon. Astrid was a different form of chipper than Cecilia's more bubbly nature, although it evidently came at the cost of her being a little too casual at inappropriate times, and Renard's more serious manner, when he wasn't being outright unnerving, had the vibe of wisdom and understanding that Astrid did not.

Renard smirked briefly, sharing in Shadow's amusement for a moment. "However, that does not detract from my main message. You must seek a purpose to channel your power into, or else the temptation to misuse it will consume you. I do not recommend the path of vengeance. It is a lonely walk, where one casts aside everything of value to pursue something that only takes more from you than it gives, unceasingly."

Shadow stared at the Ninetales warily for several seconds. Finally, he cocked his head to the side. "Why are you emphasizing this so much? I already said I'm not after revenge."

"Because I don't believe you," Renard replied calmly, and without hesitation. Shadow blinked, unsure what to say to such a comment. His first instinct was to deny it, but he had a hunch that this was precisely how Renard expected him to react. There was obviously a lesson being taught here, and Shadow could already tell that the point was too important to interrupt with defensive responses.

"Okay...why not?" Shadow asked finally. Astrid had fallen silent, passively observing the two of them with a thoughtful expression.

Renard granted the Espeon a subtle smile before speaking. "Because you've indicated that you don't know your future plans, but that you seek to become stronger. In such a state of indecisiveness, it is inevitable that your growing power will be turned towards the object of your greatest passion. I've seen this happen many times over the years. Forced to become proactive from tragedy, the first target of growing power is almost invariably the source of that tragedy. The cost is never worth the gain. Stare into the abyss long enough and you'll find that the abyss stares back. I fear that your fur coloration foretells such a fate, if not redirected."

Shadow scowled, and his stomach churned. "You don't know that about me, though," he argued, his black fur bristling as he spoke. Yet in the back of his mind, he recalled how easily he had manipulated his psychic abilities when staring down Diablos, and how swiftly he had turned his emotional turmoil into aggression. In a sense, what Renard was saying was true.

Renard actually chuckled softly at the Espeon's indignant response. "That's true, I don't know that. I may never know that. My past experience is why I'm imparting this advice. Find a constructive goal or pursuit that you are truly passionate about, and devote your energy into achieving it. Keep your friends and loved ones close, for they can guide you away from the abyss."

The Ninetales glanced towards Astrid at the end of his statement, and they shared a brief smile before refocusing on the Espeon. Shadow frowned to himself, not sure what to say to any of that, or if an acknowledgement was even necessary. He glanced at the sky again, and his heart almost skipped a beat.

"Oh crud, I need to get going," he said. He gave both Pokemon a polite nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you for everything."

"Just doing what Echo would have wanted us to," Astrid replied with a sweet smile. Renard nodded.

"Feel free to come around whenever you wish. This territory is yours, even if I am looking after it," the Ninetales said seriously.

"Right," the Espeon replied awkwardly, looking around to recover his bearings, finally settling on which direction he had come from originally. "See you."

"Do you need an escort?" Astrid wondered teasingly. "Would hate for you to get snuck up on by a legitimate predator."

Shadow winced. "It's not that far," he said awkwardly. "Just near the Eterna Forest. It's not even dark yet, and my night vision is actually really good."

Astrid shrugged. "Okay. I'll see you around, then. Have a good night!" she said, her tail flicking playfully.

"Uh, thanks. Um...you too," Shadow replied awkwardly. He took a step towards the territory's exit, pausing to confirm that neither of them were going to add anything, and then resumed walking. He kept his pace leisurely until he was confidently out of sight of the clearing, and then he picked up his pace significantly. Evening was descending upon them quicker than he expected, and he really didn't want Frost or Leaf to get worried about him.

There was also the uncomfortable awareness that he genuinely did need to let both Leaf and Frost know about the threat Diablos posed to him. Frost's words from earlier had sunk in deeper than he had initially let on, now that Renard had placed so much emphasis on forging strong bonds and avoiding the 'lonely path'.

Of the two new acquaintances, Shadow was most puzzled by Renard. Almost as if from a dream long since forgotten, he could vaguely recall one of his parents making some sort of comment about the incredibly long lifespan of a certain Pokemon, said back from before Leaf was even born. The point then had been something about how experience is the best teacher, for experience leads to wisdom. Even with that connection, Shadow still had to wonder: what kind of experiences had given Renard wisdom in regards to the deaths of loved ones, and the corruptive influence of seeking vengeance?

And why had it felt like Renard knew more about what Shadow was going through than Shadow himself even realized?


	56. Open Discussion

The remainder of the evening had gone as well as Shadow could have hoped. Locating Frost and Leaf had been the easy part, for they had chosen to wait within an open area that gave an excellent vantage point of the direction Shadow would come from. Leaf had been predictably delighted and relieved to see his brother return, a sentiment that Shadow fully embraced and reciprocated.

Frost had already gathered some fruit and meat for a small dinner, and they had eaten in relative silence. Shadow admittedly felt a little antsy being so exposed, but Frost's presence reassured him to some degree. The prickling at the back of his mind had remained mild, and there were no incidents to speak of.

Although Leaf was curious about their old home, Shadow deflected the questions for now, citing that he wanted to process a few things first, but made a promise to fill his brother in the following morning. After a pause, he included a similar promise to Frost. The Espeon had found it difficult to really evade questions or similar matters once he made a committment to address it, so offering these verbal contracts, in his eyes, seemed the ideal way to get around his unease.

They had turned in for the night soon after, moving among the grove of trees to minimize their exposure to passerby. Frost had still been noticeably irked by the notion that neither of the other Eons had any idea of where they needed to go once they were within the forest, and so the Glaceon had recommended an earlier start to the day to compensate for the time that would inevitably be spent wandering.

It had taken Shadow a little longer to doze off than usual, his mind still buzzing with the questions lingering in his brain after his conversation with Renard and Astrid. He was a little bit disappointed that he hadn't learned anything new about how they had known his father, but considered that there would probably be another chance to find this out after Leaf had caught up with his Beedrill friend. Yes, that would probably work fine. They could find Bee-Bee, let Leaf do whatever, and then maybe go back to visit.

Shadow wasn't sure exactly when he had gotten to sleep, but far too soon, he felt a familiar paw nudging his side. He grumbled a little in protest, before finally giving an inquisitive grunt.

"It's raining," Leaf complained. It certainly would explain the soft pattering noise in the background, and the sweet scent that accompanied a spring drizzle.

"So?" Shadow muttered sleepily. He wasn't feeling any rain on his body, so the Leafeon couldn't be that worse off.

"My fur's getting wet, and I'm cold," Leaf explained, still whining, but now nudging Shadow with his head, as if determined to burrow underneath the Espeon and steal his sleeping spot literally out from under him.

Shadow grumbled and rolled onto his side, enabling the Leafeon to curl up where the Espeon had previously been resting, and then he curled himself around Leaf, silently noting that Leaf's fur was slightly damp and chilly, especially when pressed against Shadow's short fur, but he endured the feeling without complaint. Leaf's slight shivering soon subsided with the application of Shadow's body warmth, and by the rhythm of his breathing, he had dozed off pretty easily. The Espeon would have rolled his eyes if he had actually bothered to open them, and instead settled himself back down.

It seemed that sleep had only just reclaimed his conscious mind when an inexplicable wave of fear crashed down upon him, jolting him awake, his silver eyes darting around his surroundings, searching for a danger that seemingly did not actually exist. Fear had gripped his heart so tightly it had almost taken physical form. His chest felt constricted, and his lungs gasped for breath with undue desperation.

For a moment, Shadow thought that maybe his nightmares had returned, but a moment later was forced to dismiss the notion. He didn't recall anything terrifying within his dreams, memory or otherwise. Rather...he couldn't quite figure out what had come over him. It was the most peculiar sensation, an unknown dread that jolted through his mind and body with such intensity.

Shadow closed his eyes, blocking out all visual stimuli, and focused on his breathing. Breathe in...and out. In...and out.

In his mind's eye, he remembered Diablos taunting him with those words, and he clenched his jaw a little, forcing the image from his mind. It would do him no good to become agitated now, when he needed to focus on his breathing. Slowly, his heart rate began to fall, and the constricting sensation in his chest faded away.

The Espeon's silver eyes flitted open, and he regarded his surroundings again with a critical eye. Frost and Leaf were still asleep, miraculously getting through his miniature freak-out without being disturbed. He frowned, searching his memory for any indication of what might have triggered his discomfort, but nothing surfaced. His dreams had been ordinary and non-threatening, and there was nothing nearby that posed either a threat or had caused an alarming noise. Everything here seemed peaceful, but yet...

The Espeon bit his lip, his eyes settling on the Eterna Forest. No, not the forest, something further north, nearer to the City. That was the source...something in that direction had...resonated. It was just like back at Solaceon, when he had undergone a panic attack within A/C's den. He had sensed something resonating within the Ruins, and that was how he had come across Diablos for the second time.

Did that mean that his malicious foe was close by, although not in his immediate presence? If so...then he would definitely need to warn Frost and Leaf of the danger before they entered the forest later. He couldn't afford to risk them, as Frost said yesterday, by having them oblivious to a possible threat.

Shadow shook his head, dispelling what remained of his sleepy mentality. The sky was slowly brightening, and so it would be pointless to try to get more sleep. Frost claimed that he and Leaf usually awoke at dawn, so if they were after an early start today, there was no chance of him sleeping for long, even if his current mindset would allow him to doze off again. The best course of action would be to embrace his alertness and work out what information he needed to give the others.

The ebony feline carefully navigated around the snoozing Leafeon, and emerged from the grove of trees, making for the water nearby, and took several gulps. The water seemed to cleanse the tightness in his throat and chest further, and its crispness was refreshing and invigorating. He relaxed, savoring the tranquility of the early dawn for what felt like several long, blissful minutes.

Shadow sensed, moreso than heard, movement behind him, and he lifted his head. "Don't even think about it," he warned seriously to the Leafeon creeping behind him.

"Aww, how'd you know I was there?" Leaf complained, but as Shadow glanced over, he spotted the Leafeon's mischievous grin. "Morning, Shadow!" he chirped, giving the Espeon a loving nuzzle.

"I'm psychic," Shadow deadpanned, patting the Leafeon on the head. "And morning to you, too."

"Thanks," Leaf replied, pausing to take a drink from the stream. Shadow briefly toyed with the idea of getting belated revenge on his brother for previous pranks involving water sources, but decided against it. As much fun as payback might seem, it would most likely lead to Leaf developing a paranoid mindset towards him, and that just wasn't something he wanted to inflict upon his brother. "Sleep okay?" Leaf wondered, once he had sated his thirst.

"I guess so," Shadow answered, with only a moment's hesitation. He hadn't slept perfectly well, but he didn't feel exhausted like he used to, so he couldn't really complain too much on that front. He wasn't being plagued with nightmares, and the visit to their old home had given him relief from another burden. All in all, he was doing much better.

Further small talk was interrupted by the arrival of their Ice-type comrade, and Shadow had to fight to keep a straight face. Most of the time, Frost was up and about long before Shadow was, so he rarely had the chance to see the Glaceon prior to his grooming routine. It seemed at a glance that Leaf hadn't been the only one assaulted by raindrops during the night, and the weather had not been favorable for the Glaceon. Where neatly-groomed icy quills ordinarily sat was instead a mess of partially frozen icicles, where rain had gathered and then frozen, sticking out from Frost's body like a lopsided extension of his quills.

"You're awake already?" Frost marveled, walking over to the water. "Impressive, unless you failed to sleep at all."

"I slept fine," Shadow replied, watching with redoubled amusement as Frost's expression twisted once he caught sight of his reflection in the water. Leaf was licking his own paw and tidying his tan fur, so he didn't even notice Frost's fur, and by the time he looked up, the Glaceon had shaken himself forcefully, dislodging the excessive ice from his quills before beginning to groom his fur without comment on his previous appearance.

"Are we going to see Bee-Bee right away?" the Leafeon asked, his soft brown eyes widening hopefully.

"Perhaps not immediately," Frost admitted, his dark eyes flicking briefly towards Shadow. "Early morning is usually extremely hectic for Bug-type Pokemon. It should be fine to wait a little longer before we set out. I expected Shadow to sleep longer than he did."

"Aww, fine," Leaf sighed, his ears drooping as he sat down. "So now what?"

Shadow bit his lip thoughtfully. He had just remembered his mental note to address the Diablos matter before they went into the forest, so the short delay was the perfect opportunity. The difficulty was deciding how best to start the conversation. Even if Frost or Leaf expected him to talk to them about certain subjects, it was much harder to work out a starting point. Then again, he would need to address the 'secret' about their parents' fates to Frost before he'd be able to fully explain the significance of going back to their home yesterday, so at least he knew he had to start with that in some form.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any to answer some of your questions," Shadow said finally. "It's mostly for Frost's benefit, but there's some information you need to know, too," he added, glancing over at his brother. Leaf frowned a little, but didn't object.

"Wonderful," Frost murmured, his tail swishing almost smugly, although Shadow could have simply gotten that impression from the half-hidden smirk on the Glaceon's face. "Will you require a nudge as to which areas to address first, or do you have a plan in mind?"

"I can figure out how to start on my own, thanks," Shadow retorted, unable to hide the irritation from his voice.

Frost's response was simply to raise an eyebrow challengingly, but Shadow ignored the expression. The last thing he needed was to get worked up before even getting started with such a conversation. It had been tough enough when talking to Leaf, and that was when Leaf already knew bits and pieces of the situation.

After a short pause, Shadow sighed and took a soothing breath. He gestured vaguely in the direction of his former home. "Leaf and I used to live around here," he began.

It was a difficult process, but Shadow was able to explain the basic events that had happened from the crucial day in their life, to the day that they had first met Frost. The span of time had seemed so much longer back then, but Shadow quickly realized that a chunk of the time frame could be omitted entirely from his summary, because the minute details weren't as important as the key facts. He mentioned the first encounter with Diablos, and how he and Leaf had fled the area as instructed, but their parents never caught up with them.

Frost was wise enough not to interrupt with stupid inquiries, or press for details that would only drive the nail in deeper. Leaf was only half-listening, his expression somber, but his eyes were glazed in thought. When Shadow half-heartedly concluded the explanation at the point where he and Leaf had come across Frost, the Glaceon nodded thoughtfully.

"That explains a great deal," he mused. "And explains why parental figures was such a sore subject. I suspected as much, but hadn't narrowed down the options yet. Still, I imagine your story isn't entirely over?"

Shadow shook his head. "No, there's more. Hmm...do you think we can start into the forest now?" he wondered, glancing at Leaf, who perked up at the question. Frost shrugged, but got to his feet and began to lead them towards the forest entrance.

"What else is there?" Frost wondered, once they were almost within the forest boundary.

The Espeon hesitated, but steeled himself to continue. "Here's where it starts to become important to Leaf, too," he said, looking over at his brother. "It's...about what happened at the Ruins."

"Tsk, but I was there with you for most of it," Frost noted, but then clicked his tongue. "Ah, but there was a section I was not present during. I did wonder what had transpired in my absence."

Shadow didn't say anything until they had made their way into the forest itself. Just like all previous visits, the trees were so dense that sunlight could barely force its light through the cracks that made up the forest wall. Even Frost seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden darkness, although he made only a brief passing comment on it.

By now, the Espeon had gotten acquainted to the fact his night vision far exceeded that of the other two, so he took the lead without question, remaining close so that he could guide the others with his voice or presence as needed. For another few moments, he said nothing, merely considered how to start the next subject. It was the only piece that he exclusively knew the details to, and he again didn't want to bog down the conversation with useless trivia.

"After you left with A/C and Cece," Shadow said, addressing his words to Leaf. "Frost and I went down to the next level of the Ruins. Frost immediately picked a fight with some Weavile-"

"Lin," Frost corrected promptly, glancing towards the Leafeon. "She is the Pokemon who trained me in battle, and one I wished to test my current skills against. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, she bested me."

"Really? Wow!" Leaf squealed in delight. "So she must be really, really strong to thrash you so easily, huh?"

Frost briefly looked like he had sucked on a Grepa berry. "Yes...possibly the strongest battler I know," he said blandly. "Continue, Shadow."

"There was one more level below that one, and I followed it alone as Frost proceeded to freeze the entire room upstairs," Shadow explained. "After following the passageway there..." he paused awkwardly.

"Yes?" Leaf prompted curiously.

"Um...you recall the Riolu that was knocked out when we came back up, and you guys had returned?" Shadow asked, looking back at the Leafeon. At his nod, Shadow continued. "I encountered him at the end of the passageway. And he was...familiar to me."

"Wait, wait..." Frost interrupted, drawing Shadow's attention to him. The Glaceon was giving Shadow a stunned look. "HE was the one who attacked you at your old home?"

"I thought so, but I was only half right," Shadow replied. He was unsurprised to find both of the other Eons staring at him blankly. "That Riolu was just a pawn," Shadow said bitterly. "Possessed by another, and used as a weapon."

"Huh? Smaller words!" Leaf complained.

Shadow scowled. "I don't really understand everything, either. But I encountered him again in the Ruins, all the same. He called himself Diablos."

Even speaking the name aloud made Shadow feel like ice was running down his back, and he noticed that Leaf twitched oddly at the sound of the name. Frost showed no particular reaction, other than the same thoughtful frown he had been wearing earlier.

"That's what I needed to talk to Cece about afterwards," Shadow continued, gazing around the area, his ears straining to hear the sounds of buzzing, or anything else that might steer him towards a Beedrill. "Diablos wanted something from me, but wouldn't explain what. And your Weavile friend knew he existed. She threatened him when you two arrived, and he vanished. But if she knew, then Cece probably knew, and I needed to find out what they knew."

"Ahh, so that's why you were so agitated back then," Frost mused. His smirk vanished when he caught sight of the look on Shadow's face. The Espeon had narrowed his eyes, and his words seemed almost consumed with venom as he spoke.

"She wouldn't answer me at first, so I agreed to meet the next day," he explained coldly. His expression softened a little, and he heaved a sigh. "But...she did tell me what she knew. Everything she knew."

There was a long, extremely awkward silence following these words, broken only by the sounds of rustling amidst the bushes and trees all around them. Shadow took the opportunity to scan the area again, his frown deepening. So far, he hadn't seen any sign of any Pokemon among the Beedrill line, and as they went deeper into the forest, his apprehension was starting to return in full force. He couldn't help it; the forest just made him nervous. It was probably too early in the day to come across any human trainers or other immediate threats, but he wasn't going to wager everything on that hunch.

"And?" Frost prompted finally. "What did she tell you?"

Shadow heaved a heavy sigh once again. "She confirmed that our parents died," he said softly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Frost's brow furrow in confusion. "She knew our mother personally, was an old friend or something," the Espeon clarified, responding to the unasked question. "When I accidentally linked our minds that one day, she glimpsed the memories, recognized the ones involved, and afterwards went and demanded answers from Diablos. According to her, he admitted doing it."

"But how did she know Diablos?" Frost asked. Shadow noticed that the Glaceon spoke the name with similar apprehension, as if it were a curse word.

Shadow was silent for a few moments, considering how best to answer the question. Most of the information he had to share now had come directly from his conversation with Cecilia, and he had spent a lot of his time mulling the information over in his mind, debating whether to share it with Leaf, the same way he intended to share the information about their parents, or whether to keep it to himself and plan accordingly. He didn't really want to constantly quote the conversaton he had had with the Quilava, but there didn't seem to be too many other options.

"She said that her group unsealed him," the Espeon said finally.

"Unsealed?" Frost repeated. "Interesting, to say the least. What does that make him, then? Some sort of ancient force? A Pokemon akin to the Legendary Golems?"

Shadow smiled weakly. "I asked something similar, actually."

* * *

 _The Quilava fidgeted a little, but finally worked up the courage to look into Shadow's eyes, her expression twisted into a look of regret and unhappiness. Even in his current mental state, seeing the otherwise chipper Quilava in such a state brought a pang of discomfort to the Espeon's heart._

 _"He's a Spiritomb. Kaito...another friend of ours...had done a great deal of research in the hopes of finding the pieces of the Keystone that were said to contain his power. We succeeded a few months ago, but his full power is still sealed or something, so I guess he needs to possess others to do anything."_

 _"Why would he target me?" Shadow demanded, his fur bristling indignantly._

 _Tears streamed down the Quilava's cheeks, and she took several deep breaths, steeling herself to answer him. Her body shook, but at long last, she managed to make eye contact again._

 _"After we unsealed him, he asked about local Pokemon, and I mentioned your family in passing, and your name got brought up somehow, but...I swear, I had no idea he would go after you, o-or Rio," she said, choking back sobs, her blue eyes gazing at him desperately. The expression made Shadow feel uncomfortable, but he kept his expression as stoic as possible, digesting what she had told him. The Quilava sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'll never be able to forgive myself for what happened. All because I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut."_

 _"What's so special about me?" Shadow growled, not really directing the question at Cecilia. It was already clear from the other bits of the conversation that she didn't really know all the details involved with Diablos' actions. From the sounds of things, she had confronted him almost immediately after realizing he had attacked Shadow's family, and had been so taken aback by his nonchalant confession that she hadn't processed much else at the time. But for what reason would the demon attack him and his family for? It was a question that had never been answered._

 _The Fire-type was quiet for a long time, aside from her heavy breathing. "I don't know," she said weakly. "Diablos kept mentioning something about darkness."_

* * *

"Darkness?" Frost repeated, cocking his head at Shadow blankly. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Shadow admitted with a sigh. "Cece didn't know, either. But at the Ruins, Diablos had mentioned something about inner darkness when he was taunting me. About how it was better nurtured than he expected."

"Nurturing inner darkness," Frost murmured, his dark eyes narrowed in thought. "And a Spiritomb possessing others...interesting."

"If you say so," Shadow muttered. The Glaceon chuckled.

"Forgive me, but it just sounds like pieces of a fascinating puzzle. I suppose I shouldn't lose sight of the context. I assume we need to know this because you're still a target, and so, by association, we are targets?" he asked, gesturing to himself and Leaf.

Shadow nodded solemnly. Leaf bristled, the abrupt shift startling the Espeon. "Leaf?"

"He better leave you alone," the Leafeon said seriously. Shadow blinked. "You're always getting hurt trying to protect me," Leaf continued quietly. "I've gotten stronger, so soon I can help you protect me, and I'll protect you, too."

"Leaf, that's..." Shadow smiled, genuinely touched by the sentiment, even if he somehow doubted it would be quite as simple as Leaf was suggesting. "Thanks. Love you."

"Love you, too," Leaf replied brightly, giving the ebony Espeon a quick nuzzle. "Ooh! I think I hear Bee-Bee!"

"Eh? How can you tell?" Frost asked, looking around in confusion, but the Leafeon had already darted further up the path. Shadow winced, but followed at a brisk walking pace, confident that despite his excitement, Leaf wouldn't get too far ahead of them.

It was reassuring to know that Frost and Leaf seemed to be taking the news well, all things considering. However, they still hadn't addressed the real meat of the matter - the purpose for which they were seeking strength. Renard's warning still lingered in Shadow's mind, particularly now that he had made the other two aware of the possibility of being targeted by association. The Ninetales had said to keep forging bonds and relationships, and to not misuse the quest for strength by corrupting it towards vengeance.

The problem was, even if Shadow personally could manage this, he wasn't so sure whether the other two could handle a full share of the burden he had carried for so long. If they did get targeted, one way or another, would they resent Shadow for endangering them, even with the warning? It was easy to say one thing, when the risk was low, but how would they fare if they actually had to face the Spiritomb directly?

Shadow shivered. That was a question he couldn't even answer for himself. Diablos was too powerful right now for him to face, and the fear that clutched his heart whenever he thought of seeing those yellow eyes in person was more than enough of a reminder of how much further he needed to go before he could truly feel safe.

And did Frost even recognize that if his Weavile mentor, whose battle skill already far surpassed his, was allied with Diablos, then even the Glaceon was unlikely to be able to face Diablos and win?

Shadow shook himself firmly. Perhaps now wasn't the time to dwell on such concerns. They were here for Leaf's sake. There would be time later to discuss these matters, now that things had been laid out between them.

But why did he still feel so anxious?


	57. Forest Reunion

Leaf's excitement was almost palpable as the three Eons ventured into what Frost suspected was the deepest section of the forest. The trees were becoming so thick that light was even more scarce, and the Glaceon was struggling to make out details of their surroundings. He was really beginning to envy Shadow's exceptional night vision, for the Espeon seemed to be having no difficulty at all.

"Don't go too far ahead, Leaf," Shadow reminded the Leafeon. It was almost a pointless warning, for Leaf's pace was starting to slow naturally due to the reduced lighting, and more than once, the Leafeon stumbled over a tree root, or a stray twig, or some deep indentation in the earth that he hadn't spotted until he had already stepped into it. On the plus side, Frost's eyes were adjusting rather quickly - as expected of most Ice-types. Although their nocturnal vision was hardly expectional, most Ice-types lived within cold caves or snowy conditions, so their eyesight was designed to be able to spot prey or enemies within such conditions, without the aid of sunlight.

"What makes you think your friend is even this way?" Frost asked. There was definitely more activity buzzing all around them, and he could almost sense the numerous eyes upon them, but his eyesight had not yet adjusted to include the Pokemon lurking within the branches of the infinitely dense trees on either side.

"I can hear her buzzing," Leaf explained.

Shadow and Frost exchanged glances. "Um...Leaf, how can you tell if it's her specifically, instead of another Beedrill?" Shadow asked wearily. "You didn't even know her that long."

"You knew her less!" Leaf argued, sounding genuinely indignant that Shadow doubted his ability to recognize his friend's buzzing from a distance of well over a hundred meters. Had it not been for Frost's ever-growing experience with the two brothers and their tendency to launch into bizarrely petulant arguments with one another, he might have considered this a strange retort. As it was, he just rolled his eyes and waited for them to stop.

Being an only child, Frost didn't have much experience with sibling banter. The isolation of the mountains had served its purpose in beginning his journey of strength and his admiration for the power that ice and snow represented. However, it left other areas of his life somewhat lacking. He hadn't had many Pokemon around his age to even latch onto in terms of a sibling-like relationship. From his observations of Leaf and Shadow, he understood that they didn't really take their arguments very seriously. There never seemed to be hurt feelings or genuine resentment towards the other, and it usually left them both amused and happy afterwards.

Perhaps it was a method of showing affection towards one another, but Frost couldn't really say so from his own experiences. Raze was probably the closest person in his life that could be considered something of a sibling figure, but minus the fond affection and devotion that Leaf and Shadow shared for each other. Blizzard was the next closest option, but Frost was opposed to giving such a label to someone he had a romantic relationship with.

Then again, maybe it was this type of playful banter that enabled them to remain close without negativity or stress overwhelming them in the process. With the new information Shadow had provided, Frost had a lot more to go off of when it came to analyzing the two, but that process would take more time and effort, and he couldn't really ignore the possible danger that Shadow had warned about.

Then there was the far more concerning tidbit. If Lin really was associated with a diabolical being intent on causing harm to Shadow, then it was likely that their paths would cross again, with far greater stakes. This did not bode well for him.

Loathe as the Glaceon was to admit he was outmatched in battle, the fact was that if his opponent was Lin, then he had no hope of winning, and neither would Shadow or Leaf. This wasn't even taking the other potential allies of the Spiritomb into account. Cecilia had proven to be an extremely formidable battler back at the Ruins, and even if the Riolu turned out to be an utter pushover, it still meant that at least two enemy Pokemon whose skill and power could surpass Frost's.

 _"You lack purpose...you fight only for your ego and pride, and you are satisfied with your strength so long as you keep winning. As it is...that is why you'll never beat me."_

Lin's words echoed in the Glaceon's mind once more, and he scowled to himself. Purpose...for what purpose did he seek strength? He had offered the same question to Shadow in the hopes of inspiring him to seek his own path, and maybe Shadow had come across an answer when he visited his old home or wherever. And maybe not. Regardless, it was a question that Frost had still not found an answer for. He couldn't bear the thought of facing Lin again until he had, for she would definitely ask him about it. He was unworthy of standing before her, either as a student or an opponent, until he could satisfy that inquiry.

"HA!" Leaf burst out triumphantly, whirling around to face Shadow, wearing the cockiest smirk Frost had ever witnessed on the Leafeon's face. "Told you!"

It was at that moment that Frost spotted the yellow and black striped hornet hovering at the front of the group. However, identifying an insect Pokemon's gender was...nigh impossible for him. The books and verbal lessons provided by his parents had not included a course on labeling Bug-type Pokemon anatomy or genders. It was probably better that way, because he couldn't envision a realistically practical application for that knowledge, and it seemed like the type of thing he'd never want to try to justify knowing if he DID miraculously find a use for it.

The ebony Espeon sighed slightly. "I didn't say it wasn't her, I said...never mind."

Frost took this opportunity to study the hornet Pokemon. It had two viciously sharp stingers on its forelegs, with two more ordinary legs lower on its body. Its abdomen ended with yet another stinger, and its wings buzzed with a constant drone that the Glaceon suspected was familiar enough to many to strike the desired terror into their heart. Even its eyes appeared vicious, a vibrant red color that seemed to glare at everything at all times.

"Hi Bee-Bee!" Leaf said brightly, turning back to the Beedrill. The hornet made some small gestures with its foreleg stingers, its wings buzzing loudly. "I'm doing good, thanks!"

Shadow fidgeted with noticeable frustration, his ears twitching and his eyes darting about the trees, as if desperate to find something to focus upon. More buzzing from the Beedrill followed Leaf's response, yet the Leafeon seemed to have no problem understanding it, for his head bobbed attentively, and his leaf-like tail was flicking cheerfully.

"Yeah...we left for a while," Leaf said finally. "Came back to visit, though! How've you been?"

"Ahem," Frost cleared his throat, and Leaf flinched, turning back towards the Glaceon. "Forgive my interruption, but I seem to be having a bit of difficulty deciphering her words."

"Likewise," Shadow deadpanned. "I don't get how you understand her."

"It's not that hard if you just listen closely," Leaf said, all but rolling his eyes, but he still turned back towards the Beedrill. "Sorry, Bee-Bee, could you try to speak a little slower for those two? Ooh, you haven't actually met Frost, yet!"

The Leafeon darted towards Frost and nudged him with his head, guiding the Glaceon closer to the hovering hornet Pokemon. Frost was too startled by the action to resist, and soon found himself sitting in front of the Beedrill.

"I could have just walked, Leaf," the Glaceon pointed out dryly, absently flicking one of his head dangles from his face and focusing on the hornet. "I'm Frost, seeing as Leaf insists on an introduction. I'm a Glaceon, and a recent acquaintance of theirs, claiming credit for-"

The Beedrill interrupted with an odd tittering sound that Frost could have sworn was a giggle of some sort. He broke off, frowning slightly and giving her an inquisitive look. The Beedrill made a series of buzzing sounds that somewhat sounded like it could have been a sentence, but they went by too quickly for Frost to process the words.

"Didn't catch that," he said blandly.

"She said 'wow, you're super arrogant, but that's kind of adorable'," Leaf provided, speaking slightly faster than usual, but at least Frost was able to understand him.

"I choose to take that as a compliment," Frost said idly. The Beedrill tittered again.

"It's just the way you flicked your little head thing," the Beedrill said, this time buzzing slowly enough for individual words to be heard, but still at a quicker pace than most speakers. Shadow blinked, and Frost raised an eyebrow, neither of them expecting to have understood the hornet.

"I think they understood you that time, Bee-Bee," Leaf said cheerfully, stepping back up to the Beedrill, his tail flicking. "How are you?"

"Doing okay," Bee-Bee answered after a short pause. If Frost had to guess, she was taking care to speak at a pace that the elder Eons would be able to understand without relying on Leaf's translation. "The forest's been kind of crazy."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Leaf asked, looking around in confusion. "It's been super quiet today, and nothing attacked us."

"Not exactly anything to be proud of," Shadow admitted. Frost smirked briefly, but he turned his dark eyes towards the trees. He still couldn't shake the feeling that a large number of Bug-type Pokemon were lurking just out of sight, and if there were so many lying in wait, why had this one specific Beedrill made her presence known?

Bee-Bee's response was too rapid for the words to be fully understood, although Frost was able to catch bits of the sentences. Leaf looked a little troubled once the Beedrill had stopped speaking.

"Okay, I missed most of that," Frost said seriously. He raised his paw when Bee-Bee looked over at him. "I'll just have Leaf repeat the gist."

"...the what?" Leaf asked, confused.

"The gist. The main point," Frost explained. "Repeat the important bit, but don't quote her verbatim."

"...Shadow, make Frost talk normal!" the Leafeon whined.

Shadow smirked a little bit and shook his head, his forked tail twitching in amusement. "Leaf, just tell us what's going on."

"There are some mean bugs fighting with her hive thing," Leaf answered, his troubled expression returning. "It happens sometimes, but worse than normal lately."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Does that have anything to do with the large number of Bug-types lurking within the trees?" he asked, gesturing towards the shadows concealed by the densely knit treeline.

"Defense scouts," Bee-Bee replied, once again speaking at a pace that made her words comprehensible. "You're getting too close to the hive. I had to hurry over before you got mobbed."

"Oh...we're sorry," Leaf said, his ears drooping a little. "I just wanted to come visit you, and maybe say a real good-bye before we leave again."

The Beedrill's response was lost amid a rapid flurry of gestures and buzzing, but whatever was said seemed to have been effective, for the Leafeon smiled and his ears perked back up. However, before anything further could be said, there was an abrupt crashing sound in the distance, as though several large branches had broken off of one of the trees elsewhere in the forest. Bee-Bee swiveled swiftly, her wings buzzing angrily, and she made two quick, forceful gestures with her forelegs. Immediately, two more Beedrill emerged from the trees on either side of the Eons, and took off towards the distant sounds.

Leaf and Shadow exchanged confused looks, whereas Frost frowned, his ears twitching in the hopes of catching more sounds that would indicate what the source of the noise had been. Unfortunately, the heightened volume of Beedrill wings made this task almost impossible.

"Maybe we should head back, and try again at a later time," Shadow suggested uncertainly. Ever since they had gotten into the forest, the Espeon had been obviously on-edge, distracted only by the conversations they shared during the walk.

"But I just found Bee-Bee," Leaf complained, pointing towards the bee Pokemon still hovering before them.

"Only until things may have settled down more," Shadow explained. "We're not leaving the area right away, and we can still visit our old home in the meantime. I just worry that we're going to get in the way here, and that it's not safe."

"I guess that makes sense," Leaf sighed. "Is it okay if we come by later?" he asked the Beedrill. She tittered a little, and replied with her usual fast-paced buzzing. "Promise?" the Leafeon asked, his tail flicking. Frost didn't even need a translator to hear the affirmative response in Bee-Bee's reply.

"I can escort you out, if you want," the Beedrill suggested, already moving to take the lead. Leaf glanced at Shadow and received a shrug in response, which evidently translated to assent in Leaf's book, because he promptly began to follow after Bee-Bee. Frost hid a smirk of amusement, and likewise followed suit.

It was immediately clear that Bee-Bee was far more familiar with the forest's layout than they were, as she was able to weave through the trees and pathways without pause, lingering only to ensure that she didn't leave them too far behind. All the while, Leaf was happily chatting away, filling in his friend about the progress he had made with battle training since she had last seen him.

The group abruptly came to a halt, and Frost nearly collided with Leaf before realizing that everyone else had stopped. Even Shadow, who had been walking alongside the Glaceon, had noticed, but mercifully it seemed that no one had noticed Frost's error.

"Why did we stop?" Frost asked, not even bothering to hide the weariness from his voice. That particular question seemed to get asked a lot among their group, more often directed to him rather than voiced by him, but it was still a little grating to note that whenever they stopped, at least one person was always oblivious to the reason.

Bee-Bee's reply was, of course, incomprehensible. Silence followed her buzzing, and Frost had to fight to keep from rolling his eyes. There was almost no way that Shadow caught the answer, yet it was definitely going to fall to Frost to ask for a translation this time, and he didn't relish looking like he was slow to grasp the situation.

"I didn't catch that," the ice Eon sighed.

"Just look in front of us," Shadow said impatiently, and Frost felt an invisible force tugging on one of his head dangles. The Glaceon winced, stepping forward quickly to relieve the sensation, and nonchalantly smacked Shadow in the face with his tail as he passed, pretending not to have noticed doing so.

Now that he was standing off the center of the path, so that Leaf was no longer obstructing his line of sight, Frost could just barely make out the shape of another Pokemon, but it was too far away yet, and the forest too dark, to get any clear-cut details of its appearance. Its movements and body shape made him fairly confident that it was a quadruped Pokemon, and as it drew nearer, he found that this assessment was accurate.

The Glaceon glanced over at the others, judging their overall demeanor. Bee-Bee was watching the other Pokemon with a piercing, unwavering gaze, whereas Leaf's expression was curious, although a little cautious. As the Pokemon continued to approach, stray beams of light that had infiltrated the branches were able to cast a moment's glow over its features, and Frost noted that it had snow-white fur, but its face seemed veiled in shadow, save for two bright orbs where its eyes were located. It paused abruptly, cocking its head to the side and gazing in their direction, and it was during this movement that Frost noticed the strange scythe-like horn adorning one side of its head.

Shadow inhaled sharply, drawing Frost's attention back to the Espeon, but Shadow appeared oblivious to the inquisitive glance. In a move that caught Frost by surprise, Shadow stepped forward, towards the other quadruped.

"Noticed you!" he called out to the other Pokemon, his forked tail flicking as if delighting in some private joke.

"Nuh-uh," came the reply, a distinctly feminine tone. "If you saw me first, you have to ambush me to win. Noticing me only counts if I'm actively hunting you."

"Now you're just changing the rules," Shadow argued. Frost raised an eyebrow. Judging by the blank expression on Leaf's face, he was not the only one completely baffled by this interaction.

"You don't even know the rules!" the female quadruped protested, but she was grinning as she approached. "Got to give you some credit, though, you blend in with the shadows like a shiny Greninja."

Everybody looked at the newcomer with a blank expression, which only seemed to entertain her further. From this distance, Frost could see that she had bright green eyes, her facial features either black or a dark shade of blue. He also noted the lethal claws at the ends of each of her paws, all but confirming a predatory nature.

"So, how about some quick introductions?" the white predator remarked, her jagged black tail flicking almost playfully. "I know Shadow already, but what about the rest of you?"

"Depends. Who are we meeting?" Frost retorted idly. The other Pokemon blinked at him.

"Oh, that's right, I'm the stranger to the group, so I introduce myself first," she said, stifling a giggle. "Where are my manners? My name's Astrid, I'm an Absol."

Bee-Bee visibly twitched at the mention of the species name, which did not go unnoticed by the newcomer. However, she did not appear offended by the reaction, because she simply shrugged.

"I've gotten worse receptions," Astrid said nonchalantly, and her green eyes flicked to meet the Beedrill's gaze. "What's your name?"

"Bee-Bee," the Beedrill replied simply.

"Very pretty," Astrid remarked, turning her eyes to Leaf next. The Leafeon twitched, seemingly unnerved by the focused attention.

"Uh, I'm Leaf!" he answered, recovering some of his composure and offering the Absol a friendly smile.

"Ooh, Echo's youngest," Astrid commented, flashing a toothy grin at the Leafeon. "You are the most adorable little guy I've ever seen, you know that?"

"Oh, trust me, he knows," Shadow deadpanned. Leaf just grinned, his tail almost wagging, blatantly basking in the compliment and attention.

"Second most, in my book," Frost remarked. This comment earned him a weird look from the Espeon, and Frost mentally cursed himself for speaking without thinking. To distract from his slip, Frost waved his paw dismissively, stepping forward and gesturing to himself. "I'm Frost. A pleasure to meet you. I imagine you feel likewise."

"Eh, sure. Why not?" Astrid teased.

Bee-Bee tittered, but the Glaceon ignored her, his dark eyes focusing on the Absol. He had heard tales of her species, but this was his first time actually seeing one. Even the old stories about Absol had not included any pictures, and the stories themselves were akin to urban legends rather than factual accounts. There was said to be some members of the species living within Mt. Coronet, but supposedly closer to the summit than Frost's home had been located.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow wondered, drawing the Absol's attention back to him.

"Ooh, truth be told, I've been sensing something coming from the forest lately. It's why I've been hanging near the area, you know?" Astrid answered casually. "This morning, I started to get a REALLY strong feeling, so I decided to go check it out, maybe actually do something or whatever."

Bee-Bee buzzed in response, and made several quick gestures with her barbed forelegs. Astrid cocked her head to the side, regarding the Beedrill with interest. Shadow sighed quietly, a sentiment that Frost agreed with. There was no end to the frustration experienced by being almost unable to understand anything the hornet Pokemon said.

"Huh, that's not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be," Astrid said nonchalantly, as soon as Bee-Bee had finished speaking. Judging by the indignant buzzing that followed, this was not a sentiment that Bee-Bee agreed with. "Whoa, whoa," Astrid interjected hastily, flashing an apologetic smile. "I'm not saying it's not serious, I just expected something worse."

"That's not helping," Shadow noted wryly. Bee-Bee was giving the Absol a silent death glare. Even Frost had to privately admit that he didn't envy the Absol for being on the receiving end of such a look. It was possibly one of the most terrifying expressions he had ever seen.

"Okay, I need to get someone else to talk for me," Astrid sighed. "Can someone tactfully inform Bee-Bee here on my behalf that I came expecting the worst, and it's...not that bad?"

"Why, so that we get glared at instead?" Frost asked sarcastically. "When I try to be tactful, the first thing I do is-"

"Talk with really big, confusing words?" Leaf wondered innocently. Shadow stifled a snort of laughter, and Frost frowned.

Bee-Bee made a sound that could have passed for an annoyed sigh. "I'm going to leave you to sort things out here. I need to get back to sort things out there. See you later, Leaf!"

Without waiting for an answer, the Beedrill turned and disappeared back into the forest depths, leaving the four quadrupeds alone.

"Well, that probably could have gone better," Astrid said, shrugging. Shadow shook his head slowly, but Frost quickly seized the opening to ask something that had flashed through his thoughts earlier.

"How do you two know each other?" he asked, nodding between Shadow and Astrid. There had been a vague degree of familiarity exchanged, but it had lacked the awkward chemistry that Shadow had shared with Cecilia, which ironically confused Frost more.

"We met yesterday," Shadow supplied. Frost would have questioned that answer if not for the fact there really was only one window of time that he could have met her without the Glaceon knowing about it.

"I just find it weird that you're also in the forest area," Astrid said brightly, her tail flicking playfully. "Though I'm starting to worry you like...attract disasters or something."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Leaf asked, looking alarmed. Astrid looked over at the young Leafeon and smiled fondly.

"No, no, I'm just teasing him about how my disaster sense keeps bringing me near h-" the Absol froze mid-sentence, as if she abruptly just realized that the subject of some juicy gossip she was sharing had entered the area when her back was turned. She coughed awkwardly before hastily concluding, "Near the forest area."

Shadow rolled his eyes at the unconvincing cover-up. Leaf looked more troubled than ever, casting a look behind him in the direction that Bee-Bee had disappeared.

"We were just on our way out," Shadow said, clearly attempting to divert the conversation away from whatever Astrid had been in the process of saying before thinking better of it. "So if you'll excuse us..."

"We could help," Leaf said, almost too quietly to even be heard, yet everyone turned their heads towards him. As if aware he had gotten their attention, Leaf turned, facing the deeper section of the forest. "I don't like just running away after hearing there's a problem," he said, still speaking at a bizarrely soft tone, although Frost noted a sense of resolve behind his words that the Leafeon rarely carried.

"I don't like the idea of putting ourselves in danger for no reason," Shadow argued seriously.

"Not for no reason!" Leaf insisted, turning to glare at his brother. "To help them with their problem. To be a good friend. Bee-Bee saved you, remember? Are you just going to run away when she might need help?"

Shadow flinched a little, and averted his eyes briefly. "That was...completely different. That Beedrill thought we were harassing Kakuna."

"She still saved you," Leaf argued, more firmly than ever. "What if a mean bug hurts her, and you could have saved her? Why should I lose my friend because you're too scared to help? What's the point of training if we don't ever do anything?!"

"Leaf..." Shadow murmured quietly.

"I just don't like it," Leaf grumbled. "I know it's not safe, or whatever...but I don't like running and hiding when I could help out. It's just...not right."

"He's got a point," Astrid noted brightly, earning an annoyed glare from Shadow. "Not trying to interfere or whatever," she explained with a shrug. "But it's not like you'd be alone, since I'm going through to see what's up, anyway."

"Oh?" Frost raised an eyebrow with interest. "And are you a competent battler?" he wondered.

Astrid giggled, her tail wagging playfully. "You'll just have to wait and see how I compare to you," she replied, flashing the Glaceon a grin. Frost smirked.

"That sounds like a challenge," he noted, flicking one of his head flaps aside with an exaggerated air of nonchalance. Astrid raised her eyebrow at the gesture, and her grin widened briefly.

Shadow sighed. "I can see where this is going," he muttered, but he fixed Leaf with a serious look. "Fine, we'll go and see what we can do...but if it's too much for us to handle, then we need to get out of there, deal?"

"Deal!" Leaf answered, slapping Shadow's paw to seal the agreement. Relieved, Shadow nodded, gazing towards the deeper section of the forest.

"Okay...let's do this, then."


	58. The Pronged Offensive

Astrid led the group back towards the heart of the forest, her green eyes scanning the surrounding trees. Shadow and Leaf followed, moving together practically as one, the Espeon likewise scanning the area with an intense gaze, and even Leaf was taking the situation with more seriousness and caution than he usually presented. Frost walked only a few paces behind Astrid, his eyes adapting to the darkness enough to be able to start getting a reliable read on the Absol.

Frost unfortunately lacked a genuine reference pool to compare Astrid to other members of her species, and legends and myths involving the disaster Pokemon was little better than hearsay when it came to analyzing one. A cursory examination would have to do, until he got a better opportunity to study her, or even simply to view her under better light conditions.

Astrid had a noticeably fit physique, and her claws were viciously sharp, as expected of an active predator. She had a brace of some sort fixed to one of her legs, possibly a training weight of some sort, although Frost had never seen anything like it before. Muscles flexed noticeably, even beneath the fur of her legs, with each step she took, and and the way she bobbed her head was indicative that she was relying on all her senses to take in details of her surroundings - scent, sight, hearing. It wasn't proof of her battle prowess, unfortunately, but very rarely had Frost met a predator Pokemon that was incapable of holding its own in battle. The question there was how good she was.

Mannerisms was a different issue. Astrid's tone was almost constantly nonchalant, if not playful, and her tail wagged with the frequency of an excited kit. However, her voice and words reflected that she was not as young as she acted. If anything, Frost was willing to peg her as being several years older than he was, with a lot of experience, but possibly lacking in social skills. The way she had fumbled the interactions with Bee-Bee earlier was a possible indication of such, and it hadn't escaped Frost's notice that she had also stumbled when talking to Leaf. Sympathy and tact were not her strong suits.

Sadly, it was really too soon to glean much from these observations. Age alone would imply that she was a decent-enough battler, and she hadn't shown many other behaviors or quirks that Frost could analyze sufficiently. She could have been a trainer's Pokemon, based on the brace she wore, but that seemed a little unlikely under the circumstances.

It was a puzzle, but not in the same vein as Leaf and Shadow were, prior to Shadow's explanation of their history. Astrid was less mysterious and more just an example of insufficient information. No matter, he would probably get a chance to observe her later, once they found the source of the forest's conflict.

The only other thing of note was that, in contrast to Cecilia's behavior around Shadow, the Absol showed little to no signs of being attracted to Shadow. During the journey from Solaceon to Eterna, it had been extremely noticeable how often female Pokemon noticed Shadow. It was the perfect blend of amusing and grating to behold.

Further observation was cut short by sounds echoing from an area up ahead. Astrid paused and shot a look back at the Eons, confirming that they were likewise aware of the impending danger zone. Frost mirrored the glance, taking note that Shadow had nodded solemnly, almost noticeably fidgeting in anticipation, and Leaf had steeled himself, his soft brown eyes glittering with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"Okay, stay alert," Astrid suggested, and she continued forward, moving with swift and practiced motions, like a hunter stalking oblivious prey in preparation of an ambush. The others followed, Shadow whispering instructions to his brother as they drew nearer to the source of the noise. There was a constant drone of insect buzzing, and the occasional sound of battle. His fur prickled with barely contained excitement, forming frigid quills along his body, and he noted that his breath was emerging as an icy mist.

Astrid tensed as the path expanded into an open section of forest, but her tail still flicked playfully. Frost swiftly scanned the clearing, taking note of the numerous species of Bug Pokemon present. There was a trio of Beedrill, one of them vaguely recognizable as Bee-Bee, but they weren't the only ones.

Scattered among the ranks were several honeycomb-shaped insects, each adorned with a pair of tiny wings and facial features on the honeycombs. Two different species of butterfly-like insects were buzzing angrily, seemingly the opposing force. One of them had tattered green wings with red markings in contrast to its purple body and yellow compound eyes. The other was a more traditional butterfly, with a white body and bright, colorful wings.

"Ooh, Dustox and Beautifly," Astrid noted. Frost suspected her tone was supposed to portray a sympathetic wince, but it sounded like nonchalance, or even amusement. As they watched, the colorful butterfly darted towards the nearest Combee and jabbed its body with its barbed mouth, the Combee squealing in surprise and pain. One of the Beedrill lunged at the Beautifly, but a multi-colored beam of light fired from the tattered moth Pokemon's eyes, striking the Beedrill mid-charge and hurling it forcefully against a tree, where it slid to the ground, dazed and weakened.

Leaf growled, and Frost turned to look at him in alarm. This was the first time he had ever really heard Leaf make a sound like that. It wasn't his usual growl of annoyance or irritation, but rather a deeper, more feral, rumble in his throat. Without waiting for any sign from the others, Leaf launched a flurry of razor-edged leaves from his body at the Beautifly, most of them whizzing past harmlessly, but one of them grazed the insect's wings, forcing it to release its victim. The Combee fell to the grass, twitching in agony, and the two remaining Beedrill swiveled towards the group, Bee-Bee buzzing in surprise.

She swiftly made a series of gestures and buzzing to the other insects in her group, and judging by the less hostile looks sent their way, she had satisfactorily communicated whose side they were on. Frost and Astrid stepped forward, moving along the clearing's perimeter to partially encircle the two opposing Bug-types. From the corner of his eye, Frost could see the remaining Combee flocking over to their fallen companion, extracting it from the battle zone and retreating among the trees.

"It can't be just the two of them," Frost mused aloud. "They couldn't possibly be that large a threat on their own to an entire hive."

"I wouldn't underestimate them on that alone," Astrid countered from across the clearing, her tail wagging. "Some Pokemon are far stronger than they appear."

Unfortunately, the hostile Bug-types had already recovered from the surprise of their appearance, and were returning to the offensive. The Dustox flapped its wings forcefully, scattering a storm of light purple spores from its body. Shadow's eyes widened and he pushed Leaf to the side. The Leafeon took the cue impressively well, because he darted out of range of the scattered poison dust, then spun and fired off another small barrage of sharpened leaves, this time directed at the poison moth.

Meanwhile, Shadow maneuevered himself away from the toxic spores, watching the haze with a wary eye. Neither of the hostile Bug-types seemed to be paying him much notice, but to be fair, they had more than enough opponents to focus on as it was. One of the remaining Beedrill charged at the Beautifly, only to collide with a strong gale of wind produced by the butterfly's wings. The Beedrill flinched, and the Beautifly's wings glowed with a white light. Before anyone could do anything to intervene, it closed the gap between it and the dazed hornet, and struck the Beedrill's midriff with its glowing wings.

Time seemed to stand still for that brief moment, and even from this distance, Frost could see the pure disbelief and pain etched within the Beedrill's eyes. And then its wings went still and it fell to the ground, as lifeless as a puppet whose strings had been severed.

Bee-Bee's rage was evident by the roar of her buzzing wings, and she launched herself at the Beautifly like a missile, her barbed forelegs jabbing at her opponent so quickly that she was practically a blur of motion, yet by some miracle, the Beautifly remained unscathed, maneuvering around the strikes with swiftness that Frost never would have thought possible of such a visibly non-threatening Pokemon.

Leaf and Shadow had focused their efforts on the Dustox, each of them firing their respective projectiles at the toxic foe - Leaf pressing an attack with his razor-edged leaves, and Shadow attempting to catch the Dustox mid-dodge with spheres of psychic energy. Astrid observed both ongoing clashes passively, her green eyes widening with interest, as if the whole thing was some kind of spectacle. Frost had similarly remained passive, but his reason for doing so was more a desire to feel out the strength of these two opponents, and simultaneously avoiding the risk of striking one of his allies with an errant Shadow Ball. It would be insultingly easy to simply launch a few Ice Beams or similar and win practically in a single move, but already he was seeing evidence that this approach could have backfired to ridiculous extents.

These two Pokemon were far stronger than he would have thought, although he had no intention of admitting that Astrid was right in saying as much. They were very fast, very aggressive, and alarmingly evasive. Recklessly launching Ice Beams in such an enclosed forest area against such opponents could endanger the ecosystem built up here, risking not only his allies but also wild Pokemon unrelated to the conflict. Therefore, he would have to use tactics separate from his Ice abilities, and projectile attacks still carried too much risk with Bee-Bee, Frost, and Leaf engaging their opponents so closely.

Something still seemed off. These Pokemon were certainly formidable, but he couldn't imagine them being able to hold off against overwhelming numbers, something the Eterna Hive should have as an advantage. No, these two were probably members of a rival Bug-type faction within the forest, perhaps even elite members, although Frost didn't have the slightest idea if such a faction would use a hierarchy.

And there had been sounds of destruction from a distance, yet this clearing was devoid of any such signs, like broken tree branches or chunks of bark. With that in mind, he assumed the main destruction was taking place elsewhere, and that Bee-Bee and her Beedrill vanguard had simply engaged these two here.

"Look out, Leaf!" Shadow's voice broke through Frost's thoughts, and he turned towards the other Eons. The Dustox the brothers had been fighting had split into three images of itself, each of the copies flapping their wings and spewing another cloud of poison dust.

Leaf growled and leapt backwards, his soft brown eyes narrowed at the Dustox trio. The gem on Shadow's forehead shimmered with silver light and one of the Dustox twitched, vanishing without a trace. Leaf leapt at one of the remaining Dustox, the end of his tail glowing with green light, spinning in mid-air to strike the moth with his tail.

The Dustox screeched loudly, a gash forming across its tattered wing, and the remaining duplicate vanished without a trace. Angry compound eyes glared at the Leafeon, and it spat a foul glob of purple muck from its mouth. Shadow's forehead gem glowed once more, and a pale barrier formed in front of the Leafeon, deflecting the sludge away from his brother, where it struck the ground harmlessly.

Leaf murmured a word of thanks to his brother, and a vine extended from one of the sprouts on his body. With a hint of clumsiness still apparent in his technique, the Leafeon flicked the vine forcefully across the Dustox's abdomen, sending the poison moth reeling. Shadow fired another condensed sphere of psychic energy in that moment, and despite the Dustox's attempts to dodge, a second sphere struck it squarely in the face, erupting in a spray of sparks and coursing energy.

When the sparks faded, the Dustox was motionless on the grass, one of its wings twitching faintly before going still as unconsciousness claimed the moth.

Watching them filled Frost with a sense of pride. To see the two able to hold their own in battle like this was a sure sign that their training had not been in vain. Just a week ago, he had needed to intervene any time that Shadow came into conflict, but now he seemed to have gained enough control over his psychic abilities to fight without Frost's aid at all.

That said, the Glaceon was beginning to wonder if he and Astrid were currently engaged in a secret contest to see how long they could go without joining the fight. Neither of them had done anything since arriving, instead leaving the battling to the younger Eons and Bee-Bee.

Sudden movement caught Frost's attention, and he spun around, forming a Shadow Ball in his maw. Something hard connected with his jaw, forcing his mouth shut, and the Shadow Ball detonated prematurely, the Glaceon reeling from the blow, his dark eyes tearing up.

"What the-?" Astrid gasped, taken aback by the appearance of a new threat. Frost blinked to clear the pained tears clouding his gaze, and he could see a crimson insect standing before him. It stood on two legs, and its arms ended in vicious pincers, decorated with yellow and black markings. Much of its body seemed to be covered in metal, yet its movements appeared unhindered by this feature.

The Scizor stepped forward, Frost instinctively stepping back a pace, his eyes scanning the crimson bug for any noticeable weaknesses that he could exploit. There was an overwhelming sense of confidence and pressure radiating from the Pokemon, the likes of which he hadn't seen in any Pokemon aside from Lin. Fear was already beginning to claim his heart, juxtaposed with an eager desire to test his mettle against such a foe.

One of the crimson insect's pincers clicked loudly, and the Beautifly moved so quickly that Frost wondered whether it had teleported to the Scizor's side, leaving Bee-Bee momentarily confused before she spotted the Scizor.

"You..." the Beedrill hissed, her voice dripping with more venom than probably existed within her body.

The Scizor glanced at Bee-Bee indifferently. "You know me? Tut, can't say the same for you. Beedrill lackeys are all the same to me."

Bee-Bee's next response was buzzed too rapidly to be understood, but even Frost got the gist of what was said. Leaf looked completely confused, so either he hadn't caught any of the Beedrill's words or, more likely, he hadn't understood the specific phrases she had used.

"That's nice, sweetheart," the Scizor commented indifferently, and its eyes swept the clearing, pausing briefly on the two defeated Beedrill and the fallen Dustox. "Oh, that's a shame. The hive didn't even send their best Beedrill and your sister got taken out, Sugar," the Scizor commented to the Beautifly.

"Am I to assume you're the ringleader?" Frost asked, allowing a slight sneer to cross his face as he spoke, offering an indirect challenge to the bipedal insect. No one else had dared to move, and despite her obvious aggression towards the Scizor, even Bee-Bee had remained where she was, her eyes never leaving the two enemy insects.

"Do I know you?" the Scizor wondered, regarding Frost with disinterest. Frost bristled at the dismissive tone, but forced himself to remain calm and level-headed. He was rapidly getting the impression that the Scizor was deliberately using an attitude to rile up his opponents and bait them into attacking recklessly.

"Not personally, but I imagine you've heard of me before," Frost replied, flicking one of his head dangles with purposeful arrogance. "I'm Frost. Ring a bell?"

"I'm not even going to pretend to think about that one," the Scizor answered indifferently, taking another step into the clearing, and Frost took another pace backwards, keeping a constant distance between himself and the crimson insect. "I don't know any male Glaceon, and my business here is exclusively with the Hive."

"And you expect us to simply step aside and permit you to do as you please with the forest and its inhabitants?" Frost sneered, shifting into an aggressive stance, his icy fur bristling.

"No, that's not it," Astrid spoke up from the back of the clearing. "Thresher is a tactician, not a leader." Shadow flinched and glanced at the Absol, who was gazing intently at the Scizor. Her expression was more serious than usual, and like Frost, she had shifted into a more battle-ready stance.

"Oho! I almost didn't notice you, Astrid," the Scizor chuckled, and his eyes glinted. "So you caught onto the reality of this situation, have you?"

"Yes," the Absol answered blandly. "You've got a pronged offensive, don't you? And I'm betting you're the greatest threat, but the least invested, to avoid a decapitated army situation if you lose."

"Not much gets past you, Astrid," the Scizor chuckled. "I wanted a tri-pronged offensive, but I knew Spice struggles against superior numbers if she gets separated from her sister for too long. By keeping myself in reserve, I can ensure the Hive's forces remain split, even if they get a leg up on the Wurmple twins."

"Bet you didn't plan for us to be here," Frost noted smugly.

"You're of no importance. The only factor that matters is I didn't anticipate Astrid," Thresher corrected indifferently. Frost bristled, the temperature of the area dropping drastically, until everyone's breath began coming out as a cloud of icy mist.

"Hey! It's too cold!" Leaf whined, but Frost paid the complaint no attention. All that mattered to him right now was the crimson bug standing before him. A smirk tugged at his mouth, and his dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

So...this opponent believed that he didn't matter, huh? Then it was about time to see what Frost could do to change that impression.


	59. Cold War of Arrogance

Frost didn't bother giving Thresher the courtesy of acknowledging his intent to battle. If the Scizor was going to treat him as a non-entity, then he didn't deserve the honor of proper combat etiquette. Besides, Frost owed him some payback for the sucker punch to the jaw earlier.

The temperature of the forest clearing continued to drop as Frost sprung into action, closing the gap between himself and the Scizor. Once he was at point-blank range, he exhaled forcefully, snowflakes billowing from his mouth and scattering over the Scizor's metal body, each flake glittering blue.

Thresher took the icy gale with nary a wince, and one of his pincers glowed white. The next moment, Frost felt the Scizor's pincer connect with the side of his head, striking him with enough force and speed to send him tumbling backwards, stars flashing before his vision. Even dazed, he could hear Shadow's alarmed gasp, and he growled, pushing himself to his feet.

Did Shadow really think a simple foe like this would be able to down him in a single blow? The only one who deserved the honor of defeating him was Lin, and only because she had taught him everything he knew. The Glaceon narrowed his eyes at the crimson insect, the air around him becoming colder with every passing moment. Any fear of the repercussions of lowering the temperature had been banished from his mind. All that mattered was defeating this enemy.

"Sugar, entertain Astrid, if you could," Thresher ordered softly to the Beautifly hovering beside him. The butterfly chittered, and darted past Frost to engage the Absol, who had been hurrying over to their side of the clearing.

Frost formed a blob of ghostly energy within his mouth and spat it at the Scizor, following it up immediately with another Shadow Ball. To his alarm, Thresher didn't even try to dodge, the spheres of energy detonating forcefully against his body, but the Scizor emerged from the smoke without a dent on its body. Taken aback, Frost took an unsteady pace backwards, his dark eyes widening in disbelief.

This was the second time that his attacks had been successful, but with no effect on the opponent. Before he could even process the situation, Thresher moved so quickly that Frost could only see a crimson blur. Acting on instinct, Frost exhaled forcefully, a gale of icy wind roaring through the clearing, buffeting the Scizor in the chest, and temporarily halting the attack. Frost seized that moment, darting at his foe and spinning, his tail taking on a pale blue glow before striking across the metal bug's left leg.

This time, he got a reaction. Thresher stumbled from the blow, giving Frost the opportunity to repeat the technique to the opposite leg. It worked, and Thresher lost his balance entirely, falling to one knee, his eyes glaring at Frost, who couldn't resist a cocky smirk in reply.

"Fine, play that way," Thresher said, his tone still holding a note of indifference. A pair of insect wings fired out from the Scizor's back, and Thresher kicked off the grass, the buzzing wings providing a sudden burst of speed that caught Frost by surprise. Without hesitation, Thresher delivered two swift, merciless blows to the Glaceon's body with his pincers, a crimson gash opening across Frost's shoulder.

Ignoring the pain erupting through his body, Frost hurled himself sideways, just in time to avoid a downwards blow that hit the ground with enough force for the pincer to get stuck in the ground, precisely where Frost's head had been located a second earlier. Frost's eyes widened, and cold anger surged through his body as he climbed back to his feet, wincing a little from the pain in his shoulder.

Thresher grunted, vainly attempting to remove his pincer from the ground, his eyes on Frost despite his temporary disadvantage. Frost growled quietly, every passing moment bringing the temperature around him lower and lower. Part of him was aware that the temperature drop was having a drastic effect on those around him, Leaf in particular whimpering from the cold, the young Leafeon curling into a ball and shivering. Shadow was likewise shivering, but his devotion to his brother seemed to be prompting him to curl around his younger brother for the purposes of sharing body warmth. Bee-Bee and the Beautifly were moving a little more sluggishly, and although Frost couldn't see, he suspected that Astrid was all but unfazed. Absol were used to harsh conditions, so she should just be grateful that Frost was giving her opponent a disadvantage for her.

"Ruthless, aren't you?" Frost mused to Thresher. The Scizor said nothing, gazing back at Frost without the slightest hint of fear. "Then I'll throw that back at you."

The Glaceon exhaled, and a frigid wind roared through the forest clearing, ripping leaves and branches from the nearest trees as it moved, snow and ice forming all around them, leaving flecks of white on the grass and trees. The howling wind grew louder as Frost directed his energy into the air, a storm of ice striking Thresher forcefully.

Frost panted a little, his dark eyes glittering with excitement. It felt amazing to unleash his ice abilities like this sometime. He hadn't gotten the chance to really let loose against an opponent since his battle with Lin, and even then, she would have been right at home under such an icy assault, whereas he couldn't say the same about a Scizor.

The Glaceon's eyes widened as the icy mist faded, revealing the Scizor before him. Snow and ice clung to its body, and Thresher had retracted his wings to protect them, but he was definitely still standing, his eyes fixed upon Frost.

"Impossible...how are you taking everything I dish out without even flinching?" Frost demanded, his fur bristling.

"Idiot," Thresher scoffed. "Do you think a Scizor's armor is just for looks? This is Sinnoh, evolving to overcome cold is not only wise, but necessary. You're not even that strong...more like a warm breeze to what I've overcome before."

Frost could only move his mouth wordlessly, incredulous at the Scizor's gall. To call him insignificant before, and now even claiming that he wasn't that strong? He had honed his ice abilities under the guidance of the strongest Pokemon he had ever met, and even if he wasn't on her level, the least he could expect was recognition as being above the average Pokemon's strength.

If Thresher denied him this much, then maybe it was time he held nothing back.

"A warm breeze, am I?" Frost murmured, and his eyes glinted. "We'll see..."

Thresher raised a pincer arm, a sphere of silver energy charging within its grasp. A moment later, the projectile fired towards Frost, only to strike the ground harmlessly as Frost leapt backwards, forming a Shadow Ball in his maw and launching a counter-strike. The ghostly energy detonated against the Scizor's armor, but Thresher stepped forward, unscathed.

Again, the Scizor aimed his arm, launching another sphere of silver energy, but each time that Frost dodged, Thresher adjusted his aim and let loose with another Flash Cannon. The Glaceon ducked and weaved, occasionally counterattacking with a Shadow Ball or even a blue-white beam of ice energy, but these attacks didn't so much as dent the Scizor's seemingly impenetrable armor, and it quickly became more productive to only focus on dodging.

Thresher abruptly slashed his pincer in a horizontal line, launching an entire barrage of smaller energy spheres that exploded along the grass at Frost's feet, the Glaceon displaying impressive agility in evading the blasts. As soon as he touched the ground, he kicked off the grass again, narrowly avoiding the follow-up projectile. He chuckled in spite of himself upon seeing the Scizor's frustrated expression.

It was fantastic! An exhilarating thrill to fight an opponent of this caliber. Thresher was strong, a truly competent opponent, but one that had made the foolish error of underestimating him. A wiser foe would have caught onto Frost's skill by now and shifted his tactics to a proper mixture of direct combat and projectiles to keep the Glaceon on his toes. As it was, Thresher was too confident in his invincibility to bother moving from where he stood, and so long as Frost kept a fair distance away, the Scizor saw no reason to move.

There wasn't a trick that he couldn't foresee. Lin had trained him diligently in anticipating relentless projectile attacks, and maneuvering in a manner that didn't leave him open to follow-ups. Too much leaping and ducking made one easy to predict, and once an enemy figured that out, they could adjust their aim to anticipate one's evasive maneuvers. When Frost was younger, he thought Lin was being somewhat hypocritical, for her style incorporated an alarming amount of somersaulting and jumping, but back at the Ruins, she had demonstrated otherwise. There never was a moment where Lin spent too much time airborne. All of her maneuvering had been for a reasonably practical length of time, and she even tended to keep rolls and the like tight to the ground, allowing her to recover from these maneuvers too quickly for anyone to capitalize on them.

However, he knew he couldn't just play the evasion game forever. He needed to find a way to take the offensive against a foe whose armor was seemingly untouchable by his usual techniques. For that, he would need to make the surrounding area even colder, and then, he would need to bait the Scizor into charging. That moment would seal the Scizor's fate.

Frost dodged yet another barrage of Flash Cannon spheres, this time landing nearer to the Scizor and flashing him a cocky smirk that he was sure would enrage his foe. Thesher's eye twitched, and that was proof enough of the effect Frost was having on him. Such an arrogant foe, dismissive of any threat Frost might pose to him...he couldn't handle the frustration of his attacks being useless. It was coming...any moment now...

Thresher dashed towards him, but the cold seemed to be having more of an effect on his agility than anticipated, because his movements seemed to be in slow-motion. Both pincers were glowing with a pale green light, and the Scizor was pulling both arms back, preparing to strike with both of them. Such a novice tactic, and precisely what Frost had been waiting for.

He waited until the Scizor was almost upon him, and then he darted forward, ducking under the Scizor's legs and sweeping his glowing tail beneath his opponent, sending the metal insect crashing to the grass.

Frost pivoted to face his downed foe, and a smirk tugged at his muzzle. If the Scizor's wings were so vulnerable to cold that they needed to be retracted, then maybe there was a weakness to exploit after all. A flaw in the armor, perhaps? Or maybe he could simply demolish the Scizor with sheer, overwhelming power.

Ice was the ultimate force in the natural world. A beauty so exquisite that it took many art forms to even try to capture a fraction of its loveliness. Paintings of snowy fields, of snow-covered mountains, of frosted pine trees among a forest...many books, movies, stories of all kinds involving those with supernatural ice powers, and the amazing power that could be found within such beautiful, yet horrifying abilities.

Such was the power that he had embraced and made his own.

To underestimate ice was to tempt and taunt fate. Those unprepared for the harshness of the ultimate chill would succumb swiftly to its power. This Scizor dared to underestimate him and his power, and dared to think so little of him, yet wielded ruthless tactics in battle. Such ruthlessness went beyond skillful combat and relied instead on permanently incapacitating foes. Cowardly tactics. So cowardly. So weak. It was sickening.

His tune might change once he was entombed in ice. To be buried by the very power he mocked, the irony would be so satisfying.

The Glaceon's body began to shimmer with a white aura, as if the air outlining his body had become so cold that it had become one with the icy energy radiating from him. The forest was freezing cold, but the Glaceon felt warm inside, feeling at the height of his game. Ice made his enemies sluggish, but it gave him even more strength and agility. This sense of power was intoxicating, even arousing, as if there was nothing he couldn't accomplish right now.

Thresher lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at Frost. For a split second, Frost could see a glimpse of fear within the Scizor's eyes, for as soon as the metal bug had looked at him, he was able to see the true depth of his error lurking behind Frost's eyes. Coldness more intense than the most terrible Sinnoh winter stared back at Thresher.

"W-what is with this cold?" Thresher sputtered, his eyes flicking around the forest clearing with a bewildered expression.

"Feel free to amend your assessment of my strength, Scizor," Frost spoke, and even coming from him, the words felt foreign, as if someone else was speaking them. From the corner of his eye, he saw Astrid flinch, but he didn't care about that very much.

"Turned against me, it's still nothing special," Thresher said indifferently, getting to his feet. Frost's eyes narrowed dangerously, followed by a cold smirk.

"Famous last words, Scizor."

With that, Frost launched the Ice Beam he had been charging within his body. The aura surrounding his body dissipated, becoming absorbed into the sphere of pale blue energy forming in his mouth. The sphere seemed to actively draw in all the coldness from the clearing, and took with it the moisture of the air, freezing it rapidly and propelling an intense beam of blue-white light at his foe.

Thresher stood still, making no effort to avoid the attack. So complete was his confidence that he didn't even raise an arm to defend himself, even as the beam engulfed his body, an icy mist erupting from all around the Scizor.

Frost panted heavily, his dark eyes glinting with satisfaction, waiting for the mist to subside and reveal his buried foe. Scizor armor or not, he couldn't imagine anything capable of withstanding such a icy assault. Even if he survived, the battle would undoubtedly be called as his victory. Assuming he'd be able to get up at all.

Getting up wouldn't be enough to escape the ultimate fate that- wait, what?

Frost flinched, his dark eyes blinking in alarm and confusion. Where the hell had that thought process been coming from? Since when did he casually muse about burying his foes in ice?

At the same time, the Glaceon realized just how far the temperature around him had dropped. Shame and embarrassment welled up in his chest, and he hastily released his control over the atmospheric temperature, retreating several paces from the mist.

Now that he had refocused, he realized just how badly the temperature had been tormenting Shadow and Leaf. The Espeon had formed a small psychic barrier around them, possibly to reduce any ice-based attacks from affecting them, but it was clear that this desperate defense was unlikely to hold up had Frost continued lowering the temperature or flinging more ice attacks around.

Frost couldn't even think of making eye contact with the two Eons, and instead fixed Thresher with a cold stare. Until the fate of his foe was determined, he wouldn't be able to justify how far he had gone to defeat him.

"What the-?" Frost's eyes widened in disbelief. Instead of Thresher, Astrid now stood in front of him, her eyes glowing with a vibrant green light. His eyes flicked around the clearing, eventually landing on the Scizor, who looked just as baffled and stunned as he did, now crouched beside an unconscious Beautifly from across the clearing.

"That's enough," Astrid growled softly. For the first time since meeting her, she seemed legitimately angry, and her green eyes were devoid of playful amusement. Frost was too bewildered to argue.

Thresher stared at her. "...why?" he demanded finally. "Why did you switch with me?"

"Disaster sense went off," Astrid answered, and she glanced back at him. "I came here to avert a disaster in the forest. Like hell will I let you be the victim of disaster while I watch."

Thresher scowled, rising to his feet and gesturing forcefully with one of his pincers, the agitation present in his eyes. "This doesn't change anything, Astrid! The attack on the Eterna Hive is still underway, and sparing my life won't stop the others. We've done too much to back- WHAT?!"

The Scizor whirled around, and Frost blinked, spotting a new Bug-type Pokemon hovering nervously at Thresher's shoulder. It was light-blue in color, with two pairs of small, flapping wings. Its most noticeable feature, however, was its larger antenna that appeared to have a set of intimidating eye spots upon them.

The Masquerain's response was too quiet for Frost to make out, but he was too winded from the battle to really care too much about anything other than getting a breather. His heart was pounding, and he could still feel a sense of anger writhing in his chest, try as he might to quell the feelings.

"That's not possible," Thresher hissed. "The Hive was supposed to split their forces so that...never mind. Damn it..."

The Scizor turned back, visibly frustrated.

"Plans fall apart?" Astrid wondered sweetly. Frost couldn't make out the Scizor's reply, but Astrid sounded more amused than ever when she answered. "Not into that, sorry."

"Fine, go ahead and pat yourself on the back," Thresher hissed, turning his gaze to Bee-Bee, who miraculously had gotten through the entire situation seemingly unscathed, although she seemed a little drowsy from the lingering cold. "Until next time, lackey."

The Scizor clicked its pincer, and the Masquerain's eye spot antennae glowed white, releasing an blinding surge of light over the clearing, forcing everyone present to shield their eyes from the incredible brightness.

When the light had faded, the Scizor and Masquerain had vanished without a trace. Even the unconscious forms of the Beautifly and Dustox had disappeared. Astrid heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head pityingly.

"You're familiar with him?" Frost asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not here," the Absol replied curtly. "Too cold for those two," she explained, nodding to the younger Eons. Frost winced, again reminded of how extreme his tactics had gotten before. He had never needed to go all-out before, and as satisfying as the experience promised to be, it came at great risk to those around him. Mercifully, Astrid made no further comment on the subject, and instead began guiding the three Eons away from the frigid clearing.

"I'm going to have to...report to the Hive," Bee-Bee explained, the sluggishness in her body also manifesting within her speech, for every word spoken was perfectly comprehensible. "See you later, Leaf," she said. Leaf nodded quickly, all too eager to get moving to somewhere warmer, and with that, the Beedrill flew off into the forest.

"This way," Astrid said, and to Frost's surprise, she began walking in a different direction than the way they had come in. This detail was not lost on Shadow, either, because he frowned and inquired about it. "I know, but we're closer to the Eterna City exit, and the sooner we leave the forest, the better," she explained, looking around with a trace of wariness. "I wouldn't put it past Thresher to have one of his allies ambush us if we linger too long."

An awkward silence fell between them as they walked, the movement doing wonders for Leaf and Shadow's circulation, but Frost couldn't help but notice that the Leafeon seemed a bit overtired. Another wave of guilt spread through his gut at the reminder that due to Leaf's age and species, he was far more susceptible to cold temperatures and sunlight withdrawal. The forest was too dark to give his body adequate sunlight, and the cold had probably sapped most of his energy. With that in mind, he was in full agreement that leaving the forest as quickly as possible was in their best interests.

Shadow suddenly stopped in his tracks, his silver eyes widening, and Frost turned to look at him in concern, a sentiment mirrored by the Espeon's younger brother. "Y-you okay, Shadow?" Leaf asked nervously.

Shadow shook his head. "I...don't want to go this way," he said.

"What? Why not?" Astrid asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Something doesn't feel right," the Espeon insisted, his eyes sweeping the forest path anxiously. "What's up ahead, do you know?"

The Absol furrowed her brow. "Nothing, really. It's pretty much a straight path out of the forest. We pass the Old Chateau, but that's just an old, rundown mansion on the side of the path. No one's lived there for decades."

Frost frowned. "What kind of vibe are you picking up, Shadow?" he asked seriously. By this point, he had determined that Shadow was able to pick up subtle feelings or sensations, such as pinpricks of danger or shifts in weather patterns. If he was picking up danger of some kind, it was probably wiser to take the vibe seriously in the wake of the forest crisis.

"It's like back at the Ruins...but so much worse," Shadow said quietly. Frost flinched at the Espeon's tone. The words were spoken clearly enough, but there was no denying the absolute fear within his voice. "I felt it this morning, too..."

Astrid abruptly raised a paw to silence them. What she said next sent a sudden, inexplicable shiver through Frost's body.

"Someone's coming this way."


	60. Hostile Reunion

No one spoke after Astrid's declaration, and barely anyone moved. Leaf was still huddling against Shadow's body, cold clinging to his fur stubbornly. Shadow wasn't faring too much better in that department, but conditions were improving gradually from back at the clearing. The Espeon made a mental note to majorly scold Frost for his reckless use of cold temperatures, but now didn't seem to be the best time.

In addition to just being uncomfortable, the lingering chill was making it difficult for Shadow to focus on his prickles at the back of his mind, and so he was struggling to really get a sense of why he had suddenly become so anxious again. It was more a gut feeling than anything, but he wasn't one to doubt these instincts nowadays. Even back at the Solaceon Ruins, his gut instincts had been proven to be at least partially right, and the vibe from earlier that morning was still lurking in his brain.

The Espeon's ears twitched, catching a hint of sound from further down the pathway, and even the faint murmur of chattering. Astrid's eyes had narrowed a little, and she was quietly murmuring to herself, the words of which were too unintelligible for Shadow to understand. Frost was shifting his weight impatiently, his ears straining to catch the sounds that Astrid was picking up on. Leaf, by contrast, was completely oblivious to what was going on, and probably too fatigued from the cold and absence of sunlight to really notice that the group had stopped and hadn't done anything for almost two minutes.

"Can't you tell if what's coming is dangerous or not?" Shadow asked the Absol irritably. "With your disaster sense or whatever you call it?"

Astrid blinked and turned her gaze to Shadow with mild amusement. "An Absol's ability is not so clear-cut, you know," she answered with a small smile. Shadow got the impression that she was used to answering this question. "Like, I don't get details of what kind of disaster is about to strike, I just get a sense of something brewing. Sort of like an impending storm, or dark clouds over an area. If I picked up details, you'd think I wouldn't always be tardy in arriving on the scenes."

Shadow frowned to himself. He couldn't exactly fault that answer. Much like his own psychic sense, he didn't usually know exact details of what he was sensing, and it usually only pertained to things in the immediate vicinity. Now and then, he was able to determine whether something was dangerous, but rarely with that much accuracy. An Absol's sense could very well be similar, but even more broad or subjective in terms of what it picked up.

"But what about what you said as your reason for interfering on my fight?" Frost asked, his tone slightly colder than usual. "You said it went off, so you had to intervene to avert it."

Astrid shrugged nonchalantly. "Just because it went off at that moment doesn't necessarily mean it went off BECAUSE of that fight. I just wasn't going to take chances. And just so you know, you should have gotten your tail kicked."

"What."

Shadow flinched, giving the Glaceon a wary glance. The reaction had been completely deadpan, but Frost had narrowed his eyes at Astrid. Thankfully, there was no fluctuation in the temperature around them, which allowed Shadow to relax a little bit. By this point, he had figured out that the Glaceon did not care for his strength or skills to be questioned or insulted. And that was putting it mildly. Then again, this hadn't been a difficult conclusion to reach, considering how put out Frost had been back when Raze recommended finding a better tutor for Shadow's psychic abilities.

"Yeah, he wasn't really trying," Astrid said with a shrug, seemingly oblivious to the effect her words were having on the Ice-type Eon. "Shh, they're almost up to our location" she shushed the Glaceon swiftly, when he opened his mouth to retort.

Shadow had also become increasingly aware of the sounds of footsteps and quiet chatter, accompanied by a spasm of discomfort passing through him. He tensed his body, narrowing his eyes as something rounded the bend up ahead.

Astrid cocked her head curiously at the approaching figures, and now that Shadow had a line of sight of them, he realized that there were three different Pokemon. One of them was a humanoid figure that stood roughly at his height, with shoulder-length green hair and a white garment of some sort cloaking its body, giving him a particularly feminine vibe. It had two pink horn-like objects on either side of its head, and its eyes were a bright pink. Even at this distance, he felt an oddly soothing vibe from her.

The second Pokemon, and evidently the most talkative of the trio, was an odder sight. It had a bright orange body and hovered in mid-air, a strange blue energy field outlining its form. In addition, it seemed to have no limbs at all, save for two strange lightning-bolt shaped appendages near the bottom of its body.

But it was the third Pokemon that made his breath catch in his throat, and his entire body tensed, his silver eyes narrowing with instinctive aggression. Whereas the other two Pokemon were complete strangers, the likes of which he had never seen before, the third Pokemon was all too-familiar.

A bipedal canine with blue fur, with red eyes peering from behind a mask of black fur, and one paw glowing with blue flames. The vibes it gave off were nowhere near as strong as the last time they had met, but he didn't need those vibes to experience the surge of hatred towards the Riolu.

The small group paused on noticing the second group of Pokemon standing before them. Astrid considered the three with great interest, evidently finding nothing remotely unpleasant or suspicious about them. Frost was studying the hovering electric-type with the greatest fascination, leaving the Riolu overall unnoticed. Likewise, the three Pokemon were regarding each member of their group with wary fascination, and Shadow silently noted that the humanoid's gaze seemed to overlook him entirely, drifting from Frost to Leaf. Then again, his fur did blend with the shadows of the forest quite well.

"Hi!" the electric creature chirped, waving its lightning bolt appendage in greeting. Astrid stifled a giggle with her paw, her jagged tail flicking with playful amusement.

"Hey," she replied with a smile, then glanced at Frost. "If two groups of strangers meet, who starts introductions?" she wondered.

"I wasn't aware we intended to linger long enough for introductions. Wasn't the plan to leave the forest as swiftly as possible to avoid potential ambushes?" Frost answered, casting a glance towards Shadow. "Our only reason for delay was because-"

"Oh hell," the Riolu breathed, his eyes having followed Frost's glance, causing him to realize the Espeon was not only present, but giving him a death glare.

"Um..." the green-haired humanoid spoke up, her voice distinctly feminine, but also very faint and nervous-sounding. "Did the tension just skyrocket?"

"I don't think so," Astrid answered casually, looking around. "Ooh, you're a Kirlia, right? So you're the empathic sort?"

"Um...yes?"

"Is that a question?" Frost scoffed. The Kirlia fidgeted awkwardly.

"No?" she guessed. Shadow rolled his eyes, silently hoping that Frost wasn't going to pursue this element of the conversation for long.

"Do you have names yet?" the electric Pokemon interjected curiously. "If not, I could come up with some!"

Astrid giggled. "Thanks, but I'm pretty sure we all have names already. I'm Astrid."

"I'm Plasma!" the hovering Pokemon supplied promptly, smiling at the Absol.

"You're a Rotom," Frost noted. It was not a question, but the Glaceon's tone was one of genuine interest. "An electronics possessor, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yup! My favorite is a TV, but I can possess other stuff, too. I live in the Old Chateau, which has a surprising number of cool stuff for me to play with, like an old fan, some old machines, and even a broken refrigerator! Good thing there wasn't any food in that, because I haven't checked out most of my house for like twenty-odd years, and that could have stunk to high heaven. Time flies when you're watching reality shows, right?"

All throughout this miniature speech, the Riolu and Shadow had yet to say something, neither of them willing to look away from the other, although Shadow took great care to avoid prolonged eye contact. He had no reason whatsoever to assume anything about this Pokemon, despite the absence of vibes associated with Diablos. There would forever be an negative imprint of this Pokemon's existence in his mind, and he doubted he'd ever truly relax around him, either.

Cecilia had told him that Force had been an unwilling victim of Diablos' possession and was no more pleased by what had happened than she had been, but it didn't make a difference in Shadow's mind. Having faced Diablos in the depths of the Ruins, once again possessing this Riolu, had solidified his fears. Few individuals could be absolutely trusted, and those willingly associated with the demon were to viewed with suspicion at all times, especially those known to have been possessed previously.

"Um, I'm Iris," the Kirlia said, flashing a nervous smile at the group. Force subtly beckoned to the Kirlia, who leaned in closely for the Riolu to whisper something urgently to her. As he spoke, her eyes widened a little and for the first time, her gaze flicked towards Shadow.

"What are you saying?" Shadow asked sharply, causing Leaf to flinch from beside him, and both Iris and Force looked up, slightly alarmed. His sudden aggression caught him briefly by surprise, but his gaze hardened regardless. He still had good reason to view them with suspicion, and he was not going to let them conspire in secret if it might put Leaf, himself, or Frost in harm's way. In the back of his mind, he was aware that he might be behaving irrationally, but he'd rather be irrational and safe than sensible but dead.

"Uh, nothing, just-" Force began, but Shadow growled, his fur bristling.

"You can't say it's nothing when I see you whispering," he snapped. His head was pounding a little now, and the psychic pressure within his skull was building, as though his mood was compressing his head, causing the energy to strain against their limits.

"Okay, just take it easy," Force said, raising his paws before his body in an attempt to placate him, taking care to diffuse the aura flames surrounding it before doing so. "All I said was your name and where you were standing, okay?"

"...I'm so lost right now," Astrid said, looking between Force and Shadow with slight concern. Leaf and Frost seemed similarly confused, although the Glaceon was studying Force with growing realization.

"This is like a real-life soap opera scene. I just wish I knew the context, so I could enjoy it on multiple...what?" Plasma abruptly stopped speaking and got a distant expression on his face. "Ooh, I see. That's...pretty juicy drama."

Iris and Force turned towards the Rotom with puzzled expressions, but he responded by humming a jaunty tune to himself innocently until they refocused on their group.

Force sighed and massaged his forehead with his right paw. "Look, we're not looking for any conflict here. So we'd like to just-"

"Hang on a second," Astrid jerked her head up, her green eyes focused intently on the Riolu's massaging paw. "Where did you get that?"

"What?" Force blinked at the Absol, then lowered his arm to his chest level. Now that his attention had been drawn to it, Shadow was able to see a crude metal ring of some sort fastened to the Riolu's wrist. "This?"

"That too, but more importantly, I'm asking about that stone in the center," Astrid clarified nonchalantly. She took a slow step closer to get a better look.

"Uh...we found it at the Solaceon Ruins about a week ago," Force answered, glancing at Shadow nervously, as if he knew the mere mention of their last meeting would incite an aggressive response. Shadow just scowled, drawing his tail around Leaf, silently commanding his brother to remain close. Leaf flinched a little at the touch, but then relaxed again. Shadow didn't really expect Leaf to resist much in his fatigued state, but the secondary purpose of the gesture was to send a warning to the opposing group not to do anything against Leaf.

"Oh, is that the same stone Lin had me carry out of the Ruins?" Frost wondered dismissively. "Not much of a fashion statement, but to each their own."

"Hey!" Plasma protested, sounding offended by Frost's flippant tone. "I made that cool bracelet out of bits of metal and old jewelry stored up in my attic. Did you know I can totally use my body as a crude welding tool?"

"I'm not trying to be fashionable," Force argued, crossing his arms defensively. "It's just the only lead we have to figuring out what it does."

"Wait...you're wearing it like that, but you don't actually know what it is?" Astrid asked, her voice abruptly rising in pitch, and her green eyes widening in a mixture of disbelief and concern. "Why would you do something like that?"

This response earned Astrid a number of confused and alarmed looks from everyone present. Leaf whined a little bit, cuddling closer against Shadow, either in pursuit of further warmth or of greater comfort than just the forked tail around his shoulders.

"Um...well, we're trying to figure out more about it," Iris explained nervously, fidgeting with her paws. "Our visit to the Ruins of Alph didn't go well, so we don't have other leads and..."

"Leads for what?" Astrid asked, confused.

"I bet I can guess," Shadow growled. He met the Kirlia's pink gaze and focused intently. He had only the vaguest idea of what he was attempting to accomplish, but his hope was that he would at least get some flickers of insight from the attempt.

Iris flinched at the intensity of his gaze, and gripped Force's arm tightly.

"Oi! Don't you dare!" Force snapped, stepping forward as if to shield the Kirlia from Shadow's glare. Blue aura flames erupted from the Riolu's paw, far stronger than they had ever been in Shadow's memory, or even during their previous encounter. Slowly, the flames expanded outwards, surrounding the Riolu in a pale blue aura.

Even through the growing haze of anger writhing in his chest, Shadow recognized the tenderness behind the two bipeds' interactions. The way Force was shielding Iris now reminded him of how he always tried to shield Leaf from all threats, whether it be a rampaging Beedrill, or the zealous eyes of a novice Pokemon trainer.

The Espeon blinked and broke eye contact, the anger subsiding as swiftly as it had arisen. These two shared a similarly powerful bond to himself and Leaf, but with the affection of a loving couple. The Kirlia's name even resounded with his memory now, from when he had confronted the Riolu down in the depths of the Ruins.

Back then, the Riolu had nervously asked at one point whether Shadow was trying to read his mind, and that he only let Iris...something. Shadow had interrupted at that point, but it was obvious where the sentence had been going at the time. Force only allowed Iris, this Kirlia, to bond with his mind. Frost and Raze had teased Shadow about having his mind briefly linked with Cecilia, and also with Leaf, and following his tutoring with A/C, he understood now the significant level of trust needed to bond in this fashion.

"Force?" Iris squeaked, and it took the Riolu a moment to understand what his apparent lover was informing him of. Not only was he being surrounded by a shimmering aura, but the stone equipped to the crude bracelet was beginning to pulse softly, flickering on and off rhythmically, like the beating of a heart.

"What is this?" Frost wondered, the Glaceon looking increasingly bewildered with every twist the conversation had been taking. However, even he was regarding the flickering stone with incredible wariness, as if sensing something far more dangerous than visually apparent. When it came to ominous signs, objects glowing or flashing with peculiar light ranked fairly high on the list, and Shadow could perfectly relate to that concern - his forehead gem operated similarly, always glowing or flashing when tapping into the powerful energies within his body.

"It's an ancient stone containing an untold reserve of power that for some reason has an affinity with Force's aura," the Rotom supplied cheerfully. "Seems like our theory was spot-on, if it's responding to him like this now. It definitely resonates with him, and not Diablos."

Shadow growled at the mention of the Spiritomb's name, the name of the demon that had sent his family to hell. Hearing it spoken by the Rotom confirmed all his suspicions about these three Pokemon and their association with that monster. Yet...he wasn't surprised enough by the revelation for true anger to awaken in his heart. He had already known Force was associated, and Cecilia had made no secret of the fact that her group as a whole were in on it.

"How about we back away civilly now?" Force suggested, clenching his fist and fixing Shadow with a serious glare. "I don't have a quarrel with you personally, so don't give me reason to. You target Iris and I'll..."

"I won't," Shadow said solemnly. The Riolu blinked in surprise, but still regarded him with skeptical wariness. "I don't want revenge. Even if I did, I wouldn't take it out on her."

"Something's wrong," Astrid said suddenly, her eyes flicking around the forest, drawing everyone else's attention. "I don't know what it is, but...I don't like the feeling of it at all."

"I sense something, too," Iris said anxiously, clutching Force's arm tightly.

The Riolu cast Iris a concerned look, and then closed his eyes, allowing the aura field around his body to expand outwards. It was not too different from what Shadow himself had to do with his psychic abilities, yet another odd indication of how vaguely similar the two of them were to each other.

"We should go," Shadow said seriously, giving Leaf a light nudge with his head. The Leafeon whined a little, but nevertheless stood up and allowed himself to be nudged further down the path. Shadow kept a fraction of his attention on the tickling sensation in the back of his mind. It was already beginning to prickle, the sense of danger drawing nearer, yet its identity remaining elusive. It was unsettling, and the fact that Astrid, Iris, and Force all seemed to be sensing something nearby did not make him feel any better about it.

What happened next occurred so swiftly that Shadow never had time to process the warning before the danger was upon them. Light exploded around them in all directions, kicking up dust and debris all around them. Shadow dove sideways, seeking shelter behind a group of trees, but another barrage of energy bolts exploded nearer to his hiding place, forcing him to retreat further into the forest depths. Bits of bark erupted inches from his face, and stray twigs collapsed from somewhere above him.

In all the commotion, he realized that Leaf had not followed him, but when he tried to head back in that direction, he found a tangled mess of large branches in his path, all but sealing him from the rest of the group.

The forest descended into chaos as wild Pokemon burst out from their dens or hiding spots, seeking shelter and safety from the sudden attacks, some of them adding to the frenzy by launching attacks at any Pokemon in the vicinity they perceived as a threat. Few of them noticed Shadow in their haste to escape, and he again had his fur color to thank for the extra camouflage.

"Damn it," Shadow growled, struggling to see through the narrow slants in the fallen branches, in the hopes of catching a glimpse where anyone else in his group might have gone. The explosions seemed to have ceased, but he felt an uncomfortable buzzing in the back of his mind, as if something was causing some sort of interference to his psychic sense. He couldn't pick up anything at all, no matter how intently he focused his mind. No hint of anyone else's presence, friend or foe alike, and his ears failed to catch even the slightest sound that might be Leaf, or Frost, or even Astrid.

Growling in frustration, the Espeon weaved through the trees around him, searching for some alternate pathway that would take him back to the main section of the forest, but everywhere he looked seemed to have met a similar fate of destruction to the earlier pathway, and if the spot wasn't outright demolished, there were wild Pokemon darting in and out of the areas, making it impractical or even dangerous to try to slip through that way. His only option was to keep searching, and to keep his senses alert.

Panic was threatening to invade his thoughts. He had no idea where he was in the forest, and no clue what might have happened to the others. Best case scenario was that Frost or Astrid had seized Leaf and pulled him to safety, and it was all he could do to focus on that scenario instead of any of the less desirable outcomes.

The reminder that the rest of the Eterna Forest was far from a safe haven did not lighten his mood, either. The Eterna Hive was probably still on high-alert after fending off the earlier attacks, and Shadow didn't relish the idea of stumbling upon a hostile group by himself.

Finally, after what felt like hours of crawling over branches and fallen leaves, Shadow emerged in a less claustrophobic section of the forest. It wasn't as open as the earlier clearing, where Frost had practically frozen everyone to death, but it at least felt more like a path than the treacherous obstacle course he had just gone through.

As he stepped free of the tangles of broken twigs, Shadow was greeted by the less-than-welcome sight of a certain blue-furred biped. Force had evidently taken a similar pathway to reach this area, and he whirled around as Shadow emerged into the area, only to lower his paws.

"Oh, it's you," Force said, and even without an aggressive stance, the wariness in his demeanor was beyond blatant.

"I'm delighted to see you, too," Shadow snapped back. "What the hell happened?"

"Search me," Force said, shrugging impatiently. "Is anyone else with you?"

"No. I have no idea where anyone else went, and I can't sense a damn thing," Shadow grumbled. The buzzing in his head had still not lifted ever since the explosive light show had occurred, and it was not boding well for his mood. He was right back to feeling almost completely helpless, and until now he hadn't really recognized how much he had come to depend on his psychic foresight. Having it inactive made him feel jumpier than usual.

"Fine, guess we're going through this together, then," Force said, crossing his arms. "Truce?"

"We're not fighting now, are we?" Shadow retorted. There was a brief pause, and then both of them cracked the smallest of amused smiles.

"I just hope Iris is okay," Force said nervously. He lifted his paw and conjured a sphere of aura within it, inspecting the glowing paw carefully. "Yeah...she should be. I don't know why she hasn't Teleported to my side yet, though...she usually is pretty prompt when she's worried about me..."

"My psychic sense is acting up, maybe she's got a similar problem," Shadow suggested seriously. Force blinked at him.

"But...that's never been a problem with us, before. Are you able to Teleport?"

"I don't even know HOW to Teleport," Shadow sighed. Force scowled, but the frustration wasn't directed at Shadow, so he didn't bother reacting to the Riolu's expression.

"Okay. On foot it is, then," Force said, gesturing in one direction. Shadow didn't move, instead raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Oh...right, the whole animosity thing," Force said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, before taking the lead.

"Are you able to navigate the forest?" Shadow wondered, following after the Riolu.

"Vaguely, but I've got my aura abilities, so I can sort of get a reading on where familiar signatures are located," Force answered casually. "The trick is finding an actual path that goes that way. Tons of fun if you're exploring Mt. Coronet. I can find where we want to go, but the passageways are a maze with dead ends and the like, so there's a lot of trial and error involved."

Surprisingly, the two gradually managed to strike up a bit of a friendly rapport over this discussion topic. Force seemed perfectly willing to discuss the ins and outs of his aura abilities and the time he and the others had spent exploring the caverns of the great Sinnoh mountain, and all of it was new information for Shadow, so he was able to listen attentively without becoming irritated.

Force was just talking about the time they had gotten stranded somehow on one side of an enormous lake, with their destination on the opposite shore, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, and Shadow did likewise.

A high-pitched shriek filled the forest, the sound waves reverberating and echoing within the enclosure of trees, making it difficult to identify the whereabouts of the sound's source. Yet Shadow could sense its presence at a distance, even as his stomach churned with anxiety.

Coldness seeped beneath his skin, smothering him in its icy embrace. His heart pounded against his ribs, and it took most of his conscious effort to keep his breathing as steady as possible.

At the same time, Force gasped, instinctively clutching at his own chest, his red eyes widening in shock and pain. Like Shadow, the Riolu seemed momentarily struggling for breath, and fear clouded his eyes as the aura Pokemon raised his eyes towards the Espeon, as if aware that they were experiencing the same symptoms.

"You feel it too, don't you?" the Riolu whispered breathlessly, but there was no doubt in Shadow's mind that the question was directed to him, and him alone. Shadow didn't even have to reply, no doubt his expression supplied the answer for him.

Force straightened up, and fixed Shadow with a weak smile.

"Strange, isn't it? And to think that I've never made the connection before now. Now I get it...it's because we both have a piece of the same soul within us."

"What?" Shadow wished he could have said something more interesting, but his brain had practically shut down from the combination of the cold fear gripping his heart, and the realization that the Riolu he despised by instinct felt the same crippling discomfort.

Force evaded his eyes for a moment, but soon after looked back up, now wearing a slightly sad, almost guilty expression. "When we unsealed Diablos...he presented me with one of his souls, to strengthen my aura abilities. When he attacked you...he tried to transfer the soul from me to you, but your parents interfered, and the soul's been broken ever since. One piece within me, and one within you. The sensation we experience when the other is near...that's the broken soul resonating with its other half."

Shadow's eyes widened. The most terrifying thing about the Riolu's words was that they made complete sense. The last time he had revisited his memories of that one fateful encounter, he had realized that Diablos had attempted something that day, and tried again down at the Ruins, but until now he had no idea what the demon was trying to do. Ever since then, he had been plagued with this nameless fear accompanied by spasms of discomfort and cold terror. He had assumed it had to do with the traumatic memories, or that his mind and body instinctively recognized Diablos' presence. Perhaps that had been true in a way he had never imagined.

Force sighed softly. "I didn't make the connection down at the Ruins. Whenever I sensed your aura from a distance, I felt that discomfort, but never knew why. Diablos said he needed us to be in range of each other to remove the fragment, and that he couldn't possess me again, either."

The Riolu scowled bitterly, and Shadow immediately recalled what the Weavile had said when she and Frost had arrived at the lowest level of the Ruins. It seemed now more like an echo of what Force was saying to him now - that Diablos had claimed not to be able to possess the Riolu.

"What he meant was he couldn't possess me until we were in range again. I guess Lin convinced him to remove the fragment at the Ruins..." the Riolu trailed off miserably. "But it's not entirely gone."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Diablos told us last night," Force mused. "That when he was removing my fragment, Lin broke it again somehow, leaving a tiny fragment within me. I don't know how she did that, though..."

"She hit his paw with an Ice Shard," Shadow said quietly, his eyes widening in realization. Even now, he could perfectly recall the possessed Riolu's yelp of pain and surprise as the shard of ice had struck his paw, and Force collapsing like a marionette with severed strings. Even worse, was now he recalled how the green sphere of light had flew at him immediately, only to be deflected by an instinctive psychic barrier and disappearing into the wall. Now he understood...that had been Diablos attempting to merge the two broken halves within Shadow's body.

"Damn it," Force sighed, closing his eyes. "Even if it's a tiny piece, I don't want his power anymore."

"Why do you work with him?" Shadow asked seriously, doing his best not to make his tone too aggressive. It was a question that still burned within him, ever since his talk with Cecilia, where she had told him everything, including aspects of her group's discontent with the Spiritomb's methods. Nothing she had told him fully justified their motives for working with such an evil being.

"That's...a complicated question," the Riolu stated slowly.

"How?" Shadow demanded, stepping closer and facing the aura Pokemon. Force didn't flinch, only gazed at the agitated Espeon with a solemn expression. "After all he's put you through, and what he's done to me and my family, how can you possibly justify working with him? Why would you try to help unseal his powers if he can already do so much with what he has?"

Force sighed and averted his gaze. Normally, this would have been cause for annoyance, but this time, Shadow detected a different vibe from the aura Pokemon, an emotion that he couldn't perfectly label. It wasn't sadness, or fully guilt, although those elements were present on his face. It was deeper, and more sorrowful and complicated. Shadow waited patiently, silently wondering just how difficult it might have been for Force to put his thoughts and feelings into words.

"I suppose every team has that one member who is considered despicable compared to the others," Force said slowly. "The one that no one really trusts, or even likes, but who is too valuable...or even too dangerous, to abandon."

"That's not really an answer," Shadow said, frowning.

"Did you ask Cecilia this question?" Force wondered. Shadow flinched, but nodded, and the Riolu gave him a curious look. "What did she say?"

Shadow sighed, closing his eyes. Of all the things that the Quilava had told him during their talk, this one bit had stuck with him, and bothered him, more than anything else she had said.

* * *

 _"Why did you unseal him?" the Espeon wondered, fixing the Quilava with a serious frown. Cecilia hesitated, and then shook her head._

 _"I don't fully know. It wasn't my idea, and I left the last meeting early after confronting him over your parents, so if it was explained then, I wasn't there."_

 _"I see," Shadow replied softly, studying her in silence. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, looking up at him. Her eyes were an extremely attractive shade of blue, and he could clearly see how distraught the situation had left her. Despite all that had happened, there was a certain...trustworthiness about her, something he could at least admire, apart from the sleekness of her figure. He shook himself mentally to dispel those thoughts for now. "What do you plan to do now?" he asked, barely speaking above a whisper._

 _Cecilia fidgeted, her eyes betraying the storm of conflict raging in her mind. Finally, she looked up, and her eyes were sorrowful, glistening freely again._

 _"I won't abandon my friends," she stated, and smiled sadly. "They're all I have. No matter how hard it is for me, I'll stay with them until the very end, with the hope that it ends well. They mean everything to me."_

 _"And me? What about me?" Shadow ventured quietly. Cecilia gave him another sad smile._

 _"You matter to me...but maybe not in the way we may have hoped. When I look at you, I feel the weight of pain and guilt at how I've indirectly ruined your life and hurt your family, including Rio, one of my closest friends in the world," Cecilia said, and she closed her eyes tightly, her voice catching in her throat. "But you do matter...and that's why I had to tell you the truth about all of this..."_

 _The Quilava leaned forward, and placed a long, lingering kiss on the Espeon's mouth, before backing away._

 _"I only hope that can prove the sincerity of my remorse," she said quietly._

 _Shadow was silent for a long time. "Thank you," he said finally. "You cannot imagine how much it means to me to have been told these things...and I understand your decision. But my friends and brother is all I have left, so I'm sure you can accept my choice, too. I don't blame you for what happened, but if I'm a target, we have to part ways. That way...neither of us can be a pawn. All I can really do is give you this as an expression of my...gratitude."_

 _He stood up and pecked the Quilava sweetly, maintaining eye contact until she blushed and smiled._

 _"Wow, you're really wordy when you want to be," she said, stifling a giggle._

* * *

Shadow reopened his eyes, and focused on the Riolu, who was starting to give him a concerned look, as if afraid that he had fallen asleep mid-conversation. "She said she'd stand by her friends no matter what," Shadow said solemnly.

"I thought so," Force said, nodding and beginning to walk forward again. "If it's any-"

The Riolu's sentence was interrupted by him walking face-first into a solid object. Following the initial smacking sound of his face against the object, Force stumbled backwards, his eyes slightly dazed. Shadow stared at him, and then at the space in front of him, then back at Force.

The reason for Shadow's confusion was simple enough: there wasn't anything occupying the space in front of Force. No trees, no signs, no buildings, not even another Pokemon. It was empty space. Yet as Shadow peered closer, he noticed the faint shimmering in the air. Tentatively, he extended one of his paws, and felt something solid where the air shimmered. Furthermore, he was becoming gradually aware of a dull humming sound behind them.

"What was that?" Force demanded, cautiously prodding the space in front of them, and his eyes widened upon discovering the same invisible barrier that Shadow had. "Um...that's not good."

Both of them winced as a wave of discomfort overcame them simultaneously, and the humming became louder and more noticeable. Very slowly, the two Pokemon turned around, to find the source of the noise hovering in the air before them, and moving closer with slow, yet purposeful movements.

It was a bird-like creature with a sphere-like body. Green markings outlined a black stripe on its abdomen, and two blue eyes peered out from the makeshift darkness its design contained. Each of its wings and tail had several feather-like shapes protruding from them, with alternating blue and red stripes upon each feather. At the top of its head was a black stalk with a third blue eye upon it, reminding Shadow unpleasantly of the Solaceon Ruins and the symbols scattered throughout the place.

This was not the most worrisome detail, however. Not only was the creature uncomfortably familiar to him, but as it approached, he could see numerous scorch marks adorning various areas of its body, giving it an even eerier presence, like the survivor of a hellish landscape consumed by flames.

The Sigilyph showed no emotion as it drew nearer, and Force tensed, his red eyes upon the opposing Pokemon.

"Is that the same one?" Shadow wondered aloud. Force made an inquisitive grunt, not daring to take his eyes off the Ruins guardian. "Cece fought a Sigilyph at the Ruins," he explained swiftly.

"Explains the burns," Force muttered, and he flicked his wrist, conjuring a sphere of energy into his paw. He pointed the glowing paw at the Sigilyph. "What do you want?" he demanded.

The eye at the top of the Sigilyph's head glowed with an ominous light, and Force was hurled backwards by an invisible force, so strong that Shadow could have sworn he felt the air ripple as it passed. The Riolu crashed against the invisible barrier around them, and fell to one knee, wincing with pain.

"Oh shit...not friendly," Force gasped, clutching his back with his left paw and wincing fiercely.

"I could have told you that," Shadow retorted, shifting his stance into a more battle-ready variant. "I'm betting we have to beat it to get rid of that barrier," he said, recalling what Cecilia had said back at the Ruins. At the thought, his mind immediately began to fill with questions. Why had the Sigilyph suddenly come here, to the Eterna Forest? Why had it attacked them, and why now, of all times?

However, this wasn't the time to dwell on these questions. Survival and focus came first, and the answers would come in time.


	61. Guardian From the Ruins

Today was turning into a fiasco. It had started ordinarily enough, and had anyone told Force then that he would soon find himself in such a situation, facing against some ragged bird-like creature alongside the Espeon whose life had been thrown into ruin by Diablos' actions, he...probably would have found it credible, but been at a loss to describe what sequence of events might have brought the day to this outcome.

The Riolu pushed himself back to his feet, regarding the Sigilyph with narrowed eyes. Shadow had already assumed a battle stance of his own, yet Force still hesitated. There was something amiss about the Pokemon, but he couldn't quite put his paw on it. All Riolu were trained practically from birth to learn how to manipulate and read aura, and utilize these abilities both in and outside of battle. Picking up vibes from those around him was practically second-nature, and thanks to the experience gained from joining with Kaito's group, he had learned how to sense abnormalities in the surrounding area. This skill was invaluable for locating objects or areas with a higher concentration of energy.

Aura was the essence of life. It left traces within everything, so ancient artifacts and sites often carried a 'foreign' feel to them, something unusual and very noticeable when compared to more mundane items or sites.

With training, a Riolu could even gain incredible insight into individuals, but it was an ability that was extremely difficult to master, and better wielded by the older, more experienced Lucario. Force still lacked the skill to make such clear distinctions, but he had enough training to know when something was different, or when it was the source of something more ominous and unsettling.

As Force produced another sphere of aura fire within his paw, a beam of magenta light fired from the Sigilyph's eye, striking the ground at the Riolu's feet, tearing up part of the ground and sending him sprawling to the grass. Groaning slightly, Force got back up, his red eyes flickering with a hint of concern, even though the expression was hidden from his facial expression.

This Pokemon was unquestionably strong. He could feel the power surging within the past two psychic attacks, and facing a psychic opponent was already considered extreme folly for young Riolu, or even reasonably competent Riolu. Unfortunately, in such a situation, there wasn't much choice, and he was more than used to being thrown around like a rag doll.

Shadow's gemstone glowed for a moment, and a small sphere of condensed psychic energy torpedoed towards the Sigilyph. It exploded upon the surface of the guardian Pokemon's body, but for all appearances, it had little to no effect. The guardian's upper eye glanced towards Shadow, and its wings flapped vigorously, producing a pair of air currents that cleaved through the air, forcing Shadow to dive sideways to avoid it, practically colliding with Force in the process.

The Sigilyph replicated the technique, directing another current of air towards the two. Shadow dodged more gracefully this time, and Force strafed around the invisible barrier's perimeter. Warmth rushed through his body as aura formed between the Riolu's paws, and he quickly hurled the glowing sphere towards their opponent.

A magenta beam of light fired from the guardian's eye, piercing the aura sphere with enough firepower to split it apart, each half spiraling off-course and then dissipating entirely. Unwilling to leave himself open, Force conjured up another sphere and flung it at the Sigilyph. This time his attack got through, and sent the Sigilyph recoiling backwards. As if waiting for this cue, Shadow launched another psychic bolt of his own at their foe, but just like the first attempt, the projectile exploded against its body with no visible signs of damage.

"Shadow, it's a Psychic-type," Force scolded the Espeon. Shadow shot him an annoyed glance in reply, but further banter was cut short by the Sigilyph conjuring a sphere of ghostly energy from its lower torso. Before either of them could do anything, it launched the Shadow Ball in the Espeon's direction. Shadow shifted his body in time to avoid a direct hit, but the sphere detonated at his feet with enough force to send him tumbling across the grass.

"I'm fine," the Espeon snapped in response to the unasked question, his silver eyes flashing with pain and anger as he stood up. Force didn't even bother coming up with a retort, his eyes narrowed at their foe. The Sigilyph still hadn't said anything since arriving at the scene, yet it attacked them methodically, not giving either of them a chance to get under its guard, or even devise a strategy with the other one.

What was it after?

Warmth again flowed through Force's body as he formed another aura projectile between his paws, but this time he flung it away from the Sigilyph, watching with satisfaction as the sphere changed direction mid-flight, and struck the Sigilyph from behind, knocking the psychic Pokemon off-balance. Its eye glowed briefly, and Force felt energy engulfing his body, immobilizing him with an invisible grasp. Unlike before, it didn't immediately throw him backwards, but instead seemed to consider him. Then its eye glowed more brightly than before, and blue energy waves emanated from its body.

Force braced himself for impact, but to his incredible surprise, Shadow darted into the path of the psychic wave, the silver gem embedded in his forehead glowing. A semi-transparent barrier formed around the Espeon, neutralizing the majority of the psychic assault, and what residual energy remained came into contact with Shadow instead, pushing him backwards, nearer to Force.

Shadow panted a little from the exertion of his barrier, and Force could only stare at the Espeon in surprise. They had literally been giving one another death glares not even twenty minutes ago, yet without wasting a second's thought, Shadow had intercepted an attack meant for him. True, Force wasn't going to trust this sort of selflessness to last forever, but it was a good sign regardless.

The Sigilyph blinked with all three eyes, and it took Force a moment to realize that he was no longer being held within a psychic grip.

"Damn it...how are we supposed to fight this thing?" he wondered. So far, every attempt of using his aura abilities in battle had done little to no damage, and Shadow wasn't faring any better. Against a psychic opponent, there was almost no chance that he could win, and fleeing wasn't even an option.

"Cece fought it at close range," Shadow answered quietly, his voice practically a whisper. "And overpowered it with fire."

"Close range?" Force repeated incredulously. "You want me to get super close to a Psychic-type? I'll get slaughtered!"

Shadow nodded seriously. "At that range, it can't aim very well."

Force scowled. True, Riolu and their kin were trained to use direct combat over projectile tactics, but he had gotten disillusioned over the years from being knocked down and humiliated whenever he fought even the weakest of his peers. Battle filled him with no joy, only pain and misery. Strength eluded him always, and he had unknowingly relied so heavily on Diablos' power to boost his aura that he had neglected to hone his direct combat prowess.

It irked him to know that Shadow was probably right, but there was no way such a methodical adversary like this Ruins guardian would allow him to run that close. If he so much as tried to get within close range, he would be telekinetically thrown backwards, or bombarded with a variety of projectiles so strong he'd be lucky to get up afterwards.

"I have an idea," Force said, keeping his eyes on the hovering menace, and speaking so softly that his mouth barely moved. Shadow didn't say anything, but his ear twitched, the only indication that he was listening. Perhaps, like himself, Shadow realized that they had to communicate subtly to not let the Sigilyph recognize the threat underneath.

Before Force could elaborate, the Sigilyph slashed its wings, producing a sharpened gale of wind that forced the two apart. Shadow's gemstone glowed and he fired another condensed sphere of energy that did about as much damage as the previous attempts. As the Sigilyph prepared a Shadow Ball in retaliation, Force focused his energy, his red eyes watching the psychic Pokemon warily. Warmth spread through him, but rather than produce another projectile between his paws, the Riolu instead devoted all his effort to his natural aura abilities, synchronizing his mind and aura with that of the Sigilyph and the rest of his surroundings.

It was a basic technique that nevertheless proved invaluable in battle. Once one was fully harmonized with their surroundings, they obtained a low level of foresight that enabled them to read their opponents' movements and intentions before they could even act on them. Masters of this skill often proved to be some of the most formidable Lucario, capable of dodging almost anything sent their way, and strike with the speed and precision of a ninja.

If he could tap into that skill, then maybe he had a chance after all.

 _"Your idea?"_

Force blinked. The voice had resonated within his mind, but it was unquestionably Shadow's tone. A moment later, it clicked. The black-furred Espeon was using telepathy.

 _"At my signal, use your telekinesis to toss me onto the Sigilyph,"_ Force responded mentally. He had more than enough experience communicating with Iris to know how to communicate via a telepathic link. More impressive was that Shadow had successfully linked to him at all - that wasn't an easy feat for an inexperienced psychic. It was just a step short of being able to read his mind, but the Riolu doubted Shadow would be able to pull that one off in the heat of battle. It also occurred to him that Shadow had probably been attempting to establish this link back when he had drawn the Sigilyph's attention earlier.

He wasn't sure if Shadow understood, but he had to put that concern out of mind for now, and trust that the Espeon would be able to follow the directions, because that was his best chance to get close enough to strike. Force closed his eyes briefly and steadied his breathing, refocusing on the task at hand.

Blue aura surrounded the Riolu's body, warmth flooding through him from head to toe, and his senses became heightened to everything around him. It was just like back at the Solaceon Ruins, moments before encountering Shadow.

As if responding to the mental mention of his name, the Espeon glanced over at Force, and his silver eyes widened in momentary surprise. The Sigilyph immediately turned its attention towards Force instead, and its eye glowed with ominous blue light.

Force didn't give the Sigilyph a chance to catch him in its psychic grip again. His eyes could almost see the faint shimmering in the air as psychic energy moved through the air towards him. With every bit of speed he could muster, he dashed towards the Sigilyph, then threw himself forward onto his stomach, slipping underneath the reach of the psychic energy. He winced a little in pain as his stomach passed over broken twigs and small rocks, but it served his purpose of evading the attack. He was now behind the guardian, but it hadn't seemed to realize this yet.

Knowing he had a limited window of opportunity before the Sigilyph figured out where he had gone, he hastened to his feet and flicked his paw in Shadow's direction, wordlessly providing the signal. A moment later, he felt energy encompassing his body, and then the sensation of being thrown.

Shadow's psychic boost enabled Force to land on the psychic guardian's back, his weight dragging the Sigilyph off-balance. At the same time, he drew back his fist, allowing aura to flow into his paw, and then drove it as hard as he could into one of the Sigilyph's wings.

Unlike normal birds, it turned out a Sigilyph did not have hollow bones in its wings. On the contrary, it felt like he was punching an incredibly durable rock. The aura surrounding his paw cushioned the impact, but the strike still brought tears of pain to the Riolu's eyes. Even worse was that the blow caused the Sigilyph to screech shrilly, and Force instinctively tried to clasp his paws over his ears to drown out the deafening noise, only to lose his balance and fall to the grass below.

The landing forced the air from his lungs, and his back spasmed in pain. Gritting his teeth to keep from whimpering, Force pushed himself to his knees, hardly daring to look up at the still-hovering monster of an opponent. As he clenched his fist to test the extent of his injury, his eyes lingered on the bracelet around his wrist. The stone was pulsing softly, and he could feel warmth still spreading through his body, giving him energy and strengthening his focus...but even that didn't seem to be enough to fight against this foe.

"Are you okay?" Shadow asked, his tone carrying a note of genuine concern, and Force managed a weak smile in return, but then gasped as he felt a powerful psychic grip engulfing his right arm, all but dragging him to his feet as his wrist was lifted upwards against his will.

Force struggled vainly against the psychic grip. Not only could he not free his paw, but it was keeping him from striking at the Sigilyph with his left paw. "Let go!" the Riolu growled, tugging so forcefully that he feared that he might dislocate his arm at this rate.

The Sigilyph's gaze was focused not on him, but on the bracelet...no, not on the bracelet, but on the stone embedded on the bracelet. Was that what it was after? Why did it care about the stone they had taken from...oh.

Almost as if from a dream, he recalled the text deciphered at the entrance of the Solaceon Ruins. The text warning intruders to beware the guardians. He and Lin had never come across a guardian, but Cecilia evidently had, and had beaten it. If this Sigilyph was the same one from the Ruins, then maybe it had pursued them to retrieve what had been removed from its post.

Why it had taken so long to find them, if that was the case? The stone had been sitting in the Chateau for the last week. It didn't even take that long for him to get to the Chateau on foot.

Wait...even if they returned the stolen stone, what would it do to them as punishment for stealing it?

Sudden fear gripped the Riolu's heart, and without wasting another moment to think about it, he focused as intently as he could. The pulsing stone at his wrist glowed vibrantly, so much that Force practically had to shut his eyes from the incredible glow. Warmth spread through him again, banishing the cold terror from his body and replacing it with a surge of energy.

And the power...it surged through his body like lightning, replacing weariness and discomfort with a sense of giddiness. He hadn't felt this much strength in his body since the first day he had received Diablos' gift.

Force drew back his left paw, channeling aura into his fist, and then lashed out at the Sigilyph. The sphere of aura surrounding his paw launched away from his hand, and struck the Sigilyph directly in its single eye.

A deafening, high-pitched screech filled the air, and Force felt the psychic grip on his paw falter, enabling him to rip free of the psychic Pokemon's grasp. He didn't wait for the the guardian to recover, and instead used both paws to conjure up another powerful aura sphere, moving closer and launching it at the bird-like creature at point-blank range.

The sphere exploded forcefully on impact, and Force tumbled backwards, only to land gracefully on the grass, as if he had performed an acrobatic stunt without even realizing it. Blue aura surrounded his entire body, and he somehow knew that his eyes were glowing with the same light, picking up the aura of everything all around them.

A vague blue shimmer illuminated the Sigilyph's body, and to Force's surprise, the aura rapidly darkened until a pure black, malevolent coloration surrounded its body instead. At the same time, a intensely sharp pain shot through his chest, and he clutched instinctively at his heart, as if he had just been stabbed. The pain was immediately followed by a wave of discomfort clawing at his gut, and from just behind him, he heard Shadow inhale sharply, as if his body had been dunked in ice water.

He could feel it. He could sense it all so clearly now.

Shadow blinked in alarm as a humorless chuckle escaped Force's throat. It was a strange, almost hysterical laugh, as if his mind had simply ceased to grasp the dire circumstances and found the entire thing inexplicably funny.

"Shadow...it's got the third fragment," Force said, looking over his shoulder at the ebony Espeon, his eyes still glowing with the same vibrant blue color as the aura surrounding his body. "The piece Lin broke at the Ruins...this thing's got it."

Shadow blinked, visibly unnerved by Force's glowing eyes and manner. "But it's not possessed...its eyes don't match."

Force furrowed his brow, silently conceding that the Espeon had a point. Despite having traces of Diablos' aura within it, and the fact it resonated with them, the Sigilyph did not seem possessed, and Diablos had seemed to value the survival of those bonded with his soul pieces, so having the Sigilyph attack them didn't seem like something Diablos would encourage.

On the other hand, Diablos had wanted Force to carry the stone to test out whether he could unlock any of its abilities. It would not surprise Force in the slightest if it turned out that Diablos believed its power was best unlocked under stressful or dangerous circumstances, and therefore manipulated a Sigilyph into attacking him to find out. Gaining power when the chips are down. That seemed to fit the notion of "inner darkness" that the Spiritomb had spoken of the other night.

The more he thought on it, the more plausible this theory became. Diablos said he could pinpoint the locations of those who carried his fragments. Then he might have known that Shadow was in the area back then, and definitely had to have known this morning, when he recommended Force carry the stone.

Force gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Did everything that happened in his life now come as the result of the Spiritomb's machinations? Was there anything that he could still truly call his own?

His eyes flicked back to the pulsing stone at his wrist. Hmm...Diablos had said its power didn't resonate with him, but with Force instead. Maybe that was something he could call his own. A power he could use for himself, once he figured out its purpose and workings. A power that he didn't have to resent owning because of its association with a malevolent being.

"Force!"

Iris' voice shook the Riolu from his daze, and he turned to see the Kirlia rushing over to them, the sight of her making some of the weight in his chest lift. Her pink eyes were wide with concern, and he could only imagine what the situation looked like to her, with the ebony Espeon and him fighting against this Sigilyph, as powerful aura surrounded his body.

"Stay back!" Force commanded sternly, and Iris stumbled to a halt, surprise and concern flashing across her face. "It's too dangerous right now," he explained. As he spoke, he was aware that the Sigilyph was recovering from its temporary incapacitation from the previous attack.

"But I..." Iris began.

"Do as he says," a second voice cut in firmly, and the white-furred quadruped from earlier, Astrid or whatever her name was, stepped into view. Her green eyes were fixed on Force more so than the Sigilyph, and she was frowning seriously. "That power you're using is unstable. It's not meant to be wielded by a Riolu."

"What do you...?" Force frowned, and looked himself over. "I've got it just fine...right?"

Astrid shook her head. "It's bound by your mental and emotional state or whatever. Trust me, your control is shaky at best. You can't handle that-"

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Force snapped, clenching his fist. The aura flames surrounding his body intensified, and Iris squeaked in alarm.

"...I really suck at this," Astrid muttered.

"You really do," Shadow sighed.

Force ignored the exchange, silently aware that his breathing pace had heightened, and his body was rapidly becoming fatigued, as if he had just run a marathon. However, all this did was make him more aggravated. Did he really have such low stamina, that this fight was taking a toll on him? Of course he did, that's why he was the weakest Riolu among his peers. No stamina, only a ridiculous amount of endurance for taking hits without suffering severe injuries.

"N-no one's saying you're weak, Force," Iris insisted, taking nervous steps towards the agitated Riolu.

"Wait, stay back!" Astrid insisted. "If he loses control of-"

"I won't lose control of it!" Force snapped, but at that moment, an intense jolt of pain shot through his body, and his eyes bulged. He gasped in pain, clutching both sides of his head.

"Force!" Iris gasped, and darted forward, despite the Absol's warning. When she got close, she collided with the psychic barrier and cried out in surprise and pain, tumbling backwards and sprawling onto the grass, dazed but seemingly unharmed.

"There's a barrier of some kind there," Shadow offered helpfully. "Probably tied to that thing," he added, nodding towards the Sigilyph. Astrid furrowed her brow thoughtfully.

"Okay. Let me try this, then," she said, and her eyes flashed green, and both herself and Shadow glowed with a faint green light. In the blink of an eye, the two Pokemon had seemingly switched places, with the Absol now standing within the barrier's perimeter, and Shadow now standing outside of it, where Astrid had been standing moments earlier.

Disoriented, Shadow looked around wildly. "What did you just do?"

"Baton Pass," Astrid responded cheerfully. "I'll take your place in this battle."

"...why?" the Espeon wondered blankly, although he probably shouldn't be complaining.

"Because it's a Psychic-type, and you know how much of an advantage I have over those," Astrid answered, her tail wagging. Force gave her a resentful look. "You can sit back, too, just don't overdo it with your stone, okay?" she said, a little more seriously than her previous statement.

Without waiting for an answer, she turned her focus to the hovering guardian Pokemon, and a glint of excitement appeared in her eyes. Without further fanfare, she lunged at the psychic creature, the blade-like horn on her head glowing with a vicious black energy. The Sigilyph countered by flapping its wings, producing a razor-sharp current of air, yet Astrid maneuvered between the currents with incredible agility, reappearing behind the guardian and bringing her glowing horn viciously across its back. Black tendrils of energy tore through the Sigilyph's back, and it let out a screech of pain.

Before it could even consider a form of retaliation, Astrid pounced on top of it, and sank her teeth into the stalk that seemed to be the rough equivalent of its neck, her weight and viciousness more than enough to drag the Pokemon from the air until it collapsed on the grass beneath her, twitching.

"Aww, that was over too fast," the Absol whined, pawing at the downed Sigilyph like a bored child. Shadow, Force, and Iris just gaped at her incredulously, until she blinked at them. "What? It's a Psychic-type. How long did you expect it to take me?"


	62. The Demon Unshackled

It was times like this that Diablos wished, more than anything, that he could be seated upon an ornate throne of some sort, slouched against one of the arms of the elaborate chair, with one hand placed against his temple and maybe a thumb hooked beneath his chin. Such a pose would best illustrate his sense of dismissive boredom mingling with a cold gaze as he observed events unfolding before him.

Unfortunately, he was currently lacking in the body department, and the form he presently took lacked the limbs that could be molded into the described posture, even if the other factors could be arranged. Therefore, he was forced to content himself with the mental image, although this thought process was raising a few red flags that Plasma was possibly rubbing off on him more than was reasonably acceptable.

Perhaps sharing a consciousness with the electric ghost was starting to take a greater toll on his psyche than anticipated. The experiment they had attempted the previous week had proven to be a very interesting failure. Although Plasma was able to take on one of the Spiritomb's souls within himself, this arrangement curiously did not allow Diablos to outright possess him, nor was he able to utilize any of Plasma's abilities. Rather, it gave him a shared presence of sorts within the Rotom's mind, and allowed him to essentially 'see' through Plasma's eyes, and retain the information acquired in this manner.

In a way, it was precisely how he normally was able to function within other hosts, Force remaining the most notable example. When not controlling the Riolu's body, he was nevertheless able to flit in and out of his consciousness at will, and provide subtle nudges and direction to the subconscious mind, without Force being conscious of the fact. He had done this to great effect within the Solaceon Ruins, and when forced to reveal his presence, he had been able to communicate to Force's conscious mind as well, with no one else privy to the exchange.

Taking a backseat to Plasma's activities had proven fruitful and mutually convenient. Whenever the Rotom disappeared within his television set to watch whatever show had caught his interest, Diablos was able to share consciousness, and therefore watch the show with him. Plasma found this preferable to any alternative, because it meant he wasn't pressured to spend time outside his TV to interact with his Spiritomb guest, with the bonus that Diablos was able to communicate with Plasma at will, rather than waiting for the Rotom to emerge. This allowed for far more efficient discussions and information sharing, because Diablos didn't need Plasma to explain every menial detail just to get a basic grasp of what he was talking about.

Although now the Spiritomb was beginning to question whether it had been wise to allow Plasma to marathon superhero cartoons for the past two days. A wonderful relief for boredom in the absence of other things to occupy his interest, but it left him with a peculiar number of mental images he was starting to apply to his everyday existence, whether appropriate for the situation or not, such as the aforementioned dramatic posture during a plot-crucial junction.

No matter. It was unfortunate that Diablos had not been able to directly observe the events unfolding within the Eterna Forest, but that didn't mean he was oblivious to them. As he had explained to Force and Iris the previous night, he was intimately aware of the whereabouts of all his soul fragments, no matter how distant or fractured they may be. Even the tiny shard within Force, or the improperly bonded piece within Shadow resonated with him clearly, and with enough focus devoted to the task, it was a simple matter to isolate those signals for even greater insight.

The Spiritomb's jagged mouth curved into a small frown at the thought. No, that statement hadn't been entirely true. The third fractured piece of the original gift was different than the others. It had not given him any information regarding the being that it had bonded to, yet as far as he could tell, this should be considered impossible.

It was endlessly frustrating. Without memories to aid him, and the seeming lack of individuals with knowledge of his history, discovering the limits and conditions related to his abilities was overall a matter of trial and error, and testing those limits was even more difficult, with the absence of those willing to serve as a test subject.

His soul fragments had, among other things, the ability to amplify the abilities of the one it had bonded to. In exchange, it allowed Diablos far more access to the individual's mind and body than otherwise available. Through this access, Diablos would be able to sense the individual's desires and little glimpses into the role their inner darkness played in their life. As a delightful side effect, the presence of the soul would amplify the darkness in their heart. His presence called to that darkness, and the fragments were no different in that regard.

Even the improperly bonded piece within Shadow's heart allowed Diablos insight, however small, into the manner that the shard was fueling him. Darkness slept inside every heart, and his fragments nourished this darkness and fed off the excess. Yet the creature bonded with the third piece of the original gift lacked this darkness. It was as if it had no will of its own, yet was driven by something nonetheless. Some sense of duty...but no true darkness to drive them.

Worse was that he had become aware that all three shards of that soul had come within range of each other simultaneously, yet he could not access any of them. Force's piece was too small, Shadow's was improperly bonded, and the third was somehow immune to his attempts to probe its mind. He could almost perfectly relate to Plasma's occasional gripe about poor cable reception, just knowing that he was missing something fantastic, yet unable to tune in to the show.

How irksome.

His best bet now was to guide Plasma to that area of the forest, so that at least he could visually assess the situation. Unfortunately, Plasma had gotten badly separated from the others and had a hopelessly poor sense of direction coupled with the single worst attention span that Diablos ever had the misfortune to encounter. It was legitimately easier and less frustrating to just let the Rotom figure it out on his own than to confuse him further by trying to give directions.

The only consolation he had at the moment was that his theory regarding the stone from the Solaceon Ruins was becoming more credible. Originally, he had suspected that the retrieved stone would offer a lead of some sort regarding his past, or aid him in breaking some of the seals placed on his powers, but once provided with the opportunity to examine the stone at his leisure, he found that it failed to resonate with him. That suggested that the true factor at the Ruins had been Force, and not Diablos' presence within him.

Plasma had witnessed the reaction the stone gave off when Force became agitated, so it seemed that he had been on the right track. The stone had little, if anything to do with him, but a great deal of affinity with Force. This needed to be studied further. That peculiar quadruped...Astrid, as she had called herself, had known something. Ideally, Diablos needed information from her. Although Plasma's short attention span had not allowed him to notice anything odd, Diablos was far more perceptive, and noted that of all the Pokemon within that group, Astrid had been the only one remotely worried about Force carrying the stone around with him.

This did not bode well, in Diablos' mind. He was well aware that the stone carried an untold amount of energy within it, and one of the reasons he had Plasma go with them was to neutralize that energy if necessary. He was no fool - he knew most individuals could not handle a severe spike in energy without it taking a tremendous toll on their mind or body. That was why he had urged Force to adapt to his soul fragment at a slow pace.

If the Riolu was tapping into that power subconsciously when agitated, then there was no telling what might arise as a result, especially if Shadow remained in close proximity to him. Even if Shadow didn't turn against him, the stress of remaining in his presence might push Force over the edge of stability.

That was why Diablos had turned all his focus to the signals from those three soul pieces. He had to monitor their energy and life signals, a feat well within his means. Even without memories to confirm it, he had an extremely powerful instinct to preserve their lives at all costs. Something within his core was warning him that the loss of any of those soul fragments would be devastating.

Perhaps fate was listening to his thoughts, because at that moment, a nameless sense of dread flashed through his mind, and his spiral pupils dilated until they were little more than pinpricks of yellow within his eyes. The spheres of light orbiting his gaseous form constricted into a tight circle, focusing their energies more intensely within the main core, providing Diablos with an even narrower range of focus, dismissing all other pings within his mental radar to instead examine the feedback from a specific fragment.

The life signal within one of three fragments was weakening rapidly, expending what little power remained in the fractured soul to preserve the wielder's life, but it wouldn't be enough. Diablos scowled deeply. If either the fragment's energy or the life of the wielder expired now, the fragment would be lost, and whatever creature had bonded with it lacked inner darkness, meaning that the soul had been given nothing to nourish its energy. The dying creature had seconds of life left, if even that.

Fortunately...it was in the presence of the two remaining pieces of the singular whole. If the fragment was pulled free of its wielder before expiring, it should be drawn to the one of the other two, intent on merging back into one. And then he would be in a prime position to regain control.

The Spiritomb's yellow pupils glinted, and his species' trademark jagged grin returned in full force. He would take whatever steps were necessary to ensure that his investment was returned to him.

* * *

Astrid stepped away from the fallen Sigilyph, the spring in her step indicating overall indifference to the fate of the enemy Psychic-type. The creature was still twitching a bit, but its movements were becoming feebler, and the barrier surrounding Force and Astrid had disappeared.

"Everyone else okay?" Astrid wondered, her tail wagging playfully. Shadow gave a weak nod. The uncomfortable buzzing in his head had faded at some point, and he was once again able to sense things around him without needing to focus intently.

"Overkill much?" Force asked blandly, gesturing towards the bested Sigilyph. Astrid shrugged, and the Riolu scowled. "You really don't give a shit, do you?"

"Force!" Iris chided, although her reaction seemed to be less about his choice of words, and more the tone he was using. The aura Pokemon was clenching his fists, and glaring at the Absol.

"Hmm...no, not really," Astrid replied after taking a moment to consider his question. "I'm a predator or whatever. Feeling bad for my prey's not really an option if I want to eat, you know?"

Force scowled, the aura surrounding his body flaring up more intensely, prompting Shadow to hastily take another step backwards, even though he was at a more than adequately safe distance. "And you're planning to eat the Sigilyph?" he challenged.

"Ew, no," Astrid answered bluntly. She cocked her head at the Riolu, looking amused. "You have a weird way of saying 'thank you'."

"You didn't have to be that vicious!" Force burst out, clenching his fists. "All we had to do was incapacitate it to get out of the barrier! There was no reason to - AHH!"

The Riolu's eyes bulged and he collapsed to his knees, clutching his head with both paws. Iris let out a small shriek of horror and dashed over to the aura Pokemon, only to be intercepted by Astrid. The Absol darted between the two, nearly bowling Iris over when they collided.

"You're overdoing it with the stone!" Astrid said firmly. "I told you it's too much for you to handle. It's overwhelming you because of your emotional state. Calm down and take that off!"

"Shut up!" Force snapped, and then he gasped again as another wave of agony shot through his skull. Shadow cringed. He could almost literally see how the pain and energy coursing through the Riolu's body was slowly taking its toll on him. It reminded him unpleasantly of his first few days as an Espeon. The constant headaches, frustration, and discomfort that slowly tortured him, no matter how much he tried to endure it.

"Oh, you're just being stupid now, give it here," Astrid grumbled, stepping towards the Riolu. Shadow abruptly felt a surge of discomfort spread through his gut and he gasped, clutching his chest instinctively. Astrid blinked and turned towards Shadow in confusion, but the feeling passed almost as quickly as it had come. Despite that, the Espeon found his gaze inexplicably drawn towards the fallen Sigilyph's body, as if his attention had been forced there against his will.

His breath caught in his throat.

Before his eyes, a small green sphere was emerging from the Sigilyph's body, tiny tendrils of black lightning crackling along its surface. As soon as it had lifted free of the psychic's body, the guardian's body went completely still, and there wasn't even a hint of mental activity coming from its direction. It was as though the Ruin guardian had simply ceased to exist, leaving a subtle void in Shadow's mental radar.

Iris and Force seemed to register the shift as well, because they both turned towards the Sigilyph with matching expressions of alarm, and the green sphere flew towards Force, phasing into the Riolu's body before he had time to even register the sphere's existence.

Force grunted, his body twitching, and his red eyes widening again. "Wh...what is this...?" he panted, clutching his chest where the sphere of light had touched. His breathing pace accelerated rapidly, and his eyes began wavering, as if unable to remain focused on anything, yet drawn to everything simultaneously.

Astrid recoiled from the Riolu, her expression baffled. "...is he having a seizure?" she wondered in a loud whisper to Iris.

"Force?" the Kirlia whimpered, extending her paw towards the Riolu pleadingly, as if begging him to anchor onto her.

"What is...this power...?" Force panted, his red eyes glazing over, unable to acknowledge the Kirlia's outstretched paw. He laughed humorlessly, a desperate, almost hysterical sounding giggle. Shadow shivered at the sound, fear spreading slowly through his body like an icy chill.

Astrid's gaze flicked towards the bracelet around Force's wrist, which was glowing intensely at this point. Her green eyes widened and she swung her head towards it, bringing the blade-like horn around to strike at the bracelet.

The Absol let out a gasp of alarm as her movement halted mid-swing, and it took her several seconds to figure out the reason. Despite how swiftly the Absol had moved, Force's paw had caught her horn in an unyielding grip, miraculously not getting cut in the process. Astrid growled and pulled in the opposite direction, attempting to tug her horn out of the Riolu's grasp, yet found herself unable to.

"What's the big idea?" she demanded, her eyes flicking to meet Force's, and then she froze in place, her eyes widening slowly into an unmistakable expression of fear. The Absol's fear terrified Shadow even more than anything he could describe. Up until now, she had showed a number of different expressions and moods, but even when shocked or confused, the Absol had always given off the impression that she was in control of the situation. That impression had just been crushed to bits before Shadow's eyes.

Yet even without standing where she was, he knew why she was scared. It was the same mind-numbing horror that had been spreading through his body ever since the Sigilyph had been downed.

"I should ask you the same thing," Force answered. There was no mistaking that tone. Cold amusement clung to each word like an icicle stuck to a tree branch, melting slowly and letting each icy droplet descend upon the recipient. "I do not require your assistance to neutralize this power."

The Riolu flicked his wrist with enough force to pull Astrid off balance, releasing his grip in the same motion, so that she stumbled away from him.

Iris let out a small yelp of shock, and Shadow's jaw clenched. Gleaming yellow eyes gazed towards Shadow, the same eyes that had haunted him for the past month, and that he had stared down just a week ago, in the bowels of the Solaceon Ruins. The mere sight of the eyes made every muscle in his body tense, and hatred surged through him.

"You...Diablos," Shadow hissed, practically spitting the name.

"Shadow," the Riolu murmured in return. "Such an unfortunate habit of running into one another in this form, hm?" he mused, studying his body idly. Iris was fixing him with an unambiguous death glare, and Shadow could practically feel the energy crackling through the Kirlia's body.

"Get. Out. Of. Him."

Shadow flinched at the barely restrained fury within the bipedal psychic's otherwise soft and demure sounding voice.

"That's a very impressive order, my dear Iris, but do not leap to any conclusions about my intentions," Diablos answered pleasantly. "Force was on the verge of becoming overwhelmed by the power he was inadvertently tapping into...if anything, it's quite fortunate that I was available to step in, otherwise the results could have been disastrous."

"I won't ask again," Iris said, her pink eyes narrowed at the possessed Riolu. "Get out."

"Oh believe me, I have no intention of lingering within him. You lot are far too hostile on the subject. However...I've grown weary of the hassle of having a fractured soul. Shadow, your heart is home to a piece of a greater whole. I'll be taking that back now."

The Riolu smirked and extended his paw towards Shadow, who tensed, unsure what to expect. The Riolu's paw began to shimmer with a faint black aura, and his yellow eyes glinted.

At that moment, Astrid lunged at Diablos, snapping her teeth at his arm. Diablos spun with alarming agility, sidestepping her with ease. Before Astrid could register what had happened, the Riolu conjured a powerful sphere of aura into his paw and hurled it at the Absol's feet. The sphere exploded with incredible force, and Astrid tumbled across the grass, yet somehow managed to shift her body weight and land on her feet, her claws digging into the grass, her green eyes flashing dangerously.

"I won't allow anyone to interrupt this again. You want a piece of me? Wait your damned turn," Diablos hissed. Shadow growled and his gemstone flashed brightly, discharging a powerful psychic force towards the Riolu.

Diablos reacted immediately, pointing his paw in Shadow's direction, and a powerful wave of blue flame erupted from the ground in front of him, colliding with the opposing psychic energy until it was completely neutralized. Shadow stared at the Riolu with horrified disbelief. Even after all this time spent training and perfecting basic use of his psychic attacks, his power stood no chance against Diablos.

"Do you think you're the only one who's gotten stronger?" Diablos murmured, raising his arm and displaying the bracelet at the wrist. "You knocked this thing free when we last faced, don't you remember?" The Riolu's mouth curled into a grin, and his words sounded smug and gleeful. "With Force's aura boosted this much, I can predict everything you try to do!"

"I told you to get out of him!" Iris snapped.

"I can't!" Diablos retorted, and scowled at the Kirlia with such intensity that she blinked. The Riolu's expression softened slightly before continuing, the amusement vanishing from his tone. "If Shadow leaves my range, the fragment in Force is trapped there, just like last time. I need to reunite the halves to withdraw it entirely, and I refuse to risk Force's life by returning control to him when under attack. He can't handle this amount of power...but I can."

"But-" Iris began, but Diablos cut her off with a swift gesture.

"Trust me this time, Iris. I will ensure Force's survival here," he said softly.

"Why the hell would you trust him?" Shadow snarled, his black fur bristling with barely contained rage. "He killed my parents with your mate's body!"

"...what?"

The question had been spoken by Astrid, blank shock flashing across her face. Shadow winced. He had momentarily forgotten that Astrid had been present, or that the Absol had known his father.

"You're the one? You killed Echo?" Astrid demanded, narrowing her eyes at the possessed Riolu. Diablos glanced her way indifferently, and opened his mouth to deliver some sort of taunting retort, but something must have drawn his attention, because the Riolu blinked, an expression of concern flashing across his face.

"Iris, get us the hell out of here," Diablos said quietly. The Kirlia blinked in confusion. "This is escalating too fast. It's going to turn into a kill-or-be-killed situation, which neither of us wants. Get us out. Teleport. Now."

"The hell you will!" Astrid growled, and her eyes glowed with intense red light. Iris gasped, and actually seemed too scared to even think of fleeing. However, she closed her eyes in focus a second later, but nothing happened. Nervously, she re-opened her eyes, and bit her lip.

"Wh-what do we do?" she asked anxiously.

"Stay out of the way," Diablos answered crisply. His yellow eyes flicked between Shadow and Astrid, and he stepped away from the Kirlia, a cold smirk of amusement returning to his face. "A cornered rat will bite the cat, they say...how appropriate. Cornered by an Espeon and an Absol."

"That makes you a rat," Shadow retorted.

"Funny story, actually. You remember what happened the last time I was cornered by two Pokemon simultaneously?" Diablos wondered, flashing a meaningful grin in the Espeon's direction. Shadow set his jaw to keep from spitting a stream of curse words at the Riolu. He knew that Diablos was trying to get under his skin, but the sad part was that it was definitely working. "For another amusing parallel, they were a male and a female...and the male had a ridiculous type-disadvantage against the female."

Astrid's blade-like horn crackled with electricity, and a bolt of lightning fired from the blade towards Diablos. The Riolu sprang backwards nimbly, forming a sphere of energy within his paws and hurling it back at the Absol. She stood her ground and flicked her head, her blade cutting the sphere in half, the two pieces spiraling away on either side of her.

Shadow's gemstone glowed and he launched a condensed sphere of psychic energy at Diablos, only to have it countered by another aura sphere. He growled. Diablos hadn't been lying - his power was much stronger than it was last time, and even stronger than when Force had been fighting alongside him against the Sigilyph.

Astrid charged at Diablos, strafing left and right with incredible agility to dodge the Riolu's projectile counterattacks. Once she was close to him, she pounced, only for Diablos to drive a glowing fist into her torso, knocking the wind from her and interrupting the attack. He then spun and delivered a powerful kick directly to her face. The Absol yelped, blood dripping from her nose as she staggered backwards, her green eyes burning with aggression.

"So sloppy," Diablos said, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. "Such straightforward tactics are useless here. I can predict all your moves. You'll have to pick up your game if you want to fare better than Shadow's-"

The Espeon flung himself at Diablos, abandoning all sense of self-preservation in favor of inflicting the maximum amount of pain he could with his claws and teeth. The blood was pounding in his ears so hard he thought that he might pass out, but he didn't care. As he sank his teeth into the Riolu's arm, he received a sudden thrill of satisfaction, and the taste of blood in his mouth sent another jolt of delight through him. He tightened the grip of his bite, wondering for a moment whether this is what it was like to be a predator. He had hunted before, mostly as an Eevee, but had never received much enjoyment from the actual kill, even if the meat usually tasted fantastic, so he had never experienced such a wild, almost feral pleasure from blood itself.

Diablos hissed in pain, then maneuvered his assaulted arm sideways, dangling Shadow in front of him, and then drove his free paw into a very specific, particularly vulnerable section of Shadow's body. Unsurprisingly, the Espeon released his grip on the Riolu's arm, and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Still struggling with your emotions, I see. You draw admirable power from them, but your actions remain too impulsive," Diablos murmured, gazing down at Shadow with cruel amusement. "Anger does not benefit the loved ones you've already lost, so fighting with rage in your heart for their sake is hollow."

"Shut up!" Shadow spat, but he was in far too much pain to even focus on a more productive form of retaliation. Astrid acted on his behalf by lunging at the Riolu, but Diablos caught her horn with his paw again, catching her by the throat with his other paw, and forcing her head sideways by turning her horn. His yellow eyes burned into hers, and she choked as his paw slowly throttled her.

"You're the same way," the Riolu whispered to the struggling Absol. "You attack me with anger, but the power of your darkness doesn't come from your emotions...quite the contrary, it seems...how interesting..."

"Stop it!" Iris shrieked, and Diablos flinched, looking up at the Kirlia, who was positively shaking with emotion, her tears leaking tears profusely as she looked upon the scene. "L-let her go! P-please!"

Diablos returned his eyes to the Absol, and opened his paw, releasing the grip on Astrid's throat. The Absol gasped loudly as she found herself once more able to breathe. The Riolu waited for a moment, then drove his glowing paw into the side of the Absol's skull, causing her to collapse to the grass lifelessly. Iris gasped, but Diablos knelt by the fallen Absol, inspecting the quadruped's neck for a pulse. Once satisfied, he straightened and nodded to the Kirlia.

"She'll live, but that should have disabled the Mean Look," the Riolu stated dismissively, turning his attention back to Shadow. The Espeon growled, but refused to make eye contact. The pain in his lower body was gradually subsiding, but he still felt physically ill.

Diablos pointed his paw at the downed Espeon, and black aura flames engulfed his paw, a similar energy forming around Shadow's body. Immediately, waves of discomfort swept through him. It was a horrible sensation, like having something wriggling around inside his chest and being drawn out through a tiny hole.

"Stop struggling," the Riolu ordered softly, his yellow eyes gleaming. "I'm simply taking back what I tried to give you so long ago...that's it..."

The aura Pokemon chuckled softly, and from the corner of Shadow's eyes, he could see a small green sphere emerging from his own body, much like the one he had seen down in the Ruins, and again just a few minutes ago coming out of the Sigilyph. This sphere also crackled with black tendrils of lightning, and Shadow gasped in pain as the sphere traveled over to Diablos and became absorbed into the Riolu's body.

The Riolu stood unmoving for several moments, and then the yellow eyes glowed more brightly than ever, and black aura surrounded his body, like an eerier version of the blue aura that he had been wielding earlier.

"There, there, that wasn't so bad now, was it, Shadow?" Diablos sneered, kneeling down to Shadow's level and lifting his chin with one finger, forcing the Espeon to meet his gaze. Anger gnawed at the pit in Shadow's stomach, yet his body seemed frozen by the Riolu's gaze, leaving him unable to do anything to resist, or even look away.

"Get away from me," the Espeon hissed through gritted teeth. Diablos smirked.

"Forgive me, but you're just such an object of fascination to me," the Riolu whispered, stroking Shadow's cheek condescendingly. "Drawing so much power from your emotions, yet oblivious to your own darkness. No one will interfere this time...look at me..."

"Piss off," Shadow snarled.

"Hohoho..." Diablos' laughter was a condescending chortle this time, and his yellow eyes gleamed. "Your mind resists...your emotions rise up to protect you...but emotions are fleeting...your defense will crumble without a hardened will. That is why psychics hone their focus...a moment's distraction will cost them...oh? Now you're trying to tone out my words...but without the source of provocation, your emotions will drift away like the ocean's tide."

Shadow gritted his teeth, his silver gemstone glowing intensely. It was taking all his focus to ignore the Riolu's words, and yet there was an element of truth within them. He could feel something probing at his mind, scratching at the metaphorical door that A/C had described to him. If he opened it to unleash a psychic assault, it would render him defenseless afterwards, yet if he didn't attack, then he could only hope his mental stronghold withstood the invasion.

A strange tingle in the back of his mind coincided with his tail twitching, and his eyes widened as he recognized the sensation. At that moment, Diablos yelped in surprise, jerking his paw away from Shadow's chin and breaking the eye contact. Very slowly, the Riolu turned his paw over and pulled out the small object embedded in his paw.

It was a small, green leaf with worn razor edges. Diablos studied it with a vaguely amused expression, then rose to his feet, turning towards the source of the attack.

"Get away from my brother," Leaf growled. It was clear, even from a glance, that the time spent within the forest had not been kind to the young Leafeon. His soft brown eyes were narrowed, but his leaves and sprout were drooping, betraying just how fatigued he really was, and as expected of whenever he was sunlight-deprived, he was looking incredibly grouchy.

"Picking a fight in such a state," Diablos chuckled, turning towards Shadow with amusement. "And I thought you were hopelessly impulsive."

Shadow growled, but he grimaced in pain when he tried to get to his feet again. Leaf's eyes flicked towards the Espeon before refocusing on the possessed aura Pokemon, who was regarding him with cold amusement.

"Fine...I'm game for this. Iris!" Diablos called out, drawing the Kirlia's confused attention. Slowly, the Riolu reached to his wrist and carefully unfastened the bracelet, then tossed it to her in one fluid motion. Iris caught it with a bewildered expression, uncertainty shining in her eyes. "Plasma seems to have lost his way. Aid him in returning home, then return here to pick me up. As for that, I need to isolate it from Force for a short time, and expend the excess energy still within him before withdrawing my soul."

The Riolu turned his attention back to Leaf, smirking, but when he spoke, he was still addressing the Kirlia behind him.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt them much. Just a friendly little spar, yes?" Diablos murmured, and his eyes glittered.


	63. Primal Combat

Something was wrong.

Leaf couldn't quite be sure what it was, but something was definitely wrong. Weariness clung to his body as if rocks had been tied to each of his limbs, and it was a struggle just to keep his eyes open. He knew that now wasn't a proper time to sleep, but it was draining to try and stay alert at all times.

The darkness of the forest and the confusing paths had kept Leaf concerned that he might never find where Shadow had gone, but it was this same fear that kept him going, even when rest seemed more tempting, and the loud screeching in the distance made him shiver in fear.

The initial excitement at finding Shadow again had been short lived, for he soon noticed the bipedal Pokemon with blue fur, its body surrounded by an eerie black energy field. There was something incredibly unsettling about this Pokemon, and Leaf was quick to gather that Shadow did not want this Pokemon standing in his personal space.

That was why he had fired a Razor Leaf at the Riolu. His mind was still a bit sluggish from the earlier cold, and his head felt heavy, but there was still no doubt within his mind that this had been the correct thing to do in this situation. Shadow seemed hostile towards the other Pokemon, and even in his tired state, Leaf could tell that the Espeon was somewhat injured, and unable to fully protect himself from the other Pokemon.

There was a brief exchange of words with one of the other Pokemon present, and after a short pause, and a quick burst of light, the Riolu stepped away from Shadow, and towards Leaf instead. It was at this moment that Leaf noticed the eerie yellow eyes the other Pokemon possessed. A sudden jolt ran through the Leafeon's body, and his own gaze sharpened, dispelling a little bit of the sluggishness that had wormed its way into his mind.

Those eyes meant something...but Leaf couldn't fully recall their significance. His instinct was telling him to stay on guard, though. There was something familiar about those eyes...but the first association Leaf could make was that something was wrong.

"Picking a fight with me, little one?" the Riolu asked quietly. His voice was brimming with amusement, and although he spoke barely above a whisper, Leaf could hear every word clearly, as if he was speaking from directly beside him. "Come at me, then. I'd love to see what you've got."

Leaf didn't have to be told twice. He flicked his head, producing a pair of razor-edged leaves from each of his ears, and watched as they flew towards the opposing Pokemon. The Riolu smirked, and with an almost bored wave of his paw, he cast two small energy spheres that tore through Leaf's projectiles effortlessly. Another jolt of fear raced through the Leafeon, and he stepped backwards, momentarily taken aback by the response his attack had received.

Even when sparring with Shadow and Frost, neither of them ever countered his Razor Leaf technique so effortlessly. It was actually a little bit insulting, as if his opponent considered the battle to be a waste of time. Leaf knew he wasn't as strong as Frost, yet the Glaceon never treated him so rudely during their spars.

"Is that all?" the Riolu taunted. "Going to turn tail and run?"

Leaf growled in response, his tan fur bristling at the smug tone his opponent was using. The fatigue clinging to his body was definitely hurting his mood, but it wasn't doing anything for his battle abilities, either. But he didn't want to always leave the fighting to Shadow, or even to Frost. He had been working hard each day to improve his own abilities so that he could support his brother and help keep them both safe, but now it was starting to feel like all that effort wasn't getting him anywhere, if something as simple as being cold or being shrouded in darkness was such a fatal weakness.

"Leaf, don't push yourself like this," Shadow pleaded, his silver eyes shimmering with concern. "I know you mean well, but it's too-"

"I know that!" Leaf snapped back, his temper flaring up so suddenly that the Espeon flinched. He was tired of always having to listen to Shadow's lectures about staying safe. What good was being safe if he lost his brother in the process? Didn't Shadow understand him yet? That he didn't want to always sit back and leave the fighting to his older brother? Didn't he understand yet that Shadow meant everything to him? How could anyone be okay with sitting back and watching terrible things happen to their loved ones?

"Hohoho," the Riolu chortled, his eyes glittering wickedly. "Looks like your little brother has a rude tongue of his own, Shadow. It must run in the family."

"Stop talking to Shadow! You're fighting me!" Leaf grumbled, drawing the Riolu's attention back to him.

"Oh, how rude of me," the Riolu chuckled. "However, I note that you picked a fight with me, and have yet to pose even a remote threat, so forgive me for losing interest so quickly."

Leaf didn't have the mental energy to try to understand those words. He got the main point, either way. He flicked his head again, producing another pair of razor-edged leaves from his body and sending them towards the aura Pokemon. Once again, the Riolu countered his projectiles effortlessly, and to add insult to injury, rolled his eyes.

"I see how this was worth my attention now. Such an improvement over your last attack," the Riolu deadpanned. Leaf bristled again, and his gaze sharpened.

"Leaf, you're not in any shape to be fighting right now," Shadow insisted, forcing himself back to his feet, still wincing with every movement. "Let me take care of-"

"No! You're hurt, and I'm not!" Leaf retorted irritably.

"You're exhausted, and sunlight deprived!" Shadow argued, his black fur bristling to match Leaf's.

"That doesn't mean I should give up!" Leaf snapped back.

A sudden chill raced down Leaf's spine, and he glanced over his shoulder, seeing, with a pang of embarrassment, that Frost had arrived on the scene. The Glaceon's dark eyes swept the clearing, pausing on several details of interest, before narrowing at the sight of the yellow-eyed Riolu. The Ice Eeveelution's expression was uncomfortably serious as he next focused upon Leaf, yet he made no move to interfere.

"Ah, and so the last of your group has found his way here," the Riolu remarked, glancing towards the Glaceon. "Frost, if memory serves. The one who picked a fight with Lin back at the Ruins, yes?"

"And you must be Diablos," Frost retorted curtly. The Riolu blinked, but then smirked, letting that serve as the only answer needed. "Leaf, you can back off now. I can take over-"

"No!" Leaf snapped. The Glaceon blinked, and then raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "This is my fight! I want to fight him!"

"Do you even know who you're fighting?" Frost wondered incredulously. "It's like Shadow says, you're in no condition to-"

"Then give me sun!" Leaf retorted. Frost glanced towards Shadow, the two older Eons sharing a meaningful look. "I know it's dangerous, I know I'm not that strong, but I need to fight...I need to prove that I'm not helpless anymore. That I can help Shadow protect us. Please..."

There was a brief silence as Frost studied the Leafeon with a critical eye, but Leaf's gaze didn't waver. Finally, the Glaceon nodded slowly.

"I understand. Don't push yourself too far. Retreat if you get in danger, and I'll watch your back," Frost said sternly. Leaf just nodded solemnly, and the Glaceon closed his eyes in focus. Moments later, a small sphere of light appeared overhead, smaller than the usual sunlight spheres the Glaceon conjured for Leaf, but its warmth and light swept over the Leafeon's body with incredible potency.

"Oh? A Sunny Day sphere?" Diablos murmured, his yellow eyes glinting in amusement. The Leafeon's sprouts began to glow with a faint green glow, becoming rejuvenated before their eyes. The weariness that had been attached to the Leafeon like an iron chain seemed to lift free of him in an instant, and Leaf could feel the warmth and energy spreading through his body from the tip of his ears down to his toes.

Leaf didn't dare waste a second of this energy blessing, and he darted at Diablos, closing the gap so swiftly he seemed to have Teleported. The moment he was in range, his body took on a white glow and he plowed his weight into the Riolu. Diablos' reflexes were incredible, and he shifted his stance at the last moment, catching part of the Leafeon's weight and off-setting his momentum, but it was still enough to knock him over, the two Pokemon falling to the grass in a heap.

Leaf snapped his teeth at the Riolu's shoulder and arm, noticing the puncture wounds that were inflicted by a similar attack earlier. With energy now coursing through him, he was abruptly aware of hundreds of little details he hadn't noticed before. Weaknesses in his opponent's stance, in the injuries already inflicted, and even in the terrain. There were numerous sticks and rocks dotted about the small clearing, all of which could potentially trip up the aura Pokemon if he was forced onto them when balance mattered.

Diablos grunted, but with superhuman strength, managed to throw Leaf off him, the Leafeon landing on his feet with surprising grace. The Riolu's yellow eyes gleamed intensely, and for the first time since their little spar had begun, the aura Pokemon's mouth had curled into an enthusiastic grin, a far cry from his earlier expression of bored dismissiveness.

"It's a much different story when you're recharged, I see," Diablos whispered. Leaf didn't answer, instead launching a barrage of razor-sharp leaves from various sections of his body, the projectiles directed at the aura Pokemon's limbs, rather than his torso. Frost had been adamant about training both of the brothers in accuracy with their projectile attacks, and this was training that had massively paid off.

Diablos pivoted his body, tucking his arms close to his chest in order to avoid the pronged attack, and in that window, Leaf closed the distance between them again, moving as a green and tan blur. Without any hesitation, he plowed his shoulder into the Riolu's leg, knocking the aura Pokemon off-balance, and then he snapped his jaws around the opposite ankle. Diablos let out a yelp of pain, and when he raised his paw to retaliate, Leaf released his grip and struck at the unbalanced leg instead.

The Riolu stumbled, his injured leg catching on one of the branches littering the clearing, and he fell into a sitting position. Leaf growled, pouncing on the downed Riolu's chest and scratching viciously at his face. Just when he was about to jump out of range of retaliation, the Riolu produced a sphere of energy within his paw and punched the Leafeon squarely in the chest. The energy sphere detonated forcefully and hurled Leaf several feet backwards. Shadow gasped, but Leaf simply shook himself off and got back to his feet, growling at his opponent.

"How interesting. The sun does more than recharge you, doesn't it?" Diablos murmured, his eyes glinting. "Your agility is impressive, for one so young. But your tactics are still too crude. Too...unrefined."

"That's why I'm beating you," Leaf growled.

"Hardly. I'll admit you caught me by surprise, but only your speed, not your poor excuse for tactics. Such straightforward aggression is too primal to be effective for long. Or perhaps you didn't see how swiftly I bested your Absol friend before when she tried that nonsense against me."

Leaf's gaze flicked towards the unconscious Absol, and he growled again, more aggressively than before. His eyes sharpened until his gaze was more vicious and focused upon the Riolu.

The Leafeon charged again, shifting to the left and right occasionally to adjust his movement path, his body picking up speed as he came nearer. Diablos didn't wait for the attack to complete, instead kicking off the ground and flipping over the Leafeon acrobatically. Before even touching the ground, he had conjured another Aura Sphere within his paws and hurled it at Leaf. Despite being forced to end his charge early, Leaf rolled sideways, the sphere flying past his body harmlessly. Behind his back, the sphere changed direction mid-flight and came back around. Shadow attempted to shout a warning, but it came too late for Leaf to react, and he was thrown forwards onto his stomach from the impact. Pain shot through his body, but he climbed back up, wincing from the effort.

"Cheap trick," Leaf growled, but Diablos simply smirked in reply.

"I told you already, your tactics are too crude to work on me. My aura can predict your movements, and your aim is too direct. Your aggression is fueled by your emotions, but I commend you for not falling into the same trap as Shadow. You are not so dominated by impulse, but your drive is still too weak."

Leaf fired another small barrage of razor-edged leaves from his body, and Diablos clapped his paws together, detonating a small energy sphere between them. From where the sphere shattered, thin pulses of energy expanded outwards, ripping through several of Leaf's projectiles simultaneously, and enabling the Riolu to dodge the remainder with minimal effort. Leaf charged again, putting an even greater burst of speed into his movements. Rather than pounce right away, he strafed around his opponent and struck at the Riolu's back instead.

This time, his attack connected, and he sank his teeth into one of the Riolu's ears. Diablos hissed in pain, reaching up to seize the Leafeon by the neck, but Leaf leapt back to the ground, immediately throwing himself back onto the offensive by headbutting the Riolu in the stomach.

Diablos grunted, but then lashed out his foot, catching Leaf square in the muzzle. The young Leafeon yelped in pain and retreated a few paces, breathing heavily as he glared at the Riolu.

"It seems this is the best you can bring out on your own strength," the Riolu lamented, and his eyes glittered. "So, I shall provide you with a little more...look at me..."

Yellow eyes met soft brown, and Leaf blinked, promptly averting eye contact. There was an awkward pause, and Diablos cocked his head, perplexed.

"I said...Look at me."

Definitely a command now, but Leaf defiantly turned up his nose, refusing to hold eye contact.

"...how peculiar," Diablos mused, his voice scarcely above a whisper. "Your mind defies traditional methods of access. I receive no vibes from you at all. It's...elusive, much like..."

The aura Pokemon paused, absently twirling his paw as he searched for the perfect wording to describe the situation.

"Shining light through water?" Shadow suggested blandly. Diablos blinked, giving the Espeon a confused look, but then nodded.

"Yes...precisely. No matter...I merely hoped to get a glimpse of the darkness your heart may contain, but from the looks of it, you've got nothing to show."

"Darkness?" Shadow repeated, and he growled. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"Calm yourself, Shadow," Diablos replied dismissively. "Our time today is running short, so I suppose I can end on this note. The darkness that sleeps in every heart is the facet of oneself that they find most reprehensible, yet is tempting for what its power can enable you to accomplish. What one is willing to do for the sake of self-preservation, or the preservation of something they value even more...that is the nature of darkness. In battle is when one's darkness is most likely to emerge, for it is at that time one is pushed to their limits. Temptation is most alluring when the chips are down, so to speak."

"None of that makes any sense at all," Shadow growled. "Why are you targeting me? What do you want from me?"

The Riolu smirked widely. "Shadow, the darkness in your heart is very potent. Driven by what you have lost, your heart burns for vengeance, yet you struggle to find it within yourself to fully act on it. Righteous anger is useless against me, for the rage you fight with for the sake of those you've lost is empty without the satisfaction from your actions. You do not relish the pain you inflict with your power, and so you hold back, even when fighting in your own defense. Your emotions offer potent power, but you deny yourself pragmatic solutions. With one exception."

Shadow's body tensed, and his silver eyes narrowed with anger. "What are you talking about?"

Diablos smiled chillingly. "There is much you need to reflect on, and to spell it out for you now would cheapen your experience. I no longer wish to host my power within you, for by now you have enough information and awareness that your body and mind will reject my power. That's fine. There is other value I can find for your darkness, but I see no reason to obsess over a single project."

"Leave Shadow alone," Leaf growled, his fur bristling. "He's not a project, he's my brother."

The Riolu chuckled. "Spoken as naively as only a kit would. Manipulation to acquire what one desires is a natural occurrence in life, as you may one day learn. Your morality has not fully developed, so your heart is not conflicted enough for your darkness to be truly born."

"I don't care. I'll do my part and protect him, just like he's always protected me," Leaf growled.

There was a sudden burst of light, and the Kirlia reappeared in their midst. Her cheeks were flushed as if she had been running a marathon, and her pink eyes scanned the clearing with visible apprehension, only to breathe an immense sigh of relief.

"C-can we go now?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, I think now would be an appropriate time to depart," Diablos replied smoothly, stepping nearer to Iris. "Do you need a moment yet? I understand that Teleportation is rather taxing."

Iris gave a sheepish nod, but Diablos remained close by, doubtlessly so they could depart immediately once she was ready. Leaf scowled a little and stepped closer to the pair, clearly unwilling to just sit back and let them leave. Diablos swiftly produced a sphere of aura within his paw, brandishing it at Leaf threateningly.

"Don't even think of it," he sneered. "Your style is just primal aggression, untainted by the pathetic darkness your soul contains. I won't allow you to harm Iris, although I doubt you're pragmatic enough to even consider that option. When you attack, you must commit to the assault. Strike with the intent to draw blood, and to relish the pain and suffering you inflict. That is the only way your drive in its current state can be satisfied, isn't that right?"

The Riolu glanced inquisitively at the Kirlia, who had raised her paw to signal him. The instant that Diablos' attention shifted, the Leafeon smirked.

"Nah, it's cool if you die quick," he stated pleasantly.

"Wha-?" Diablos jerked his head up, just in time for a blur of green to slash across his chest. Diablos' yellow eyes bulged in pain and horrified disbelief, and the Riolu staggered backwards with a strangled cry. A deep gash split open across the Riolu's chest, blood spilling profusely from the wound. If not for the streak of crimson decorating the Leafeon's tail, it might have been impossible to determine the origin of the strike.

The Riolu collapsed to his knees, his paw vainly struggling to stem the flow of blood.

Iris let out a scream, the most terrible sound that any of them had ever heard. A shriek of a dozen emotions, all mixed together into one awful wail that extended to the heavens, and echoed throughout the forest. She was at her mate's side in an instant, her pink eyes filling with tears as she frantically began to conjure sparkling white energy within her paws, pressing them desperately against the Riolu's chest in an attempt to seal the wounds with the healing energy.

Shadow and Frost could only stare in numb disbelief at the scene, whereas the Leafeon was utterly unfazed, still smirking a little as he observed Iris' efforts with a nonchalant expression.

"That makes all four of us now, doesn't it?" Leaf wondered aloud, his tone far, far too casual for the circumstances. His smirk widened, exposing a single fang. "I've been dying to do that ever since Lumina told me about that boast. Totally signed your own death warrant with that, you know."

"Im...poss...ible," Diablos coughed, blood spilling from his mouth, and he glared into the Leafeon's eyes. Then he froze, for the eyes gazing back at him were not the Leafeon's usual shade of brown, but a distinct golden-brown instead.

"I love to hear myself talk, too, but sheesh, your prattling and self-glorifying attitude makes Flake look modest as hell," the Leafeon continued nonchalantly, as if he were discussing something as simple and casual as the recent weather.

Diablos made a confused sputtering sound, and his eyes widened, before his eyes flickered, changing from yellow back to the Riolu's usual red. At the same time, a translucent green sphere rose up from the aura Pokemon's body and then splintered apart into tiny sparkles of light, each of which twinkled momentarily before disappearing, like a firework erupting in the night sky.

Iris uttered a choked sob and wail of frustration. Without another word, she clutched the Riolu's arm and the two vanished in a flash of white light.

There was a moment of stunned silence in the wake of their disappearance, and Frost slowly made his way over to the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Astrid was stirring, finally regaining consciousness.

"What the hell just happened?" Frost demanded, looking at Leaf warily. Shadow frowned, observing his brother with a similarly disconcerted expression. The Leafeon pivoted to face them, still smirking.

"Leaf Blade to the chest, looked super effective," he answered casually. "Now, I wouldn't normally pat myself on the back for that, but since I actually can, why not?"

Still grinning, the Leafeon extended a vine from one of the sprouts on his body, and manipulated it to literally pat himself on the back. His smirk widened at the dumbfounded expressions on the older Eons' faces, but said nothing further, almost relishing the stunned confusion on their faces.

"Shadow? What's with his eyes?" Frost asked the Espeon in a concerned undertone. The Leafeon's eyes were still that unsettling shade of golden-brown, different from Leaf's usual coloration, but definitely not Diablos' eerie yellow. At a glance, it simply appeared that something was off, but the Leafeon's demeanor of absolute confidence further served to illuminate the contrast from Leaf's normal behavior.

"I've seen that before," Shadow said slowly. This was at least partially true, although it had been such a brief moment back then, and this moment was lasting much longer, making the parallel even more obvious.

"Aww, he got blood on my tail, too," the Leafeon complained, inspecting the crimson stain on the leaf of his tail. "That's gonna be a nightmare to clean off." A thoughtful expression passed over his face, followed by a grin that practically spelled out where his thought process was heading. "Or a really good dream. Not sure yet."

"Yeah, I've definitely seen this before," Shadow deadpanned. His silver gaze flicked towards the Leafeon again. "Devine."

"Ooh, you remembered my name this time!" the Leafeon snickered, his blood-streaked tail flicking enthusiastically. "That's two you owe me now, Shadow. Couldn't just sit back and let him prattle on with his aggravating nonsense. One could say this was an act of...Devine Intervention."

The Leafeon grinned goofily, looking between Frost and Shadow as if expecting a specific reaction. When all he received was a blank look, his expression sobered.

"Screw you guys, that was hilarious."


	64. Out of the Forest

**I suspect this chapter wouldn't have been as hard to write if I would have just remembered a week ago that Devine is not an exposition fairy, and should never be asked questions you want a straight answer to, unless you enjoy headaches. Or rewriting the chapter half a dozen times.**

* * *

Leaving the forest was the first priority. There were still several unanswered questions about the events that had transpired, but the answers to those would have to wait. Shadow was understandably concerned that the longer they lingered within the forest, the more likely it was for them to become embroiled in yet another conflict.

The Espeon was also adamant about them not taking the same exit route as before, and despite the detour that had taken them to that forest clearing, it took a surprisingly short time to work their way to the forest's exit. No one spoke much during the walk, in favor of keeping an eye or ear, if not one of their more abstract senses, tuned for anything that might further hinder their traveling.

"Shame we couldn't simply Teleport," Leaf commented, his tone peculiarly casual compared to his ordinary demeanor. Actually, that wasn't really the best way for Frost to describe how oddly Leaf had been acting ever since Frost had caught up to the others in the forest clearing. After Leaf had basked in the provided sunlight sphere, his battle style had transformed into an unusually aggressive variation. The shift had been bewildering at first, not least of all because Leaf seemed surprisingly competent wielding such a style, despite its radical departure from his usual battle style.

More concerning was his swift and direct method of dispatching the possessed Riolu just when it seemed that the conflict was coming to a close. Maybe there was more to the context that Frost was unaware of that made such an approach appropriate for the circumstances, but even then, the Glaceon never would have suspected that Leaf would be capable of using such force. Even now, he seemed calm, almost nonchalant, with no indication of regret or concern in the aftermath of using such a vicious, and likely fatal, means of ending a battle.

His tone had also shifted, and it had taken Frost a few moments to really find a way to explain what was so off about it. Namely, Leaf's tone lacked the usual inflections that he spoke with. He wasn't whining for attention, but neither was he displaying any enthusiasm, irritation, or other such emotions. It was as if the nonchalance was the only emotional variation allowed to his words, and it made everything he say come off as smug and cocky.

Even that last comment seemed weird coming from Leaf. It was a lamentation, but not a complaint. It was the simple stating of an unfortunate fact, yet somehow untroubled by the implied inconvenience that went along with it.

In addition, the Leafeon's eyes had remained that distinct shade of golden brown, and the more that Frost thought about it, the more he became unsettled by the change.

It was fascinating, but incredibly off-putting.

"Even if I knew how to Teleport, it'd be wasteful and extremely risky to Teleport such a short distance," Shadow remarked, his voice carrying a noticeable twinge of annoyance.

"Being restricted to foot at all times is likewise risky," Leaf noted casually, flashing a smirk at his brother. Frost raised an eyebrow, a brief frown crossing his face. The Leafeon's smirk was another element that he was becoming increasingly concerned by. It was an odd expression, the likes of which he had never so much as glimpsed upon the younger Pokemon's face before, but the real weirdness was the way that the Leafeon positioned his jaw, allowing only the fang on the right side of his mouth to be visible.

Shadow cast his brother an annoyed look, but evidently chose not to say anything, because he faced forward soon after, and awkward silence overtook the group. Astrid was the one leading them, seeing as her sense of direction and navigation seemed to be a step above theirs, at the very least, so she was overall quiet, but whenever she paused to look around, Frost spotted the subtle shadow of reflection within her eyes.

It was still far too soon for Frost to get a full read on the Absol's battle capabilities or history, but he had noticed that of the group, she was the only one who had been knocked unconscious in some manner, something that Diablos had claimed credit for when facing against Leaf. Whether it was a sense of shame over her performance, or something else was unclear, but it would not have surprised him if that was the case.

Furthermore, it made her the only one of the group who had not seen Leaf's battle against Diablos, and no one had bothered to try to fill her in, not even to explain the crimson streak staining the Leafeon's tail.

Frost cringed as sunlight abruptly pierced through the previous veil of darkness cast by the thick forest, and it was only now that he realized that they had emerged from the forest's clutches.

Shadow seemed momentarily disoriented by the bright light, but his silver forehead gem immediately began to shimmer, as if drawing energy from the rising sun. Leaf grinned, his leaves becoming even more vibrant as his body absorbed as much sunlight as it could manage.

"This good for you guys? Do you need anything else?" Astrid asked, glancing back at them with a smile that seemed a little more forced than her usual manner. Once the Glaceon's eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, he gazed around swiftly, ascertaining that they were within a short distance from the campsite that they had spent the previous night at.

"Well, since you asked," Leaf said, practically drawling the words. He flicked his tail to draw attention to the crimson-stained leaf. "I do need to clean the blood from my tail. It's gotten a little dried on, but it's out of reach for me to lick it off myself. Would you like to do the honors?"

The Leafeon's eyes flicked to meet Astrid's gaze, and responded to her blank look with another single-fanged smirk. Shadow cringed, and Frost was relieved that he was not the only one who found the request somewhat...questionable. Normally, he would have dismissed the notion on the basis that Leaf's age and Shadow's discomfort with similar subjects made it unlikely that Leaf understood the implications present, but the specific focus on Astrid and the cocky smirk made it seem at least partially deliberate. Either way, Frost was just happy to see that he was not the only one whose thoughts drifted to an inappropriate conclusion.

"Sorry, little guy, I'm going to go ahead and pass on that one," Astrid answered with a playful smirk, but as she glanced around the area, Frost noted the flicker of confusion within her green eyes. "There's a stream right over there you can use, though," Astrid added, nodding towards the water source.

Leaf shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the rejection, and he casually wandered over to the aforementioned stream. Once the Leafeon was out of earshot, Astrid gave the older Eeveelutions an inquisitive look.

"He was definitely asking me to lick his tail, right? I'm not just imagining things?" she asked.

"I really wish I was the only one who noticed that," Shadow sighed, and Frost had to fight to keep a straight face.

"Definitely going to want an explanation now," the Glaceon told Shadow, frowning to better conceal that he had been on the verge of laughing at their reactions. "He's been acting weird ever since I caught up to you guys."

Shadow grunted in acknowledgement, his silver eyes flitting in Leaf's direction, until convinced that they were still out of earshot. "It's happened once before, but never this long. I thought I imagined it the first time."

"What, does he have like...a split personality or something?" Astrid wondered, her tail wagging with the enthusiasm of an excited puppy, seemingly oblivious to how inappropriate her mannerisms were for such a troubling subject.

Shadow frowned, biting his lip thoughtfully. "I...wouldn't go that far. I admit I don't fully understand it myself, not enough to explain it to you, anyway."

"Give it your best shot, then, because we're way too much in the dark about this," Frost said, offering Shadow a small smile of encouragement. To his surprise, this gesture seemed to relieve some of Shadow's hesitation, because he nodded.

"When I first evolved, I managed to link my mind with Leaf's by accident. When I did that, I encountered three Pokemon that...apparently share roles in managing his mind and personality."

Shadow hesitated, as if expecting the other two to burst into laughter and mock him for saying something absurd, but neither Astrid nor Frost seemed to find this ridiculous enough to immediately dismiss. Not being a Psychic-type Pokemon himself, Frost had absolutely no right to dismiss anything of the sort, and he had glanced through some of A/C's books, some of which did have subjects concerning the infrastructure of the mind. However, he had found such subjects too daunting to read at the time, with no practical applications for himself.

"Some time after that, when we got into trouble with a Pokemon trainer...almost literally right where we are now...Leaf intervened, and his battle style had become vicious...just like when he fought Diablos earlier," Shadow said, now addressing Frost specifically. The Glaceon nodded, dimly recalling that the Espeon had mentioned something about a trainer in his story earlier that day, and further recalled that Leaf himself had brought up an incident with the trainer when they were back at Solaceon.

Astrid cocked her head curiously, but evidently chose not to interrupt. Shadow glanced at the Absol, but seeing that she was going to remain silent, he pressed on, taking a deep breath.

"During that time, his eyes had...briefly changed to how they are now, but right afterwards, they went back to normal. I thought it was a trick of the light and didn't think much of it, other than how weird the battle style had been," Shadow said, frowning. "After the incident at the Ruins...when I went to bed early, I...had a nightmare, but it was interrupted mid-way through."

"Oh?" Frost raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. From what he had been able to observe, Shadow's restless nights had all but ended soon after the Solaceon Ruins incident, to the point where he was under the impression they had ceased entirely. It wasn't until this morning that he even knew what the nightmares might have been about in the first place, or the sort of stress the Espeon had gone through.

Shadow nodded solemnly. "The one that claimed credit for interrupting my nightmares was a vaguely familiar Espeon. After half a dozen obnoxiously vague clues, he identified himself as Devine, one of the three I had encountered when I linked with Leaf's mind. But the way Leaf's been acting...all of it matches."

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked, confused.

Shadow gestured in the direction of the stream. "The golden eyes. The whole nonchalant attitude. That weird smirk he keeps doing. Devine does all of those things. Every single one. And he acknowledged me calling him by that name, so...I'm guessing he somehow takes control."

"Ha! I get it now!" Frost marveled, his eyes lighting up. Astrid and Shadow gave him a blank look, and the Glaceon grinned sheepishly. "Leaf said it was an act of 'Devine Intervention', remember? It was that joke neither of us got. It's a pun."

"Puns aren't funny," Shadow noted blandly.

"I dunno, that one seems kind of clever, now that I get it," Frost mused.

"No, puns are never funny or clever," Shadow insisted.

"Kind of have to side with Shadow here," Astrid giggled. "Then again, most of my old team had pun-related names, so we got sick of them fast. Like, Thresher was caught as a Scyther. He lucked out that his name isn't even obviously a pun."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "How is YOUR name a pun?" he asked.

"Let's...not get into that," the Absol said flatly. Frost and Shadow exchanged puzzled glances, but whereas Shadow seemed to shrug and not concern himself with the matter further, Frost was not so quick to give up.

"Why do I get that kind of response all the time?" he asked, bemused. "You're literally the third Pokemon who outright refused to discuss her name's origin."

"Were they all female?" Shadow asked curiously. Frost blinked, but nodded, and the Espeon cracked a grin. "Maybe Raze was onto something with the rhethorical questions doing you in."

"Maybe most Pokemon don't want to explain the extremely lame puns and in-jokes associated with their name," Astrid suggested with a giggle. "Renard lucked out, but he was also much older than everyone else."

Frost waved his paw dismissively. "But you're not really ever going to escape that. My name is ice-based, but it's not a pun, it's coincidental. Leaf is the same way, and it's not going to change the initial impression when you introduce yourself by a name conveniently related to your evolution. I daresay Shadow wasn't named for having black fur, but everyone's going to assume that."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Yeah...well, it was a tradition to name us after the first thing we touched. Dad used to say that was weird."

Astrid giggled. "Wait, Echo said that tradition was weird? Can't blame him. He was a Vaporeon whose mate's name was Rio...I can only imagine the look on his face if he saw his kits now."

"I'm wondering how many variations you can even come up with, considering such a bizarre criteria for naming ideas," Frost said thoughtfully. "I suppose touching snow or ice has plenty of variety...but what's the most likely thing a kit's going to touch after it's born? Eggshells? Grass?"

"Its mother," Astrid suggested, but this only made Frost more perplexed.

"So if Shadow touched his mother...it'd be a...mother-related name?"

"My mom was a Jolteon, I'd probably have gotten a name based on electricity," Shadow conceded. Frost was more surprised that the Espeon was able to mention his parents so casually, when previously the mere mention of parental figures would cause the Espeon to become more withdrawn and vague.

"So even wild Pokemon name their kits with puns? Is that just an Eevee thing?" Astrid wondered. "I've never seen anyone else do that, but wow, the Eevee line seems to love them."

Frost smirked. "I have no idea, but I'll make a mental note to ask every member of the Eevee line for elaboration on naming conventions and such in their family. Sadly, I'm still tackling the vague clue about a snow globe, so-"

"Thresher always teased about that," Astrid giggled, her green eyes glazed over as if reflecting on a happy memory. Frost looked at the Absol in confusion. Her response had absolutely nothing to do with what he had been saying.

"About what?" he asked blankly.

"How did we even get on this topic?" Shadow asked abruptly. "Weren't we originally talking about what happened with Diablos, and Devine?"

"Ooh, talking about me behind my back, Shadow?" Leaf asked casually, waltzing back into their midst, his tail now devoid of bloodstains. "How rude of you."

Shadow scowled a little at the Leafeon. "Well, I had to explain to them what's wrong with you."

"Wrong with me?" the Leafeon repeated with false hurt in his voice, only to break into an amused grin instead. "You're so ungrateful sometimes, Shadow. One of these days, I might start to think you don't want my help."

Without waiting for a response, he sat down beside the Espeon and began grooming himself idly. Frost privately noted that although he was going through the motions of grooming, the quality was a bit lacking, as if the Leafeon wasn't really concerned with his appearance. It was the type of grooming job one would do if they just needed to do the absolute minimum for the sake of claiming that some effort was involved, disregarding the results.

Shadow sighed. "Do I even want to bother asking why you're still in control of Leaf?" he wondered wearily, as if he had been suffering for several days, rather than just the course of an hour or so.

"Nettles needed a nap," the Leafeon replied nonchalantly. The Espeon rolled his eyes.

"Didn't think so," he muttered. "Not like you ever make sense in the first place."

There was an awkward pause as Astrid and Frost glanced at one another, then at the two brothers, clearly unsure whether they were supposed to acknowledge the Leafeon's return, and if so, whether to acknowledge that a separate identity was involved.

"But...he's not possessed, right?" Frost clarified tentatively.

"Not in the sense that Diablos does it," Shadow answered wearily. "Just don't bother asking him questions, unless you enjoy headaches."

"Ooh, that reminds me," Astrid said brightly, but her expression sobered with remarkable haste. "Who or what is Diablos? He's the one who uh...did that stuff, right?" she asked, giving Shadow an uncomfortable glance as she spoke.

The Espeon nodded solemnly. "From what I've been told, anyway. He attacked my home, killed my parents, and has targeted me ever since. I still don't fully understand why. Half of what he says sounds like a riddle."

Astrid bit her lower lip and nodded slowly. After a pause, she looked up at Shadow inquisitively. "What happened when I was...knocked out, or whatever?"

"Yes, I still need to be filled in one some of the details of what happened before I arrived," Frost agreed. Shadow furrowed his brow, and Frost could see that he wasn't entirely sure where to start things off from. The impression that Frost had gotten from the situation was that there were several overlapping elements in the story as a whole, experiences shared by some of them, but not by everyone.

"Hang on, do you think we could go over this while on the move?" Astrid asked, before Shadow had even started to say anything. The three Eons all blinked at her blankly, and she giggled. "That was like...perfectly in sync, or something," she said, smiling. "Um...I just want to check back in with Renard. I think there's a lot of things that happened in the forest that he should be made aware of."

"Who's Renard?" Frost asked. The name had been mentioned by the Absol earlier, yet he hadn't been given any genuine context for the name, other than he was someone she knew that had been fortunate enough to evade being named with a pun.

"Shadow's met him," Astrid replied, her tail wagging. "He's a Ninetales, currently looking over...I guess it's considered Shadow's territory now. It's not too far, but it'd save time to explain a few things on the way, especially since that might be something Renard should be told about."

The Glaceon frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose that'd be okay," he said, glancing inquisitively in Shadow's direction, but the Espeon didn't seem to notice. "So long as it's not too much of a detour."

"I may as well come with you," Devine stated, stretching nonchalantly and flashing a passive smirk at the other three Pokemon. "Been wanting to take a look at the place again, anyway."

Shadow merely shrugged and stood up, wincing a bit from the residual soreness he must have picked up from the earlier battles. "I could probably use another bit of his advice, when I'm not in as much a hurry," he admitted.

"Good idea," Astrid agreed, her tail wagging playfully, and with that, she turned and led them further away from the forest, towards the direction Shadow had come from the previous evening. Devine followed at her heels, only for Shadow to telekinetically pull him back a few paces, so that he was walking more alongside the other two Eons, earning a mildly annoyed look in the process.

"You need to learn personal space boundaries," Shadow told his brother blandly.

"Sheesh, keep me on a leash, why don't you?" Devine muttered.

"Don't tempt me," Shadow retorted.

Frost hid a smirk. If not for the fact he had been told the reasoning behind Leaf's recent behavioral shift, he might never have guessed by the present interactions that this was the case. It certainly led credibility to the claim that the one currently in control of the young Leafeon was an aspect of the original's personality in some form. Sadly, this still left a number of questions unanswered, but he could appreciate that now wasn't the best time to delve into such a subject.

There still was the matter of the things that Diablos had said back at the clearing, specifically in regards to what a person's darkness was. Frost had not yet had time to mentally sift through the explanation, and still preferred another to be able to bounce thoughts off of, but it sounded like a fascinating concept. Did that mean there was another avenue of getting stronger that every person had access to, if they had the sufficient drive to unlock it?

And was this the sort of thing Lin had referred to, when she told him to find purpose? That without one, he could never match her? Did that mean the Weavile already knew about her own darkness, and was able to use it?

So many new questions, but not enough answers. Perhaps there was an added benefit to meeting with this Ninetales. Loathe as Frost was to seek advice rather than carve out his own path, it certainly couldn't hurt to get the insight of someone older and wiser.


	65. Sharing Concerns

Getting Astrid up to speed on some of the recent events took up most of the travel time, to the point that Frost was surprised when the Absol announced that they were almost to their destination. Then again, he supposed it wasn't really that far away in the first place. Most of what Shadow told Astrid was information that Frost and Leaf had been provided earlier that morning, so the Glaceon had been free to continue reflecting on the more recent happenings.

It was incredible to think of how much had happened over the course of this day alone. There was the visit to the forest, a visit cut short by a miniature war breaking out between the dominant Bug-type faction in the forest and a rebellious faction manipulated in some form by a Scizor 'tactician', as Astrid had called him. Such an opponent all but required the most powerful techniques at the Glaceon's disposal, and even then, Astrid seemed convinced that Frost should have been defeated.

The thought alone made his blood boil.

Even after that, was the matter of encountering Pokemon allied with Diablos, one of which ultimately ended up as a possession victim. Frost still wasn't sure what had happened in the time between their separation and his catching up with the rest of the group, but Leaf's behaviors and the conclusion of the battle weighed heavily on his thoughts, moreso than even the battle against Thresher.

If what Shadow suggested was true, then Leaf's mind, if not all minds in general, contained individuals that managed his behaviors and thoughts. This in itself could have served as a fascinating research study, but this situation had put a different spin on the matter. Leaf's shift in personality strongly indicated that one or more of the subconscious individuals could outright usurp a person's body, and replace their behaviors and mannerisms completely, as if the 'normal' individual did not even matter.

Definitely something that Frost wanted more information about, despite Shadow's deadpan warning to not bother asking the Leafeon questions. Headaches were not as much a deterrent to Frost as they might be to Shadow.

Conversation ceased once they fully arrived at their destination, and Frost was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the large clearing they had come to. It was a lush green meadow, dotted with flowers and surrounded by dense trees, offering a strong sense of security and privacy. The size of it was impressive, much larger than most meadow clearings Frost had seen elsewhere. It could easily be the territory for a dozen or more Pokemon, all living comfortably.

In one corner of the clearing was a running stream ending in a small lake, and nearby that was a small hill where a large tree stood, casting an umbrella of shade to all that might gather beneath it.

It was a beautiful area. Frost was not normally one to delight in the beauty of natural surroundings that weren't also glazed with fresh snow, but he could unquestionably see the appeal to such an area here. The entire clearing just seemed like a painting that could be titled 'Springtime', and even a Glaceon like himself could appreciate the peaceful tranquility and privacy that such a territory would provide a family. It was so different from the cave den he had grown up in, alongside his parents, or the den he had sought shelter in during the past winter. Those dens had a coziness about them that open air lacked, but this was something else entirely. The only thing that seemed peculiar about the area was how completely empty and silent it was. On the way here, the sounds of bird Pokemon and rustling within bushes could be heard in the background, but the silence here was a touch unnerving, once one was aware of it.

Shadow seemed lost for words, and Frost spotted glistening moisture in the corners of his eyes, yet his body lacked the usual tension that accompanied such emotions. The Espeon was practically at ease, basking in the feelings this area brought out within him.

Leaf had been quiet for most of the walk here, content to simply listen to Shadow, occasionally smirking at something his brother would say, but otherwise looking about with idle disinterest. However, as the Leafeon walked into the clearing and gazed around, his expression softened considerably, and a small, genuine smile, rather than the near-permanent smirk, was beginning to shine through.

Astrid looked around with a critical eye, then nodded her head towards the large tree by the hill. As Frost followed her gaze, he quickly spotted the Pokemon in the distance that was seated beneath the tree. Its fur was a vibrant golden-white color, making the Glaceon wonder how he had possibly overlooked such a Pokemon against the contrast of green and natural brown all around them.

Shadow began walking towards the hill, and Frost started to follow after him, only to note that Leaf's expression had shifted again. The Leafeon was still observing the clearing as a whole, but his eyes were shimmering a little. He seemed to realize he was being watched, because he quickly glanced Frost's way and the two made eye contact. The Leafeon managed a shadow of his one-fanged smirk, but it lacked the cockiness that it had carried earlier.

"Lovely scenery, right?" Devine murmured. He raised his paw towards his face and nonchalantly wiped the tear from his eyes, observing the moisture clinging to his paw for a moment, his smirk still oddly forced. "Eh, it can't be helped. I'm only borrowing the reins; Nettles still owns the Deerling."

"What?" Frost asked blankly. The Leafeon smirked, this one containing the proper level of smugness.

"Don't worry about it," Devine stated, yawning widely and stretching his forelegs luxuriously. His golden-brown eyes seemed to be struggling to remain open, and he soon settled himself down on the grass, curling up precisely how Leaf did before sleep each night. Frost raised an eyebrow inquisitively. The sun was still shining brightly, so it seemed unlikely that the Leafeon genuinely required sleep.

"What are you doing?" Frost asked finally, seeing as an explanation didn't seem like it was going to be produced of its own accord.

"Simplifying the transition. Makes the gap in memory less concerning when you seemingly wake from a nap," Devine answered nonchalantly, and he yawned again, settling his head down on his paws and closing his eyes completely.

Frost only had a few seconds to ponder the statement before Leaf stirred, his eyes gradually reopening and blinking in the bright sunlight. He whined quietly and shielded his eyes with his paw, adjusting his positioning in a vain attempt to find a section of shade so that he could open his eyes without experiencing the blinding glare of the sun.

Rolling his eyes, Frost stepped nearer, positioning himself so that his shadow fell over the Leafeon's face. Leaf's whines subsided, and his eyes cautiously opened and blinked sleepily. By all accounts, he genuinely looked like he was just waking from a nap, his soft brown eyes looking around with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

Even if the behavior had not been enough to clue Frost in that Leaf was himself again, the reversion of eye color back to Leaf's usual shade of brown certainly was. Leaf stretched his forelegs and then yawned widely, performing the exact same motions that Devine had moments earlier, but in reverse order.

Frost chanced a glance towards the other Pokemon, and saw that the three of them were making their way down the hill towards them, enabling him to get a better view of the unfamiliar one. As noted earlier, the Pokemon was covered in elegant, golden-white fur that seemed to dazzle in the sunlight, and it had eight or nine long tails fanning out behind it, making it look like it had significant more bulk, when the rest of its body appeared far more slender and elegant.

The most curious trait the fox-like Pokemon had, however, was definitely the eyes. They were a mesmerizing shade of red, and the Ninetales' rather solemn demeanor told of many years of wisdom and maturity that extended far beyond the average Pokemon's. Despite this, the eyes were almost like a void, empty of feeling, as if numb to everything around him. This vibe, bizarrely, did not extend to the rest of the fox's manner, however, for the tails flicked with idle energy, and a kind, almost reassuring smile graced the fox's face.

It told Frost a tremendous amount without saying anything. This Pokemon was primarily solemn, but he was not stoic, and he was not uncaring. It was a similar emotional state that Shadow displayed, but maturity and time had honed this demeanor.

Frost caught Shadow's eye, and jerked his head meaningfully in Leaf's direction. The Espeon seemed perplexed, but nevertheless glanced at his brother, almost immediately catching on to what Frost had been drawing attention to. There was no need to be concerned about Leaf acting strangely for the time being.

"Doing okay, Leaf?" Shadow wondered uncertainly. The Leafeon nodded, and cocked his head curiously, first at Shadow, but then focused instead on the approaching Ninetales, the only of the Pokemon present that he didn't recognize.

"Good morning," the Ninetales said softly. He spoke solemnly, but politely, his red eyes pausing on each of them in turn, lingering on Leaf for a moment longer than anyone else. "I am Renard. For those unfamiliar with my species, I am a Ninetales."

"Hi! I'm Leaf," the Leafeon answered cheerfully. Astrid cocked her head in confusion, less observant of the Leafeon's shift in demeanor, but then shrugged it off. Astrid seemed to have that sort of reaction to a lot of things. She seemed to roll with events rather quickly, even if she didn't fully understand or enjoy what was unfolding, she just adapted the best she could and moved on. It was almost admirable, but Frost suspected her frequently flippant tone at times was the negative aspects of this same trait.

"I'm Frost," the Glaceon echoed, consciously restraining himself from making a grandiose gesture to himself or nonchalant paw motion. There was making a confident first impression, and then there was making a pompous ass of oneself in front of a Pokemon who was unlikely to be impressed by anything more complicated than a simple greeting and exchange of names.

"Well met," Renard said, delivering a polite bob of his head to the two of them. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Um, a couple of issues that came up, actually," Astrid said, raising her paw sheepishly. The Ninetales blinked and turned his gaze towards the Absol. "So...you know how I've been getting antsy about the forest these past few days?"

The Ninetales nodded slowly, each of his nine tails flicking idly in turn. "Unusual, if only for the persistence of the matter. What did you find out?"

Astrid wagged her tail before answering, her tone far too casual for what she was describing. "There's some sort of ongoing territory feud between the Eterna Hive, and another Bug-type faction. Um, but the main concern there is that we ran into Thresher. He's working with the rebellious group."

Renard did not visibly react. His demeanor remained calm and at ease, and his eyes and expression gave no indication of surprise or concern. Astrid herself seemed perplexed by the lack of response, because she cocked her head to the side, her green eyes looking at the Ninetales expectantly.

"Oh, is that the extent of the issue?" Renard wondered, upon realizing that Astrid seemed to be ending the explanation at that. "I can't say I'm particularly surprised. Thresher is free to carve out his own niche as he sees fit, and he would be the type to sympathize with an unorganized, but passionate rebellion."

Astrid frowned a little. "I just...don't think it's a good use of his power. He's so much stronger than anyone else."

"Unlikely," Renard mused. "I've heard rumors that the Hive queen's mate is a very powerful Volcarona. Even if it's just a rumor, Thresher would never risk tangling with such a foe."

"I guess not...just thought I should mention it," Astrid said, the nonchalance in her voice a little more forced than usual, but she perked up again before it fully sank into the rest of her body language. "After that run-in, we-"

"One moment, please," Renard interrupted, his red eyes flicking over the three Eons. "When you say 'we', you are referring to the four of you as a whole?"

"Yes," Shadow confirmed. "We ran into her in the forest, and got caught up in everything that happened there."

Renard nodded, satisfied with the answer, and refocused on Astrid, who seemed completely unfazed by the interruption. It was increasingly clear, not only from what Astrid had said earlier, but also by their behaviors when interacting with one another, that the two Pokemon were definitely close. They knew each other extremely well, and Astrid's awkward social skills seemed to have no effect on the Ninetales' ability to understand her intentions. This was at least the vibe Frost was receiving, even without direct evidence of it being true, but a lot of analysis was about hunches and guesswork, so mild inaccuracies were sure to crop up now and then.

"Okay, so we were on our way out of the forest, because Frost decided to pick a fight with Thresher, and then tried to freeze the whole forest or whatever," Astrid said casually, and Frost bristled indignantly.

"I did not!" the Glaceon protested.

"Sure felt like it," Leaf pointed out, moving closer to Shadow, as if the mere memory of being cold required cuddling to relieve the lingering chills. The Espeon rolled his eyes, but nevertheless draped his forked tail around his brother.

"Point is, it was REALLY cold," Astrid continued, her tail flicking. "On the way out, we ran into a couple of other Pokemon, and Shadow got super-hostile. I found out why later, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself."

Renard blinked, and turned his gaze to Shadow, who winced and gave Astrid a disgruntled look.

"It's...a long story," he muttered.

Oblivious to the glare she had received, Astrid nodded and continued, briefly describing the Sigilyph attack that had separated the group, and how she had eventually come across Shadow and Force fighting vainly against the Ruins guardian.

"Wait, a Sigilyph?" Renard repeated, visibly perplexed. "In the Eterna Forest?"

"Yup!" Astrid confirmed, but then paused, and giggled sheepishly. "Oh wow, I forgot to mention the important part. The Riolu was carrying a Lucarionite."

"What?" Frost asked, his ears perking up. Shadow and Leaf both gave the Absol a similarly baffled look. None of this went remotely acknowledged by either of the other Pokemon.

"Are you sure?" Renard asked, frowning a little bit. Astrid nodded fervantly.

"Positive. They had it on some sort of cheap-looking bracelet, and it was definitely reacting to his emotional and mental state and buffing his aura abilities," Astrid answered, "Dangerously so, and they admitted they had NO IDEA what the stone was, other than it resonated with his aura or whatever."

"Ahem," Frost interrupted, raising his paw to draw their attention to him. "You haven't answered my question yet, and I'm pretty sure I asked first."

"I found it more important to confirm her claim than to launch into an explanation that'd be irrelevant if she was mistaken," Renard explained politely. "A Lucarionite is one of a set of stones known as Mega Stones, which can enable its corresponding Pokemon to achieve a temporary form of evolution known as 'Mega Evolution'. There are a lot of technical details involved that I won't go into right now, but they are not objects to be handled casually."

"Those stones contain an incredible amount of energy, and can react to the holder's emotional and mental state," Astrid explained seriously. "It can overwhelm an unsuspecting user within minutes, especially if they tap into it haphazardly."

"And Force was tapping into it?" Shadow wondered, frowning.

Astrid shrugged. "He must have been. It was boosting his aura, but the stone is supposed to be handled by his evolved form, and I was trying to tell him that, but you saw how well that went. Tapping into such power when unevolved is...extremely dangerous. His body couldn't handle it for long."

The Ninetales nodded slowly. "And what is the relevance of the Sigilyph? Oh, don't tell me..."

Astrid giggled. "They said they got it from the Solaceon Ruins."

"I can confirm as much," Frost said, again reminding himself to avoid adding an unnecessary gesture to punctuate his words. "I am the one who carried it outside, after all."

"Did you?" Renard mused, his red eyes focusing upon Frost with uncomfortable intensity. "In that event, I wonder why you were not targeted instead. Sigilyph are guardians of ruined cities or structures, and those that invade and liberate the objects under their watch would be the first priority to target."

"Force took it first," Shadow said thoughtfully. "The Sigilyph did seem to target him more than me, now that I think of it..."

There was an awkward silence following the Espeon's statement, allowing time for Renard to consider the information he had been given. Just when the silence was beginning to overstay its welcome, Renard nodded in Astrid's direction, wordlessly indicating for her to proceed with the explanation of the events.

Astrid took a moment to remember where she had left off, and Frost perked up his ears, listening intently. Up to this point, he had still not been filled in on the events that had transpired in his absence, and he was genuinely surprised to hear that the Absol had defeated the Sigilyph with absurd ease. It was unfortunate, really, that he had not been able to witness that demonstration of her strength firsthand.

"And that's when things got REALLY bad," Astrid said. Renard raised an eyebrow, but Astrid nodded in Shadow's direction. "He knows more than I do."

"Do tell," the Ninetales said, his tails fanning out behind his body and he pivoted to face Shadow directly, an action all but mirrored by Frost and Leaf.

"Ugh...it's complicated," Shadow muttered. He was silent for a few seconds, and then heaved a sigh. "After Astrid took care of the Sigilyph...Force...that's the Riolu's name, got possessed. I recognized it right away, because I've seen it happen before. Twice before, actually."

The puzzlement was apparent from Renard's face, but his eyes remained unfeeling and unreadable. He simply nodded slowly, and cocked his head to one side as the sole indication that he didn't fully understand Shadow's words.

Shadow hesitated for a moment, and took a deep breath. "Force was previously used as a pawn to attack my parents," he said quietly. For the briefest of moments, Frost was confused as to why Shadow was abruptly so reluctant to reveal the information he had already freely given to the rest of them, but for the first time, Renard's unflappable demeanor broke, revealing a flicker of an emotion that lasted just long enough for Frost to notice, but not to identify. "And I faced him in that state again at the Solaceon Ruins."

"Is that so?" Renard asked. His voice was soft, but his red eyes became more intensely focused upon the ebony Espeon. "I note your emphasis, intentional or otherwise, is on labeling Force as a means to an end, and not the perpetrator."

"Right. The real enemy is Diablos," Shadow stated dully.

At the mention of the Spiritomb's name, Renard's eyes widened and his entire body stiffened. Astrid and Shadow both did a double-take at the Ninetales' reaction, which unlike the previous flicker of emotion, did not disappear again immediately afterwards.

"Renard? You okay?" Astrid asked, her voice filled with genuine concern and alarm for the elder Pokemon.

"I...beg your pardon," Renard said, attempting to recompose himself, with mixed results. Although his expression returned to normal, his body did not relax, but instead remained tense. Even his tails had paused their idle flicking. "Could you repeat that last bit again? The name."

"Diablos?" Shadow repeated, still perplexed by the golden-white fox's reaction.

"Hmm...it can't be," Renard murmured, talking more to himself than anyone else. By this point, he had everyone's undivided attention, and even Leaf seemed to have caught on that there was something amiss. "Tell me more about him."

"Hm?" Shadow blinked in confusion, but after a short pause, he nodded. "I don't know very much, only what I've been told. He is supposedly a Spiritomb, that another group of Pokemon unsealed."

"A Spiritomb?" Renard echoed, and a serious frown crossed his muzzle. "Hm, an unlikely coincidence, perhaps. Anything else?"

Shadow was looking more and more bewildered. "Um...he has very distinct, eerie yellow eyes when he possesses another Pokemon. That's how I've always recognized him."

Renard's red eyes widened yet again, and this time, his expression wavered between surprise and what Frost could only assume was...no, what he could definitely label as a trace of fear. The Glaceon's brow furrowed, but he remained silent.

"...what else?" Renard asked, his tone serious. "Anything at all. Motives? Goals?"

Shadow shook his head. "I don't know much else. He refuses to give straight answers, but he often talks of nourishing 'inner darkness', whatever that-"

Renard made a bizarre choking sound that sounded almost like he was in danger of swallowing his own tongue, and his body seemed to deflate. "So...it really is him, then."

"You know him?" Astrid asked, her green eyes widening. Shadow's body tensed, and he regarded the Ninetales with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

"Not in the sense you may initially believe. It is a long story, from a long time ago. I imagine before any of your parents were even born," Renard replied softly. "To think he could resurface after all these years..."

"Explain. Excluding Diablos himself, it seems almost like you'd be literally the best source of information on him that we can hope for," Frost said, his eyes lighting up, and his tail swishing with unrestrained enthusiasm. He had seen how the possessed Riolu had managed to fight against Leaf's relentlessly aggressive style. He wished to know as much as possible about such an opponent, so that he could prepare himself for if they ever met again.

"Then you may as well make yourselves more comfortable," Renard stated solemnly, and with a flick of each of his nine tails, he gestured for them to settle around him in more comfortable positions, an offer that Astrid accepted with unabashed delight. With visible reluctance and uncertainty, Shadow and Frost sat down, observing the Ninetales in silence.

Leaf frowned a little bit, at the very least recognizing the seriousness of the subject they were about to discuss, because he settled down into a comfortable sitting position that impressively did not rely on Shadow's body for support.

"Truth be told, there are very few individuals alive today that would recall the name, or even the nature, of Diablos," Renard stated solemnly. "I am over two centuries old, still quite young by the standards of my species, but when I was younger still, I was approached by an enigmatic being. He was...a peculiar creature. One I had never seen before, and have yet to have seen since. A being that was practically one with shadow and darkness itself."

"This is sounding impressively dramatic," Frost mused, "Like the opening line of a very gripping book. Falls a bit short of the line 'it was a dark and stormy night', but I'm sure you did your best."

"And you're sounding impressively facetious for someone who isn't Astrid," Renard retorted calmly.

"Can I just go back to my nap if you're all going to talk with big words?" Leaf complained. Shadow gave the Leafeon a weird look, clearly on the verge of questioning when Leaf had had the opportunity to even take a nap, but seemed to think better of it.

Frost just rolled his eyes and gestured for the Ninetales to continue. True, the information he was going to impart was far more important than making commentary on the elder Pokemon's phrasing, but the Glaceon disliked remaining silent for too long without being able to ask clarification or make the occasional glib remark.

"This individual identified himself as Diablos," Renard continued, his expression solemn, but his eyes glazed and a little unfocused, as if he viewed the memories through a foggy lens in his mind's eye. "He approached me initially, having heard of my species' longevity, and curious of how far my knowledge of history extended. I confessed to him that I was still quite young, little older than any of you. I was but a Vulpix then, so I can't imagine why he thought I might have been centuries old."

"Wait, so this was like...two, three hundred years ago?" Astrid interrupted, her eyes widening. "I was thinking maybe like fifty or sixty years, tops."

"I do not fully recall the time gap," Renard admitted softly. "When I was young, the thought of living for a millennium seemed impossibly far in the distance, but as I've aged, individual years seem like a much shorter span of time than they might to anyone else. All I know for certain is that I am at least two hundred years old."

"That's quite the range," Frost mused. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Leaf was beginning to look frustrated by the formality and phrasing of the Ninetales' speech. Shadow leaned in towards the Leafeon, and they began to converse in soft whispers. Renard glanced at the two brothers, and waited patiently for them to finish. Shadow briefly looked up at Renard, his expression apologetic, but Renard simply smiled gently, wordlessly reassuring the Espeon that there was no problem.

"Excuse us," Shadow said, getting to his feet, and leading Leaf away from the rest of the group. To Frost's bafflement, they walked not towards the hilltop tree, or even the river, but towards the forested section on the opposite of the clearing.

"Hmm, they could be a while, if they're going there," Renard noted, following their course with his eyes. With a small shrug, he turned his attention towards Frost instead. "I suppose it is better to pause the story early on. It is almost noon, so perhaps we should resume after lunch?"

"I can agree with that," Frost stated with a curt nod. Now that he thought about it, the group had not had time to eat a proper meal, and while Leaf seemed to eat more as a formality than a necessity, the same could not be said for himself or Shadow. After expending so much energy between the two of them this morning, seizing the opportunity to replenish their strength was a very wise course of action.

"Wonderful. Astrid, may I ask for your assistance in gathering food?" Renard asked, turning his gaze to their Absol companion. She giggled and got up, taking the briefest of moments to stretch. "No need to overdo it, there are fish available," the Ninetales reminded her.

"No problem," Astrid replied, and she walked casually from the clearing, her tail swishing. Renard took a moment to study Frost.

"I'll simply extend an invitation for you to relax in the meantime," Renard stated to the Glaceon. "There's probably time for a catnap if you so desire," he added, nodding in the direction of the large tree on the hill, its strong branches and vibrant leaves creating a very alluring patch of shade around its base.

Frost smirked in amusement, but nevertheless made his way up the hill. Now that it had crossed his mind, he realized that he hadn't truly had an opportunity to rest after the ordeals in the forest. The only strenuous battling he had engaged in had been against the Scizor, but with how much energy he had expended during the fight, he was amazed that fatigue hadn't set in earlier.

As he curled up comfortably on the grass beneath the tree, the shade providing an umbrella of comfort from the rays of sunlight, he found it abruptly difficult to keep his eyes open. Well, no need to resist that alluring pursuit. He wanted to have his mind sharp for when they resumed the conversation, after all, so a nap might be exactly what he needed.


	66. Agonizing Aftermath

The drawing room of the Old Chateau remained much the same as it always had. Several cushioned chairs decorated the large room, with a tattered sofa among them, and a recently dusted table sat in the center of the room. A pair of lamps adorned each side of the room, but their bulbs had long since burned out, leaving the room in a constant atmosphere of dim or nonexistent lighting.

The usual darkness was abruptly penetrated by a brilliant flash of light, signaling the arrival of the distraught Kirlia and the severely injured Riolu. Without wasting a moment, Iris placed Force's limp body upon the dark blue upholstery of one of the chairs, her vision blurred by tears, and began rubbing her paws together, focusing as much of energy through them.

Choking back a rasping sob, Iris wiped her eyes with her arm and began to gently, but firmly, rub the Riolu's chest. A faint white glow surrounded her paws, and slowly, the enormous gash in her mate's chest began to close, but the healing was occurring too slowly for comfort. Blood was still spilling copiously from the wound, staining her paws crimson despite her efforts to close the wound.

It was a nasty injury, the likes of which she had never had to deal with previously. If not for the preliminary Heal Pulse she had provided back in the forest, she had no doubt that Force would already be dead. The thought alone sent a shock of agony through her own chest, as if her heart had taken the same blow that Force had received.

"Force...please, you can't die like this," Iris whispered, hot tears stinging her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She didn't know what she would do without him. Without his kind, loving words, and the gentle affection he showed her every day. He was a ray of sunshine in what had otherwise been a very dull, unwelcoming world filled with fear and helplessness.

Already, she was feeling helpless again. What use was she if she couldn't mend her lover's wounds? Heal Pulse was a technique that gained strength from empathy, so to have one this weak, even towards the one she loved more than anyone else she had ever known...she really was fit for nothing, wasn't she?

The Kirlia sobbed, but clasped her paws together again, willing desperately for the healing energy within her body to strengthen, for Force's sake. He didn't deserve to die. It had all been Diablos' doing, and yet the Spiritomb had been just as shocked by the attack as she had been, and just as helpless to stop it.

Again, she pressed her paws to her lover's chest, gasping for air, as her stifled sobs had kept her from breathing properly. She felt like her crying was suffocating her, was squeezing air from her lungs, and yet she was unable to stop sobbing. Sparkling white energy surrounded the Riolu's wound, but even as the flesh began to reseal and regrow around her paws, blood continued to spill from him, and at this rate, she would finish mending the wound just in time for him to die from blood loss.

"No!" Iris whimpered, unsure if she had cried out aloud or only in her mind, and she threw herself down upon Force's body, not caring about the blood pooling on his chest, listening desperately for a heart beat. He couldn't die like this. She wouldn't let him!

"Hey! You're getting blood on the upholstery!" Plasma complained, the Rotom phasing through the ceiling, but he recoiled when Iris fixed him with a ferocious glare that she never would have expected herself capable of producing under normal circumstances, and whether her tears added to or detracted from the look, she didn't care.

"Do something to help me!" she pleaded, her eyes almost bulging. Plasma twitched uncertainly, his eyes darting from side to side before he reluctantly approached them. "His heartbeat's so faint!" Iris wailed, making one last desperate effort to seal the wound with her Heal Pulse, praying to Arceus, to Xerneas, and even to Mew, that it would be successful. If none of them came to her aid, then they didn't deserve to be known as life-givers.

"Maybe I can give him a little shock to jump start his heart?" Plasma suggested uncertainly, a far cry from his normal cheerful tone. "It works in some TV shows..."

"Anything!" Iris pleaded, pulling her paws away from Force's chest. The gash in Force's chest had finally healed over, but the Riolu was still immobile. The Rotom twitched at her desperate tone, and cautiously gave the Riolu a prod with one of his lightning bolt appendages. The reaction was instantaneous; Force's body gave a sudden jolt, and he coughed weakly. Slowly, his red eyes flickered open, and a small trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

"I...ris," Force murmured softly, his eyes unfocused, but it was clear that he knew she was there.

"I'm here," Iris answered immediately, leaning over the Riolu, her tears rolling down her face and falling upon the Riolu's face. He blinked, his eyes focusing on the Kirlia's face. "Please, don't die, Force, I need you," she begged.

Force gave a weak chuckle, and the faintest of smiles crossed his muzzle. "I love you, Iris," he murmured.

"F-force, I-" the Kirlia began, but Force reached up with his paw, an action requiring tremendous effort, and touched her cheek lovingly.

"Smile...for me," he murmured, almost inaudibly. Iris stared at him uncomprehendingly, tears rolling down her cheek more profusely than ever. "I want your...smile to be...my last sight..."

"Don't say things like that, Force!" Iris sobbed desperately, her eyes stinging so intensely she felt like they were on fire. "We said we'd settle down together someday, somewhere beautiful, and maybe have a kit or two and-" she broke off, too overwhelmed to finish speaking, as if something had become lodged in her throat, a lump so large that even her sobbing had been cut short.

"Heh...I'm sorry," Force murmured, his own eyes filling with tears. "I...couldn't fulfill...all my promises. But I...need you to smile. And for you to remember..."

The Riolu's voice was becoming fainter with each word, and the focus in his eyes was wavering. Even with the gash in his chest healed over, the blood loss was sapping what little remained of his strength. Iris could literally feel his life signs fading, and the mental activity of his brain shutting down.

"Remember what?" Iris prompted urgently, tears rolling down her face endlessly, and she clutched the Riolu's wrist, as if they were clasping hands in the human ceremony of marriage, holding one another to the very end.

"Remember..." Force's voice faltered, but his eyes managed to refocus upon hers. "The world...isn't all dark. Smile. And never forget that."

The infernal lump in Iris' throat prevented her from answering him, and tears dripped down from her chin onto the Riolu's neck. She could only nod shakily, and forced a smile onto her face, even though the expression went against everything she was feeling at that moment.

The Riolu smiled back, and his eyes glazed over again. The strength in his arm faded, and his outstretched arm fell away from her cheek, striking the chair's upholstery with a muffled thump. Pain coursed through Iris' heart, but she clutched the Riolu's other paw all the more tightly, for it remained the only indication that her lover was still alive.

There was a dull emptiness consuming Iris as she sat, every second feeling like it was drawn out to a hundred years, every miniscule beat of the Riolu's heart feeling like an electric current racing through her. The aura Pokemon's breath was weakening, his pulse fading, yet she could do nothing but sit here, praying with every ounce of soul she had that he would recover, that his heart would pump enough blood through his system for him to survive.

Her throat burned, the lump in her throat feeling so swollen she couldn't utter a sound, and her tears seemed to have halted, no matter how badly she still wanted to cry. She felt trapped, unable to express her grief and pain, yet unable to escape the feelings as they threatened to suffocate her.

"Should I prod him again?" Plasma wondered, but his voice sounded far away, as if he were talking to her across an enormous chasm, the lingering sounds echoing faintly, but none of them really reaching her. The paw she was clutching went limp, as if Force had fallen asleep, and his eyes were only slivers now, revealing only the faintest glimpse of the kind red eyes that she had fallen in love with.

Iris embraced the Riolu, her entire body shaking as she rested her head against his bloodied chest, not caring in the slightest that the crimson stains would mingle with her hair, nor that the white of her garment would face a similar fate. He had received his wish of her smile, and she would provide him the last traces of warmth and comfort she could muster, no matter what the cost to her.

"Love...you," Force murmured, so softly that she could barely hear the words at all. She could feel his affection for her, still burning within the aura Pokemon's heart, and his thoughts were focused on her, even as his consciousness waned. Their emotional bond was unbreakable to the very end, after all.

"Love you, too," Iris choked, not even knowing if the Riolu could still hear her. His heartbeat was fading, yet spiked for an infinitely small moment following her words. Tears welled up within her eyes, yet they refused to fall. She sniffled loudly, her voice cracking, "Always will."

Bright light consumed her vision, so intense in contrast to the room's darkness that she had to shield her eyes. Brighter and brighter the light grew, and it seemed to shine all around her, forcing her to recoil from Force's body in a vain struggle to protect her eyes from the agonizing glare.

Plasma gave a startled squeal, but Iris couldn't tell what he was reacting to, and even when she forced herself to peer through her paws, her eyes were so tear-streaked that everything was blurry.

Then the light was gone, as swiftly as it had occurred. Iris blinked in confusion, finally managing to wipe her eyes free of their tears, but as she looked down at Force, her mind was unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

Where the Riolu had been moments before, a different Pokemon now lay. It was so similar looking, but yet distinctly changed. Blue and black fur covered the majority of its body, and yellow fur now covered its torso, with a small spike placed at its chest. The blue fur below the waist vaguely resembled a pair of shorts, and black fur covered the bipedal Pokemon's legs down to its feet. It was taller and lankier, with a more developed bone-like spike at the back of each of its paws.

Its face still resembled a canine's, but with a sleeker, older look, and a more complete mask of black surrounding the eyes. Where the Riolu's ears had been drooping downwards, the new Pokemon's ears pointed upwards, and strange bangles of some kind hung just behind the head, much like the pre-evolved form's ears.

No trace of the chest wound remained, nor signs of any injury, as if changing form completely overwrote the flaws and damage that had previously been sustained. Most astonishing of all was that Iris could sense revitalized thoughts and emotions within the other Pokemon, consistent with a Pokemon that was in an early stage of sleep. Unable to believe what she was seeing and sensing, she placed her head against the Lucario's chest, breathing a giddy sigh of relief on hearing a consistent, healthy heartbeat.

Relief washed over the Kirlia, so intensely that her tears began falling anew, seeping into the freshly evolved aura Pokemon's chest fur. She didn't know whether to give her thanks to Arceus or Xerneas, so she silently lavished praises upon the two legendaries as she hugged the Lucario tightly, basking in the warmth of his body and the overflowing relief and joy and emotions that gripped her. She even went as far as to place joyful kisses upon her mate's chest and neck, so overwhelmed by her happiness that she could barely contain herself.

The Lucario abruptly twitched, and his eyelids fluttered tiredly, exposing red eyes of a mildly darker shade of crimson than they had been as a Riolu. "Muh?" Force mumbled incoherently, even his voice a deeper pitch than it had once been, but it was still his voice, still his eyes. Still him.

"Force...you're alive," Iris explained, wiping her tears on his chest fur and gazing into his eyes. "Y-you evolved, and now...you're alive. I was so s-scared I'd l-lose you that-"

The Lucario smiled weakly as she burst into hysterical sobs, burying her face in his fur to muffle the sound, and he stroked her hair with his paw, blinking at the appendage as if he didn't fully recognize it.

"I'm sorry to scare you, Iris," he murmured, paying no attention to the bit of blood streaking her green hair, or the crimson stains on her face and dress. His eyes were still unfocused and he was barely alert, yet this was evidently a matter of tiredness, as opposed to life signs flatlining.

"Never leave me again," Iris pleaded, and she threw her arms around him, hugging him more tightly than she ever had before, as if afraid that loosening her grip would cause him to slip away, like sand through one's fingers.

"I won't," Force promised, and he held her close to him, rocking her gently. "But uh, Iris?"

"Y-yes?" Iris whimpered, not even bothering to lift her head or release her grip.

"I'm really tired right now," the Lucario murmured, his eyes struggling to remain open. Iris giggled, and she adjusted her position, all but sitting in the Lucario's lap and cuddling close to his chest, maintaining the loving embrace throughout the movement.

"Go ahead and rest," Iris urged, and she smiled, allowing the Lucario to sink swiftly back into blissful unconsciousness. Plasma glanced around the room awkwardly, becoming more and more consciously aware that his input in any form would ruin the moment, but likely having something urgent on his mind.

"Uh...going to let you be, but give me a shout when your nap's done, okay?" the Rotom announced abruptly, nearly startling Iris out of her contented daze. The Kirlia gave a hasty nod, and the electric ghost immediately darted back towards the ceiling, phasing through the planks overhead and leaving the two alone.

The Rotom eventually emerged in the attic, a short distance away from the swirling mass of the Spiritomb. Diablos' yellow eyes were bulging unnervingly, his normally smug demeanor completely eradicated and replaced with an expression of disbelief and shock.

"Good news! Force had the real-life version of plot armor kick in, so he evolved right before he might have died," the Rotom chirped, immediately returning to his more cheerful tone now that he was no longer in the presence of an agitated Kirlia.

"Impossible..." the Spiritomb muttered.

"Uh, no, I saw it happen. He's totally alive," Plasma insisted.

"What?" the Spiritomb blinked and focused his yellow gaze upon the Rotom, looking perplexed and distracted. "No, not that. That part is...legitimately a relief. No, I'm...reflecting on other matters."

"Penny for your thoughts?" Plasma offered, waving his lightning bolt appendages hopefully.

"I need to have a word with Kaito as soon as possible," the Spiritomb stated quietly. "Not only does he need to be made aware of this nearly tragic matter, but I need him to be forthcoming with the information he has about my past. Something's wrong."

"What are you even talking about?" Plasma asked, but Diablos was in no state to appreciate the irony of the role reversal.

"One of my souls was destroyed. I knew such a risk existed, but something happened when it perished...something that makes me question my very existence," Diablos hissed, and his mouth curled into a deep scowl. "Kaito WILL give me answers. When Iris is stable, request that she notify Kaito of these events."

"Okay!" Plasma chirped, but then blinked. "How did Force get so badly hurt anyway?"

There was an awkward silence, one that extended far longer than it had any reasonable right to, but Plasma seemed oblivious to the lack of a social cue, all but requiring Diablos to acknowledge the question eventually.

"I...messed up," Diablos said in a defeated tone, his yellow eyes gazing around the attic, avoiding Plasma's curious gaze. "Forgive me, Plasma, but I have much to reflect on. Excuse me."

The Spiritomb's purple flames extinguished themselves, and the spiraling spheres of light withdrew into the Keystone's fissure. The abruptness of the Spiritomb's departure left a peculiar void in its wake, and Plasma was finally able to appreciate the hyperbolic meaning of a deafening silence.


	67. Explanation Luncheon

The group had fully regathered within the hour. Astrid had returned from her hunting with some meat, and Renard had collected a small pile of fish, the two of them working in tandem to divide the portions for each of the territory's "guests". Shadow and Leaf had taken the longest to return from their visit to the small forest on opposite side of the territory. Both seemed to be content and relaxed, more so than usual if that was possible.

As for Frost, his nap had been just long enough to re-energize him, but in exchange, hunger was gnawing at his stomach instead. For that reason, he chose to withhold questions or commentary until he had eaten.

"Just don't go nuts now," Astrid reminded them, as she and Renard passed food over to them. "This is more of a light meal, not a feast, okay?"

This comment caused Leaf to hesitate, and he glanced around uncomfortably, as if silently judging whether someone was in greater need of his portion than he was. Shadow was quick to notice the sudden reluctance, and he whispered what must have been a reassurance, because the Leafeon began eating soon afterwards, his leaf-like tail flicking.

Very little conversation was held as they ate. Frost was grateful for this, because it gave him the chance to further observe Renard and Astrid, without the distraction of conversation. One little detail he noted was that while he personally preferred fish to the meat option, Shadow was the opposite, as he was eating some of the meat with noticeable enthusiasm, akin to that of a more predatory species. This was only noteworthy because in the time that Frost had known Shadow, he had never indicated a preference for meat, and had always been content with fruit and the occasional fish.

Astrid was displaying a likewise preference for meat, which might have explained why she was the one tasked with obtaining some. There was a slightly uncomfortable disconnect between the idea of Shadow and Leaf's parents perishing in this area, and Astrid outright hunting for food and bringing it to said area, but maybe Frost was thinking too deeply into the matter. Neither Leaf nor Shadow seemed to be bothered by the implications of hunting prey and the recent loss of family members, but admittedly, the circumstances were very different.

In between bites, Frost allowed his gaze to wander, keeping his focus casual, even as he turned his attention towards Renard. He hadn't had much time to study the multi-tailed fox, and he was disappointed to find that Renard's demeanor was exceptionally difficult to read. The majority of his body was loose and casual, his tails fluttering as if fanned by a passing breeze, and he often expressed little emotions with his face, such as a fond or gentle smile, a stern frown, or a curious tilt of his head. His eyes were the exact opposite. They gleamed with an almost unnerving red tint, yet they did not follow the pattern of the rest of his face or demeanor. They were mesmerizing, yet unfeeling, offering a sense of numbness that Frost had never seen with other Pokemon. If eyes were said to be the window to the soul, then Renard kept the shades drawn over his windows.

Age and battle experience were nearly impossible to determine. Renard had labeled himself as being over two hundred years old, and that definitely did not show. If Frost were to guess, Renard was still easily within the prime of his life, with no indication of depreciating in the near future. And two hundred years or more was a ridiculous amount of time that could have been spent improving his battle capabilities. Renard's body appeared strong, yet sleek.

He was probably a lot more mobile than the bulk of his tails made him seem, and the vaguely solemn manner he carried himself with gave Frost the impression that the Ninetales was not to be taken lightly. It was a demeanor typical of an alpha figure. An individual so strong, both physically and mentally, that there was no need to showboat or brag. Effortlessly capable of seizing the respect of others, and dissuading conflict simply by their involvement.

The fact that Frost felt awkward in his presence further indicated this trait. The Glaceon felt foolish with his usual mannerisms, similar to how he felt around Blizzard. Neither Renard nor Blizzard seemed to need to play up their strength, authority, or intellect in order for it to be recognized by others. Even Lin carried herself in a way so that there was never any question that she surpassed Frost in all those areas.

What did they have that Frost lacked? Why did he feel so inadequate when compared to them?

Now that Frost had spent the better part of the day in Astrid's presence, the contrast between her and Renard was particularly obvious. The Absol carried herself with that peculiarly nonchalant attitude bordering on playfulness, and although Frost had yet to witness her battle skill directly, he considered it credible that she was very capable. Predators typically were.

Then again...the conversation they had in the wake of leaving Eterna Forest had all but confirmed that Astrid had been trainer-owned at some point. She hadn't explicitly said so, but she had mentioned that Thresher had been 'caught' as a Scyther, and unless that had meant something completely different from its usual implications, then her inclusion on a team with him indicated a human trainer's involvement.

Renard cleared his throat, and Frost swiftly refocused on the present. Almost all the food had been eaten by now, and what little remained was being polished off before his eyes. The Ninetales waited until all eyes had turned to him, even briefly, before speaking.

"As agreed, I will address your questions now that our lunch has concluded," the golden fox stated, his red eyes passing over each of them in turn. "As I had been saying before, I am familiar with Diablos, or at least his name, but it has been almost two centuries, if not longer, since he last surfaced. That is to the best of my knowledge, anyway."

Shadow gave a slow nod in response, sitting up and considering Renard seriously. "I was told he was unsealed recently. I don't know how he got sealed in the first place, or for how long."

The Ninetales offered a thoughtful frown, mulling this over for a few seconds in silence. "That is an interesting detail to note, but I can only theorize on that front. In any event, I suspect we each know information the other is unaware of and much of it may not even be important. Are there any specific questions or concerns you would like addressed? I cannot guarantee that I know the answers, but it seems like a better starting point than me droning on about my life story."

Frost's ears perked up at this suggestion. Renard probably had a very good point - there was no guarantee that Renard's information or familiarity with Diablos would prove fruitful for their purposes, so listening to a prolonged explanation without a specific direction might be little more than a waste of time. There were several questions whirling around in his mind when it came to this enemy, and although he had only learned of Diablos' existence from Shadow earlier that morning, he had already taken a great interest in learning about this potentially persistent foe.

However, it was only fair for Shadow's questions to take priority, and Frost exchanged a meaningful look with the Espeon, silently giving him the 'go ahead' to ask whatever concern was weighing most heavily on his mind. Shadow flashed Frost a grateful smile and then took a moment to gather his thoughts.

Not that any of this really mattered. Frost already had a hunch on what Shadow might ask about, and conveniently enough, it was the same matter that Frost was most intrigued by. After witnessing Leaf's battle against the possessed Riolu, and hearing bits of Diablos' enigmatic words, he was more fascinated than ever as to what the concept of 'inner darkness' could possibly entail. Was it truly a means to get stronger? Or was it actually something detrimental to one's growth? Furthermore, Renard had recognized the phrase as a clue that Diablos was a familiar entity, so he almost certainly knew something about the concept as a whole.

"Every time I've faced Diablos, he's mentioned something about darkness," Shadow said, and Frost smirked privately, delighted that his prediction had been spot-on. The Espeon frowned, his forked tail flicking slowly. "I don't know what that really means, or what he wants from me."

From the corner of his eye, Frost saw Astrid cast a troubled look in Renard's direction, but when he shifted his gaze to look towards her directly, the expression had vanished. All eyes soon settled on the multi-tailed fox as he silently gazed at Shadow, each of his tails fluttering behind his body.

"So you want me to elaborate on the concept of darkness?" Renard wondered. Shadow nodded seriously. The Ninetales frowned to himself, practically sighing before settling into a more comfortable sitting position. "All right. However, I want you to understand that my knowledge of the subject is likely to be imperfect."

Leaf looked confused, prompting Frost to sidle closer and whisper from the corner of his mouth, "That means not perfect."

Leaf muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a complaint that Renard hadn't simply said what he meant, and Frost rolled his eyes without comment, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Renard smiled gently at Leaf, which may have gone unnoticed by the grass Eon, and took a deep breath, his red eyes again passing over each of the other Pokemon in turn, although his attention lingered the longest on Shadow.

"The concept of darkness is one that has always existed, but due to its rather abstract nature and variation, it is not always recognized as such," Renard stated solemnly. Leaf growled under his breath, and Frost reached over to rub one of his ears, startling the Leafeon, but the touch soon eased some of the tension from his body.

"You don't have to pay attention if you're getting frustrated," Frost murmured from the corner of his mouth, so that only Leaf could hear him, while keeping his eyes on Renard to indicate that he was still paying attention. "I can translate the information for you later."

Renard glanced in Leaf's direction again, his expression becoming mildly apologetic, but he evidently considered it better manners to continue on, rather than interrupt himself to openly acknowledge the Leafeon's irritation.

"At its core, inner darkness is the aspect of a person that drives their deepest ambitions. It reflects the nature that resides in the deepest recesses of your heart and soul," Renard said, his gaze roaming to each of them as he spoke. "Every person is different, and because of this variety, it is difficult to label consistent qualities within darkness."

There was a brief pause as the Ninetales observed them, as if confirming that they all fully understand the current extent of his explanation. Shadow was frowning slightly, but he made no attempt to interrupt or object, so Renard bowed his head and continued.

"Despite its name and connotations, darkness is neither inherently destructive, nor malevolent," Renard stated softly. "It is a drive that has evolved within a person's heart to drive them onwards in the face of adversity. In times of great need, darkness provides the power and motivation to overcome and endure situations that might otherwise threaten their lives or their values. However, it is crucial to know that it carries great risk to those who may utilize this newfound power haphazardly."

"Risk?" Frost blurted, his dark eyes widening with a mixture of surprise and fascination. They were already touching upon one facet of the subject that the Glaceon was most interested in discovering. If there really was a method of gaining strength and willpower in times of struggle, then that could be part of what Lin had been referring to in the wake of their battle.

Renard nodded solemnly, his expression deadly serious. "All forms of power contain a risk. Darkness was evolved from a need to overcome the most desperate of struggles, and its power represents a willingness to go beyond your usual limitations, but at a cost. It may require you to embrace the aspect of yourself you find most despicable. That is one common detail found within many examples of darkness - those who know of their darkness fear and loathe this aspect of themselves, but they find their hesitation fades away when no other options exist."

Shadow's eyes widened, an expression that Frost might not have noticed if Leaf hadn't done a double-take so severe that his ear smacked against one of Frost's head dangles. The Glaceon winced and tenderly stroked the hanging flap. Despite appearing to be a completely superfluous flap of fur framing each side of a Glaceon's face, the fact of the matter was the dangling flaps were extremely sensitive, designed to detect vibrations in deep snow. Such a trait was useful for hunting, but also for navigation in severe weather, among other uses. Not as useful outside of a snowy habitat, but that didn't change the fact that rough contact was unappreciated.

"So a person's darkness gives strength and willpower to act?" Shadow wondered. "How does that work, exactly? If everyone has this ability, then how is it special?"

Renard took a longer time to reply, his red eyes unfocused, as if he was viewing something beyond the range of the audience before him.

The Ninetales eventually sighed softly, and for a moment he seemed a little tired. "The substance and strength of a person's inner darkness varies drastically. Everyone has darkness within their hearts, but all darkness is not equal. There are so many factors that make up an individual's personality that the majority, human and Pokemon alike, are not consciously aware of their darkness, and many live long and peaceful lives, never needing to draw upon the power that sleeps within their hearts. Those who are aware of their darkness view it as a stain they wish they could wash away, but is eternal. Darkness shapes you into the person you are, but only because you instinctively resist it, and want no one else to know it even exists."

"Why?" Shadow pressed, his eyes wide with curiosity. "If darkness is beneficial, and meant to help you survive threatening situations, why would you instinctively resist it? If it drives your goals and ambitions, why is it seen as a BAD thing?"

Renard began to reply, but then paused, his frown deepening.

"Power can be abused, and one's desires twisted," Renard stated finally, and as he spoke, each word seemed heavier than the last, as if they were being dragged up from the deepest ravine.

Shadow blinked, and Frost glanced around, noting that the shift in the Ninetales' tone had not gone unnoticed by any of the others. No one dared speak, as if the weight of the words kept them in a state of silent paralysis.

The Ninetales focused his gaze intently upon Shadow. "To use such power in a time of need, when stakes are high, is acceptable. But what you may be driven to do in such dire circumstances is where the danger lies. To save your own life, or the lives of others, what is your true limit? Darkness gives you the power to surpass these limits, but by what means this power is awakened within you can be taxing to your very soul."

Shadow fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable beneath the intensity of Renard's gaze.

"Do not forget what I warned you about last time, Shadow," Renard said, speaking more softly, yet it was easy to hear every word, for no one else dared to make a sound. "Anger and sorrow are natural emotions in the wake of loss, but you'd be surprised by how quickly they can consume you, and turn your passion to a destructive agenda, under the guise of justice. Darkness can be the same way."

The Ninetales looked around at each of them, nodding solemnly.

"To use such power may be necessary in certain situations. However, by unsealing the power you once viewed as forbidden, you open yourself to the possibility that someday, you may need that power again. Then, the next time you face a threat, you may be quicker to turn to that power kept in reserve, without exhausting all your other options like you may have the first time. Every subsequent use makes you more comfortable with it, and you eventually forget or abandon your original intentions, for they become meaningless. This is how darkness can corrupt its user. The tiny stain on the painting, that once gave character and charm, spreads until so much has been contaminated that few will consider it salvageable."

"I have a question," Leaf interjected abruptly. Practically as one, all eyes turned to the Leafeon. "Okay, that was kind of cool," Leaf noted, his tail flicking briefly, but he continued on without missing a beat. "How does that help?"

"I beg your pardon?" Renard wondered politely.

Leaf gestured impatiently. "How does any of this HELP Diablos?" he asked, his soft eyes narrowed in poorly concealed annoyance. "He keeps attacking Shadow because of darkness this, darkness that, and makes fun of Shadow and me for not having enough of it or something dumb. But if we did, wouldn't that make us stronger, and hurt him more? How does this help him?"

Frost stared at Leaf in disbelief. It wasn't just because Leaf had communicated his point clearly and more seriously than he normally acted, but more importantly, the young Leafeon had a legitimately good point, one that Frost had completely overlooked up to now. Even with Shadow's vague comment this morning about Diablos wanting to 'nourish' inner darkness, combined with the comments Diablos had made during his fight against Leaf, it had never dawned on the Glaceon that the mysterious Spiritomb's goal was peculiarly counterproductive. None of them had understood what darkness was at the time, but now...it really did seem bizarre.

Shadow was regarding Leaf with a similar expression of stunned surprise, and Astrid was raising an eyebrow incredulously. It was Renard's reaction that really floored Frost, though. The Ninetales' body had tensed, almost identically to how he had reacted when Diablos' name was first spoken in his presence.

Renard remained silent for what felt like an agonizingly long time.

"Do any of you know the history behind a Spiritomb's existence?" Renard asked quietly. Everyone shook their heads, practically in unison. Renard sighed softly. "I thought not. Much of the information was lost over time."

"Is that important?" Shadow wondered, his tail twitching.

"Possibly," Renard noted. "You've said Diablos is a Spiritomb, correct?"

Shadow nodded slowly. "That's what I've been told, but I've only ever seen him when he's been possessing Force."

Renard frowned thoughtfully. "That's much the same as my own experience with him. I've only ever seen him in one form, and never as a Spiritomb. However, if he is a Spiritomb, it explains a great deal."

This statement was met by a chorus of blank looks, and the Ninetales sighed softly.

"My mother taught me a great respect for Sinnoh's history. She felt it unlikely that the humans would be able to preserve the ancient relics, or recall the languages that documented and labeled many of the historical sites scattered across the globe. To ensure that this information would not be permanently lost to the flow of time, she made a point to teach me what is considered by modern civilization to be a dead tongue."

"Eww," Leaf said, wrinkling his nose.

"That means a language no one uses or learns anymore," Frost said, rolling his eyes. Renard seemed slightly amused by this response, but didn't let it distract him from his point.

"When Diablos approached me originally, he wished to know my knowledge of history, despite my young age. I did not personally know the history he desired to know, but I could read the runes and replicate them."

"Not sure where you're going with this or whatever," Astrid said brightly. Frost and Shadow nodded in mutual agreement, whereas Leaf just looked blank.

Renard chuckled quietly, inexplicably amused by Astrid's tone. His expression sobered soon after, and his nine tails fanned out behind him.

"That is why I questioned if you were familiar with the lore. Much of the information has been lost, and the surviving murals that depicted the process required the knowledge of some very particular runic symbols," Renard explained.

There was an uneasy silence following this statement, and Astrid's green eyes widened slightly, her expression becoming alarmed. Frost and Shadow exchanged uncertain glances, but said nothing, unwilling to interrupt the Ninetales.

"According to the historical lore, a Spiritomb is a collection of malevolent souls that have been imprisoned within a special stone known as an Odd Keystone," Renard continued. "The original Keystones, home to the most malevolent souls in creation, were inscribed with a spell to keep its power sealed. As the knowledge to create a Spiritomb was lost, these spells were no longer placed on Keystones, and instead the prisons containing a Spiritomb are often fractured, so that the Spiritomb could not take form unless the pieces were united. I do not know how this discovery was made; its origin has not been recorded to my knowledge."

"Is this actually answering my question?" Leaf asked, looking a little distraught. "I asked why this helps Diablos, but I think you changed the subject..."

Renard chuckled, offering the young Leafeon a kind smile before answering, his tone gradually becoming more serious as he spoke. "Absorbing souls containing darkness would theoretically be a great increase in power for a Spiritomb, which is literally a collection of souls so filled with corruption that they were sealed away."

After a long silence, where everyone wordlessly digested the information they had been told, Shadow finally spoke up again.

"So his goal is to have our inner darkness corrupt us, so that our strength benefits him?"

To this, Renard gave a shrug. "I don't really know. Diablos was never one to share all his secrets, even during the time I knew him. And by the time his project back then was nearing completion, I broke association with him."

It seemed as though everyone simultaneously opened their mouth to question this, but Renard answered with a wordless, yet incredible intense stare. When the mesmerizing red eyes were directed towards Frost, he felt as if his tongue was being ordered to roll up to the back of his throat, effectively demolishing any attempt at forming a coherent sentence.

"That would be a story for another time, if at all," the Ninetales said solemnly, once everyone had resigned themselves to the fact that they weren't going to be allowed to delve into that aspect of the Ninetales' life. Admittedly, it was from two centuries ago, so the information was probably not immediately relevant, but it still felt awkward to have conversation cut off in such a manner.

"Wow, this is a ton to take in," Astrid noted, mercifully breaking the awkward silence that had settled over the group. The Absol sat up straighter before stretching out her forelegs, as if she had been getting up for the first time in hours, the movement drawing attention away from Renard, if only for a few moments. It was in that time that Frost finally managed to get a clear look at the small anklet around one of her forelegs, which he had initially suspected to be a training weight of some sort, although he quickly determined this to be a nonsensical suspicion, for there was no practical purpose to only wearing a single weight at a time.

"Perhaps we could adjourn this discussion, to allow you time to mentally organize the information," Renard suggested. "Afterwards, we could touch upon any further-"

"Hold up," Frost interrupted, and the Ninetales blinked at him, more surprised than annoyed at being cut off. The Glaceon's dark eyes remained fixed upon the anklet on Astrid's leg, specifically drawn to the white, semi-transparent crystal imbedded in the center of the metal loop. It matched the color of Astrid's fur so well that it was difficult to notice without a clear vantage point, even with the light blue cats-eye sigil contained in the center. Having been the one to carry the stone from the Solaceon Ruins, he was quick to recall its appearance and recognize a stone with similar markings.

"Yes?" Astrid asked sweetly, but judging by the swishing of her tail, she was well aware of what he had noticed, and she was making no attempt to hide it. With a giggle, she shifted her weight to her other leg so that she could extend that foreleg forward, offering them an even better view of the crystal.

"Is that at all related to the one Force had?" the Glaceon inquired.

"Wait, were you always carrying that around, or did you just get that?" Shadow asked, his eyes wide and bewildered. Frost rolled his eyes. Clearly, Shadow's observation skills were limited in some areas. Although Frost had been oblivious to the existence of the crystal, he at least had noticed the Absol had a bracer of some sort when they were back at the forest.

"I've had it for ages, and yeah," Astrid said, nodding to Frost and looking amused. "I was speaking from experience when I was warning him about the stone, you know."

"I wasn't there," Frost reminded her in a deadpan. The only warning he had witnessed was when the Absol had first realized Force had the stone at all, and that was before they had gotten separated. The situation had drastically changed by the time he met up with them again.

Astrid's only reply to this comment was a nonchalant shrug, and she glanced towards Renard. Recognizing that their brief exchange had already concluded, the Ninetales cleared his throat.

"In any case, did you have any plans before coming here?" he asked, giving each of them a few moments of attention, just to indicate that he was addressing all of them at once. "Unless Shadow's stance on the matter has changed, I will continue looking after this territory, and you are always welcome to come and go as you see fit. I cannot guarantee that I will always be physically present, but the area will always be secure."

"How does that actually work?" Shadow asked, frowning slightly. "I haven't seen or heard any other Pokemon come in and out of the area, but we were able to come here with no issue," he explained, gesturing to the small group as a whole.

Renard offered Shadow a gentle smile. "I said before that I have access to many abilities, honed through decades of practice. It is often said that when two people become friends, an invisible thread is drawn between them, a representation of their bond. The protective ward I have placed upon this territory operates on a similar principle."

"It operates on bonds?" Frost asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Renard gave a simple nod in the Glaceon's direction, his tone becoming more solemn as he continued to address Shadow.

"I regret to say such a ward did not exist prior to the incident, for Echo and your mother were overall warm, welcoming people, who disliked the notion of strangers being rejected merely for being strangers. They felt, justifiably so, that the isolated area and their own presence would be enough to preserve the place."

"Echo was always accommodating," Astrid agreed fondly. "Patient and loyal, but so fierce if you got him mad."

Renard smiled as well, his tails fluttering with a touch more life and energy than before. He shook himself to refocus upon the ebony Espeon, but the smile still lingered. "When I made the decision to oversee the territory in the hopes you or your brother may return here, the only protection I placed was to preserve the area from the elements. My presence, as well as Astrid's sporadic visits, were enough to dissuade most passerby from lingering."

"That doesn't answer how you're protecting it now," Shadow argued. Renard actually chuckled at this response, his tails fluttering again. Leaf moved closer to his brother, resting against the Espeon's side, momentarily distracting the Espeon, and receiving an affectionate lick in response.

"When we last spoke," Renard began, drawing the Espeon's attention back to him. "I placed the protective ward upon the territory, using you as the origin point, so to speak. It operates on the bonds you have forged with others, allowing access for those you trust, and redirecting those you don't."

"Uh huh," Frost said, his tone almost consumed by skepticism. "And how, pray tell, does this update its definitions of whether Shadow trusts a person or not, especially if he's not physically present?"

Renard chuckled, his red eyes glittering with amusement, one of the first real signs of emotion that they ever communicated. It was actually even more unnerving to see than the previous numbness.

"One thing you should understand is although a Ninetales is primarily a Fire-type, we are exceptionally long-lived Pokemon that can spend much of their lives continuously honing and practicing a variety of abilities," Renard said, his tail flicking behind him. "And as stereotypically vengeful beings, it should come as little surprise that many Ninetales can be rather...creative...with their usage, particularly when their arsenal includes a few Psychic, Ghost, or even Dark-type abilities."

Frost frowned. "That was an exceptionally thorough non-answer," he mused.

"Kind of gets the point across, though," Astrid remarked, her tail wagging. "I mean, he can already do crazy stuff with illusions, mental manipulation, curses, and the like. Have you ever seen some of the scary things that defend ancient ruins and stuff? It's like everything a Ninetales can do, but worse."

"Tch. Fine, let's move on," Frost grumbled. "As it so happens, I do have somewhere I need to be in the near future."

"You do?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. Even Shadow and Leaf cast the Glaceon a curious look, although Frost assumed it had more to do with him not sharing the details, because he had definitely mentioned his deadline at least once within the last week or so.

"Up north," Frost said, jerking his head in the direction of Mt. Coronet. Although their vantage point was presently unable to see much of the mountain, it was easily the most prominent landmark in Sinnoh, so the vagueness wasn't going to mess with comprehension.

"Yeah?" the Absol pressed, her tail swishing curiously. Frost bit back a scowl.

"I'm stopping in for a visit. It's by appointment, so I'm expected."

"Oh? Got family or friends up there?" Astrid asked.

Frost shot the disaster Pokemon an aggravated look, hoping with every fiber of his body that she would pick up on the fact that he didn't want to go into detail. He realized immediately afterwards that he was dealing with an Absol who had already indicated several times that she was lacking in the social cues and tact department.

"I was born and raised there," the Glaceon replied stiffly.

"Really? Cool, I lived up there for a while, too," Astrid replied, smiling, and her tail wagged faster than ever. "I could escort you."

Frost paused, his expression contorting until it looked like he had been sucking on a lemon. "Do you need to?" he asked, not even trying to hide how much he didn't relish the idea.

Astrid grinned playfully. "The better question to ask is whether you can stop me. I should probably pay a visit up there anyway."

"Can I come?" Leaf asked, his eyes widening hopefully. Frost flinched, reluctantly turning his gaze to the young Leafeon.

"It's...not a good idea," he told Leaf seriously. "It's terribly cold and harsh up there. You wouldn't be able to handle it. Shadow probably can't either."

"Oh..." Leaf's ears drooped, but he nodded, unhappily accepting the answer. Shadow gave the Leafeon a light nudge with his head.

"That's fine," Renard said seriously, looking over at the brothers. "You're welcome to remain here for a few days or so. I no longer battle seriously, but I can offer some training and advice in the meantime, and answer any other concerns or questions either of you might have."

"Thank you," Shadow said, managing a weak smile towards the Ninetales.

Frost smirked at the Espeon. "I don't plan to be gone THAT long, anyway," he said, allowing a trace of his more arrogant tone to slip back into his words, if only because the expression of cockiness would probably reassure Shadow. "Longer than my last visit, but I'm going on foot this time."

It took a little longer for Frost to get the good-byes out of the way. As in, he was halfway out of the clearing before Leaf tackled him and scolded him profusely for not saying goodbye properly, complaining that 'they had talked about this', and overall acting like Frost had disappointed him.

All of which was said while clinging to the Glaceon so tightly that Frost was convinced Leaf was trying to smother his ribs. Astrid looked on with an unabashed look of amusement, looking for a moment like a kit wanting to join in a playful wrestling match. Once Frost managed to dislodge the Leafeon from him, he made a point of saying bye to Shadow, if only to keep Leaf from scolding him again.

"Just wait until you get back," Astrid teased.

"Speaking from experience?" Frost asked blandly. The Absol paused thoughtfully, then shook her head.

"No, can't say many are ever happy to see me," she mused. Frost winced.

The words on their own were bad enough, but they sounded so much worse when spoken in such a casual tone.

* * *

 **Sheesh, this chapter was rough to write. In other news, I've been working on SoC for over a year now! *balloons and confetti***


	68. Reflective Interlude

Ecruteak City.

The seemingly simple town was famous for being Johto's historical city, and the origin point of many of the region's myths. Each of the world's regions had their share of fantastical stories and legends bundled within their history, with the most famous landmarks serving as something of a tourist attraction for scholars and travelers alike.

Ecruteak was little different in that regard, for the city still contained the charred remains of one of the city's paired towers, where the other remained intact. The myths surrounding these towers were one of the central themes for study among avid scholars, and countless theories were fashioned about the myths, to the extent that few were even sure how many of the details were fabrications.

The same as any other major city, the historical city contained the necessities for aspiring Pokemon trainers in pursuit of a League Championship, the most important of which was the city's Pokemon Center. It was always well-staffed and efficient, prepared and stocked at all times to tend to the fallen challengers of the Pokemon Gym.

Adrian found this to be an absolute blessing. True, almost every city and traveling stop in the region had a Pokemon Center or even a small-scale Pokemon medical ward, but the blessing was in regards to its staffing and stock. Over the course of his career, he had visited numerous Pokemon Centers, sometimes merely to inspect the premises, other times to meet with a Pokemon that had been 'flagged' as difficult, abandoned, or questionable in some form.

It was the part of his job he relished the least. The Pokemon world was no stranger to stray Pokemon living in urban areas, and the associated difficulties of living in such poor conditions. Wild Pokemon were found injured or weak all the time, and delivered to a Pokemon Center by whatever Good Samaritan happened across them. Sadly, it only heightened his awareness that countless other Pokemon were probably in similar conditions elsewhere in the world, but either not found, not reported, or not saved.

It was always emotionally trying to visit a Center that was struggling to keep itself afloat. The nurses were often stressed and overwhelmed, and the Pokemon staffing were sometimes barely competent, or merely lacking the supplies and funding they needed to give the best care to their flow of patients.

Adrian paused his approach a short distance from the Pokemon Center building, and after a moment's consideration, he extracted two Pokeballs from within his jacket. One ball was marked with a green sticker, and the other a blue one, each indicating the element of the Pokemon contained within. He had no idea what he would use if he ended up obtaining another Grass or Water-type, but he'd cross that bridge if it happened.

Normally, he might have been more hesitant at the prospect of letting Avis and Aureia out simultaneously, considering the Vaporeon's distaste for the grass lizard, but he wasn't sure how long it'd be before they'd have another chance to wander around freely. He had recalled Avis into her ball shortly after leaving the forest clearing, and Aureia hadn't been out since that morning.

The young man clicked both of the Pokeball buttons, and twin beams of white light emerged from the spheres, swiftly forming into the shapes of his Pokemon. The bulkier quadruped emerged first, yawning and looking around the small city with an unimpressed, almost bored expression. Avis emerged next, looking around Ecruteak with far more interest shining in her red eyes. Finding her present vantage point a bit lacking, the Snivy climbed onto Aureia's back, to the latter's obvious displeasure.

"Behave, girls," Adrian warned gently. Aureia grumbled something in response, to which Avis replied by saying something in a curiously smug tone. Whatever was said did not improve the Vaporeon's mood. "I have to stop in the Pokemon Center to get Ember patched up. Feel free to wander around, but don't stray too far, and stay outdoors."

Aureia gave a curt nod, and Adrian glimpsed a moment of confusion flashing in her eyes, followed by an inquisitive sound. Avis responded by squealing excitedly and raising her paw enthusiastically, like a child urging the teacher to call on her.

The Vaporeon rolled her eyes and grumbled something else, and Avis lowered her paw, smirking widely. If not for Adrian's extensive experience with Aureia's tone and mannerisms, he probably never would have gotten the gist of these exchanges, and they amused him endlessly. If he had to guess, Aureia had first asked what happened to Ember, and Avis' response was so blatant that he'd struggle to get it wrong. This most recent grumble from the Vaporeon was almost definitely telling Avis to put her paw down.

"I'll try to make things quick. Hey, it's better scenery than the Ruins, right?" Adrian offered, hoping that this would at least prompt grudging agreement from the Vaporeon. Aureia didn't take the bait, and instead just gave him a deadpan look. Adrian chuckled and stroked Aureia's head, remaining mindful of the fins adorning her face. He gave Avis a gentle pat on the head, and then straightened. "Be back as soon as I can, girls," he said, and continued towards the red building.

The Pokemon Center's doors made a light chiming sound as they slid open at his approach, and he stepped into the open lobby. Other trainers were seated in chairs or benchs that lined the perimeter of the room, some accompanied by healthy Pokemon or their peers, whereas others wore more anxious expressions. Behind the counter, Adrian could see a number of Chansey and Audino moving about, conversing with one another and handing off patient charts.

A young woman sat behind the reception desk, typing rapidly into a computer set beside her, offering friendly smiles of encouragement to every person that approached her, and multi-tasking between the computer monitor and a pen and clipboard with ridiculous ease.

Adrian joined the small queue in front of the desk and silently organized the various clients into a mental list of competitive trainers, people with domesticated Pokemon, and the middle ground. It was a fun way to pass time when forced to stand in a line or linger in a public waiting room for a long period of time.

"Next!" the receptionist called, and Adrian swiftly refocused. He stepped up to the desk and produced the Pokeball labeled with a fire-red icon. He paused for a moment before handing the sphere to her.

"Needs a bit of a patch job. Moderate-level injuries," he stated. The receptionist set the Pokeball on a single-ball tray and pointed a hand-held scanning device at the button on the front of the ball, which made a soft beeping sound. Her eyes then flicked over to her computer, which doubtlessly had brought up Ember's patient history file. Adrian had visited enough Pokemon Centers to have worked out the little details of how a Center was run.

Most Pokemon trainers, no matter how competent and close they were to their Pokemon, simply lacked the medical know-how to properly diagnose their Pokemon, or the severity of their conditions. This was almost never malicious ignorance, but much like with human patients and their own doctors, trainers tended to freak out over mild symptoms and injuries, or dismiss more serious conditions.

Therefore, Pokemon Center nurses were trained to do more thorough examinations, no matter what the patient was brought in for, and there were database files on registered Pokemon, which could be scanned and looked up from their registered Pokeball, similar to a product's bar code at a supermarket. The details of each file varied, but the important fields included the Pokemon's registered name, species, gender, the name of its trainer, emergency contact information, and details of the most recent visits, in addition to any other important notes that might not be a required field for every patient. The database was similarly useful for determining whether there was probable cause to suspect abuse or neglect, which would get reported to the authorities.

"All right, let's see here..." the receptionist said, taking a moment to scroll through Ember's patient file. Adrian just waited patiently and smiled politely. As part of his primary job, he was required to know the ins and outs of Aureia and Ember's patient files, especially since he was legally required to have Pokemon Center staff aware of his Pokemon's potentially volatile personality quirks, and the suspected triggers for said behaviors, for not only the safety of the staff, but also for other trainers and their own Pokemon.

The receptionist took a few seconds to jot down some notes on her clipboard, and then touched one of several buttons near the counter, which Adrian recognized as being a call buzzer, to notify one of the Pokemon staff to report to the desk. Less well-funded Centers still had to call for a member of the staff, and the reason for switching the system in other cities was to reduce how much stress was created by Center staff yelling across the building for one another.

Seconds later, a bipedal Pokemon with bright blue eyes emerged from the back. Its body was covered with a mixture of pink and cream-colored skin. Its ears were floppy, with curled antenna-like extensions at the base of each ear.

Adrian noted the tactful decision to page an Audino, rather than a Chansey. Most Johto Pokemon Centers didn't have as much species diversity when it came to primary medical staff, but Ember's patient file undoubtedly warned about her volatile temper and aptitude with claws, and Audino were better suited to handling the Charmander's temperament.

Also, while Adrian was inclined to chalk it up to a coincidence, he noted that the Audino appeared to be a female, whereas the majority of employed Audino he'd seen in other Pokemon Centers were predominantly male. If chosen deliberately, it was another good tactical decision, because Ember's file would not have bothered to mention that she was uncomfortable with male Pokemon in her personal space, since the vast majority of Center nurses were exclusively female, due to the Chansey evolutionary line being an all-female species.

Then again, Adrian mused, Ember's file WOULD have mentioned that she was only just recently cycled back onto his roster, since he was required to take her for a checkup before doing so, and it definitely would have mentioned the provided reason she was taken off-roster in the first place.

The receptionist spoke quietly to the Audino, which gave a chirp of acknowledgement before carefully carrying the Pokeball tray towards the back room of the Center.

"Everything seems to be in order," the receptionist said, printing off a slip of paper and passing it to Adrian, who took it with a word of thanks. He turned away from the desk, his eyes scanning the perimeter of the room in search of an empty seat for him to wait in. He doubted it would take too long, despite the seemingly high-traffic today, if only because the Charmander's injuries were relatively mild.

She had certainly fared better, injury wise, than the last time she had tangled with that Charmeleon. The young man's forehead furrowed as he made his way to an empty chair in the corner of the room. There was no doubt in his mind that the fire lizard had been the exact same one that he had rescued Ember from almost two years ago. He vividly recalled the scar across the evolved fire lizard's eye, a distinct marking setting it apart from almost all other Charmeleon he had ever seen.

That made it all the more crucial that the Pokemon Center's staff be prepared to handle Ember in a potentially volatile state. She had been reasonably calm during the aftermath of the battle, but Adrian wouldn't let that fool him. Ember was the type to stew in negative emotion, even if she tried to hide the fact. If not for that Altaria's intervention, there was no telling how badly the situation might have gone.

Adrian bit his lower lip thoughtfully. The real heel of the matter was that Ember's emotional state was still too much like a ticking time bomb, even though she was stable enough to be cycled back onto his roster. He could see that much in her fighting style earlier, with how mindlessly aggressive she had been. Even when provoked, Ember's style normally carried a hint of finesse, a display of the skill she wielded, despite her impulsive anger. None of that had been present in her fight with the Charmeleon.

The youth sighed and flipped open his notepad, flipping through pages until he found Ember's designated section. He had put extra effort this year into noting her behaviors during the previous month, and how it affected her energy and mood. He had done the same for Aureia the previous year, with tentative plans to do so again for this year.

Adrian fought the private urge to roll his eyes. Oh, he was definitely looking forward to updating the Vaporeon's medical file for the next month. The only consolation was that it was less of a hassle, as providing a reason for cycling Aureia was as simple as deadpanning "It's almost May", and then if that didn't click on the lightbulbs, adding, "She's a Vaporeon" filled in the rest.

But try being that vague for the Charmander line's heat season, and he could expect to get asked about whether he had experience working with Pokemon breeders at the Pokemon Day Care, as the information was far less common, and being on the ball about it implied past experience in that field. He totally did have experience, but that wasn't the point.

Adrian paused that line of thought to jot down a quick series of notes under Ember's section, pertaining to her battle style and emotional state from earlier, wincing to himself when he wrote a footnote describing how she had completely broken down near the end. As soon as he finished the note, he closed the notebook, if only so he didn't have to dwell on the memory of the scene right now.

It was a horrible feeling. Some people might think a job where one works with troubled or traumatized Pokemon would be like a glorified babysitting position, except with a greater risk of being hurt, but it wasn't like that at all. It wasn't like being a police officer for a convicted criminal, but more like being a teacher for a struggling student. Adrian had bonded with his Pokemon, like any trainer would have, and so he felt their pain and frustration just as deeply as if the hurt belonged to him.

Being able to understand and cherish these bonds was a huge step towards helping them become more stable. Yet after two years, it sometimes felt like he wasn't getting anywhere, through no direct fault of his own, yet the failure belonged to him regardless. Ember had made massive improvements, yet never established her independence. She was still too quick to impulse and anger, and simultaneously craved and rejected affection.

Adrian tapped his chin with the end of his pen, considering this line of thought. He had been making some progress in really figuring out part of Aureia's issues, but now he was starting to mull over whether Ember and Aureia's issues were similar, but with sharp distinctions.

These were things he would need to examine in greater detail in the future. He had a hunch that the battle that occurred today contained many pieces to the puzzle of Ember's issues, and for now he couldn't do anything about them, nor did he feel it would benefit Ember at all to try to dig up those issues right away. He would first need a chance to observe how Ember was holding up in the aftermath.

* * *

Outside, Aureia waited for a grand total of two seconds after Adrian had gone inside the building before setting off. Her pace was leisurely, but she nevertheless was walking with purpose towards one of the far corners of the small city. She and Adrian had visited this City a few times in the past, so she knew its features as well as any of the local Pokemon might.

Ecruteak was a historical city, but most of the visitors only cared for one or two of the major sights, usually being the ruined tower, or the Pokemon Gym. Now and then, some visited the Dance Hall, or whatever the building was called. The Vaporeon snorted to herself at the thought. Of course, she had been there previously, as Adrian tended to visit almost every locale in every city he visited, whether he was on business or not. She understood his reasons, but that wasn't necessarily an excuse to drag her along for the ride.

"Where are we going?" Avis wondered from her perch on the Vaporeon's back.

"The fish pond," replied Aureia, without missing a beat. She could already hear the soft sound of running water, and the weather was perfect for relaxing near a body of water. She cast an annoyed glance over her shoulder at the Grass-type. She had only turned a blind eye to what normally would be an unacceptable invasion of personal space because Adrian had mentioned something more concerning, and Aureia didn't feel like jumping through hoops to get information from Avis. It wouldn't be the first time the Snivy withheld information because of rudeness, imagined or otherwise.

Besides, it wouldn't have surprised her in the slightest if Adrian had put them in this sort of arrangement on purpose, either in an optimistic attempt to get them to co-exist peacefully, or just for their mutual benefit. He didn't say they had to stick together, after all, just that he wanted them to behave and stay in the area.

The 'fish pond' as Aureia had dubbed it, was a small body of water in the north-eastern corner of the city. It may have originally been intended for gardening, or as an actual pond to raise fish in, but as time passed, its original purpose was forgotten, and it was used mostly for decoration. Aureia suspected that the city had once wanted to build a fountain of some sort around it, but the owners of the property plot had shot it down, preferring the natural look without the addition of brick and stone.

The Vaporeon scoffed a little and sat down beside the water, studying her reflection for a moment before the presence of the grass lizard began to get on her nerves. "You can get off my back, now," she told Avis blandly.

"Okay!" Avis chirped, and she slid into a sitting position, using the curve of Aureia's back and tail like a playground slide, until she was deposited on the grass with a gentle thump. "That was fun," the Snivy giggled.

"I bet," Aureia deadpanned, draping her tail around her body and allowing the fin to dip into the water. "So how did Ember get hurt?"

The Snivy's expression fell, and she kicked the grass lightly with one foot. "Oh...she got beat badly in a fight."

Aureia watched Avis from the corner of her eye. "When did this happen?" she demanded, frowning. She had been inside her Pokeball for the majority of the day, and Ember had been completely healthy this morning, so obviously it had to be sometime during the day, but she wanted something a little more detailed.

"Uh...I dunno, before we got here," Avis said, squinting at the sky, as if the answer might be written in the clouds. "It was some forest near a split in the path or something. We weren't even supposed to go that way."

"Oh, the route towards Goldenrod," Aureia muttered, earning a curious glance from the Grass-type, which she ignored. Having traveled outside her ball with Adrian on numerous trips, she found Avis' description just enough information to get a mental picture. "What was she fighting? A whole horde of wilds?"

"Huh?" Avis seemed perplexed by the question, but quickly shook her head. "No, no...it was...ooh! I learned some really cool stuff today, though! Hey, don't roll your eyes, this actually matters to your question!"

Aureia sighed. "Somehow I doubt it," she muttered.

Avis crossed her arms into a pout. "Does so," she insisted, but then her expression brightened and she began shifting her weight from leg to leg excitedly, giving the visual impression that she was bouncing. "So, remember at the Ruins?"

"I've been trying not to," Aureia sighed, but gestured with her paw for Avis to continue.

"It matters!" Avis insisted again. "So those Pokemon we met, before all the weird stuff? Remember Sorin? The super-soft dragon?"

"Yeah, we literally mentioned him again last night," Aureia reminded her impatiently. "Softer than the Pillow of Arceus, I get it."

"He's Ember's dad!"

Aureia had no idea what Avis expected her reaction to be, but presumably it wasn't for the water Eeveelution to roll her eyes and respond with, "Yeah, I knew that already."

"You...wha-? B-but...I...but..." Avis sputtered incoherently for several seconds, during which Aureia made a show of licking her paw and rubbing behind her ears. Not that this was an even remotely practical motion to do - Vaporeon didn't really have to groom much, their fur was so short it was almost indistinguishable from smooth skin, and water was much better for cleanliness than using a paw, but it felt like the best way to really express the smugness that she was feeling.

"Well, yeah," Aureia continued, talking over Avis' flustered attempts to form words into a sentence again. "The guy shows up and chats at length with Ember like...every few months. Then there's her whole temperament issue, and didn't you see her Dragon Dance? Her eyes get that creepy dragon pupil thing going for them, and her tail flame shifts color. Even by the Charmander line's standards, she's obviously part-dragon."

Avis just stared at Aureia wordlessly for several seconds, a silence that Aureia relished blatantly. "But I just learned this!" she protested, all but whining now.

Aureia just shrugged indifferently. "Uh huh...and I've known her for two years. She's never outright TOLD me this, but hell, even Adrian knows they're probably related; he's seen them together often enough, so he probably figured it out. Or maybe his Dex device thingy tipped him off, I dunno."

"But why didn't you say this back at the Ruins?" Avis complained, clearly put out at having her information leak turn out to be worthless.

Aureia sighed. "Avis, unlike you, I don't get excited at the thought of telling people random trivia about the other people around them. If they wanted to tell you guys they were related, they would have. It's not my place to do it for them, and I don't care enough to ask them about it. I've seen Ember's mother, too, but last time I mentioned her, Ember nearly slashed my stomach open. Still got the scar, and that's enough reminder for me not to talk about her family around her."

The Vaporeon frowned at Avis, who had spent the second half of her comments stifling a giggle. The look of confusion and disbelief that the Snivy had been wearing earlier had vanished, and instead her eyes were shining with amusement, her paws clasped over her mouth in a vain attempt to conceal her laughter.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Aureia demanded finally, her tail flicking in irritation. "I'm not kidding about the scar, you know."

"I met her mother, too," Avis giggled, flashing a smug smile in Aureia's direction. The Vaporeon blinked.

"What? When?" she demanded. To her confusion, Avis' smugness vanished and she looked a bit pained, as if regretting her previous amusement. The shift was so abrupt, and so jarring, that it took Aureia a few moments for her brain to realize the connection. "Oh, you're kidding," she muttered darkly.

"No, I'm not!" Avis snapped, but Aureia hastily raised her paw, interrupting the indignant response.

"Not what I mean," Aureia said tonelessly. "I'm not saying you're kidding like 'oh, you're pulling my tail, haha'. I'm saying it in a mildly more vulgar context."

"Oh," Avis said, mercifully accepting the clarification without further outburst. Aureia frowned in thought before glancing sideways at the Snivy.

"Why didn't Adrian send me out? Was he not around when the fight happened? He'd never just sit back and let Ember get her tail kicked by... _her_...again," she asked, scowling fiercely and emphasizing the pronoun. She had only encountered that vicious Charmeleon once in her life, but she remembered how fragile Ember had been back then, and how it had taken Adrian months to tame Ember after they had rescued her.

"He tried to," Avis said quietly. "But Kuro did something to stop him. Conjured these weird energy chains that kept Adrian from reaching his Pokeballs. All he could do was watch..."

Aureia muttered a few choice phrases to describe the Zoroark, and Avis' cheeks went bright red, which actually amused Aureia more than anything. That meant the Snivy not only heard what she had said, but already knew what the words meant, or at least got the gist of those phrases. Well, well, maybe Avis wasn't so innocent and naive after all.

None of this was going to bode well, though. If Ember had lost another fight to that vicious Charmeleon, then for all they knew, all of Adrian's hard work was about to be for naught. Aureia still recalled, quite vividly, the hellish first few months that she had known Ember, and the difficulty Adrian had had in handling her. Aureia had learned quickly to keep her distance when the Charmander was in a mood, but still carried a number of tiny reminders of just how aggressive and dangerous Ember could be when pissed off.

Ember had gotten better since then, but during those months, her bright blue eyes had burned with pain and anger so intense that she was frightening to be around, because even when she was calm, the slightest thing could set her off. Adrian had obtained quite a few scratches himself, and Aureia a number of small scars, the most serious of which, thankfully, was not readily visible. Ember had confessed, just a few months ago, before Avis had even been added to the party, that she was still haunted by guilt over lashing out at Aureia and Adrian the way she had.

"Hey, Avis?" Aureia asked, breaking the thoughtful silence. The Snivy blinked, looking up at the Vaporeon curiously. "What's your secret to soothing Ember's temper?"

"My secret?" Avis repeated, her eyes widening innocently, but Aureia wasn't fooled.

"Yeah, you have a bizarre talent for calming her before she flips out. What do you do?" Aureia insisted.

Avis fidgeted, almost as if she was embarrassed about something, but her eyes remained focused on Aureia, wordlessly scrutinizing the Vaporeon. After a long silence, Aureia raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Well?" she pressed.

"Attract," Avis answered finally, and a slow smirk of amusement grew across her muzzle.

"Attract," Aureia repeated in a deadpan. "You use...Attract...on Ember. Are you pulling my tail now?"

"Nope!" Avis chirped with a giggle. She reached over and gently tugged on the Vaporeon's tail, quickly bouncing out of range of potential retaliation. "Now I am!"

"I'll overlook that stupidity," Aureia grumbled, fixing Avis with a serious stare. "Now seriously, are you just messing with me?"

Avis grinned. "Who knows?" she asked teasingly, spreading her paws outwards like a magician making a show of a coin disappearing. "If I give away all my secrets, I'll have no mystery and intrigue left. But if I keep you guessing..."

"How would Attract even work? You're both female," Aureia demanded.

"Are we, though? Are we?" Avis replied, almost doubled over from the strain of keeping herself from laughing.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," Aureia muttered. "You're just being contrary now."

"Am I, though? Am I?" Avis giggled. Aureia replied by launching a stream of water at the Snivy, the force of the water jet bowling the grass lizard over. Turning away from Avis, the Vaporeon rolled her eyes. Stupid Avis, being such a pointless pain in the tail.

Aureia gasped in surprise as some sort of energy slammed into her side, causing her to stumble and nearly fall over. It was stronger than something she would have expected the Snivy to be able to produce, but it wasn't the same burning type of energy she normally associated with Grass-type attacks. Turning back towards the Snivy, she saw that the Grass-type lizard's body was glowing with a faint green light, and she was smirking widely.

"What was that?" Aureia demanded, too stunned to be aggravated by the retaliation.

"Mirror Coat," Avis answered in a sing-song voice. "Ooh, don't look so surprised. I was bred, you know."

"No, I didn't," Aureia replied dully. There wasn't a single instance where the topic of Avis' birth could have ever surfaced naturally.

"Now you do," Avis chirped.

Aureia frowned. How strange was it that the more she learned about and interacted with Avis, the more wary she became of her? One would think it would be the other way around, where knowing next to nothing made all their behaviors seem suspicious or bizarre. Then again, the Snivy could hardly be trusted to give truthful responses to questions, and for all Aureia knew, Avis was making things up just to mess with her.

The secondary concern she had was the realization that she had legitimately paid next to no attention to Avis, having found the Snivy too grating to interact with frequently, so even when Adrian was working with Avis, Aureia preferred to make herself scarce. The end result was that she didn't really know anything about the Snivy. Didn't even know why she had been added to the team at all. Didn't even know what the issues plaguing her were. Whereas Aureia had abandonment and trust issues, and Ember had several deep-rooted issues from her past that Adrian hadn't even pegged down one hundred percent, Avis was nothing like that...yet for some reason, Adrian had been selected to look after her.

How much more was there to the Snivy than met the eye?

 **End of Arc 3**


	69. Arc 4: Expanding Conflict

**Arc 4: Expanding Conflict**

It was cited as a rare opportunity to be able to accompany or assist Kaito with any of his study subjects or research-based expeditions. The Togetic was normally rather quiet and reserved, more content to surround himself with books or ancient relics over the company of people or other Pokemon. Whenever he was on-site, he became so immersed in the lore or aesthetics of the site that he blocked out all else, making it nigh impossible to engage him in any other matter.

On the flip side, he was incredibly passionate and excitable when examining something that had acquired his interest, although Lin had to concede that this particular quality of one of the most distracting and irritating aspects of Kaito's personality.

To the Weavile, Kaito was too much of an enigma. Seeing as she was considered the most recent addition to Kaito's group, only knowing them for roughly a year, there had been fewer opportunities to get to know Kaito on a personal level, a matter that was further complicated by his distant personality. Some might consider it ironic that Lin, of all people, would complain about someone being socially distant, but that wasn't really the problem she had with Kaito.

It was true that Lin was rather aloof and serious much of the time, but she had no real objection to social interaction, and got along extremely well with Cecilia, as well as being on solid terms with Force and Iris, despite the minimal one-on-one interaction she had with the Riolu. However, a consistent criticism that the group had expressed as of late was that Kaito was a bit too distant from the rest of them, not only in terms of social interaction, but also in sharing his information or plans with them. Since he was essentially the leader of the group, this was becoming increasingly problematic, with no easy solution in sight.

Part of the reason she had volunteered to come to Johto for the sake of Kaito's research was to try to get more information from him, as well as have more time to get to know him better. From the looks of things, Kaito had a number of acquaintances and contacts willing to do him favors, so he couldn't possibly be completely socially inept, nor was Lin intending to give him that label in the first place.

At any rate, the two of them were currently occupying a small residence on the northern side of Ecruteak City. Kaito had briefly explained that the home belonged to someone he had known when he was younger, but who currently lived in a neighboring city, leaving the place unoccupied. His elaboration was enough to eventually reassure Lin that there would be no objections to them staying at the home for a few days or so.

The small house was comfortable in its simplicity. The floors and walls had been crafted out of simple wood paneling, to the point that Cecilia had instinctively shut off her flame vents before coming inside, despite the reassurances from Kaito that every building in Ecruteak within the past hundred years had either been built or remodeled to consist of fire-resistant materials. Cecilia still insisted on keeping her flame vents off for the short time she had spent indoors before going off on her own, and Lin quickly discovered that the reason Kaito had come to this city was to re-examine some of his research materials that had been located here.

Lin also discovered that she did not share the same passion for the material that Kaito did. She had been born and raised in the historical region of Sinnoh, and although she suspected that Johto history had its own appeal to its lore, she disliked the passive activity of reading through books and notes and the like. It was the curse of her species, in its own way. She could only spend maybe an hour or two of such tasks before needing to break to do something more active. That was why, even in the group's Sinnoh expeditions, Lin was usually one to accompany the others to ruins sites and caves and things of that nature, as opposed to sitting down to study the lore and historical texts that Kaito and sometimes even Iris was more willing to do.

Little wonder, really, that Cecilia had been quick to go off on her own, claiming a desire to reacquaint herself with her home region, or something of that nature. Not that this half-fib actually fooled Lin. The aftermath of the Solaceon Ruins incident had weighed on the Quilava very clearly, and Lin took care not to probe the matter too deeply. Cecilia was carrying a lot of hurt and sadness, and time would need to mend the wound a bit before she would be willing to discuss it, if that desire ever surfaced. No, it was obvious to Lin that part of the problem was centered specifically around the ebony Espeon that Cecilia had taken a shine to.

The Weavile stifled a small snort of amusement, her red eyes flicking in Kaito's direction in the hopes that he wouldn't have noticed the sound, and she relaxed on seeing that the Togetic was too focused upon the book he was paging through, his eyes rapidly scanning the lines of writing before impatiently flipping through another page or two. The room they were occupying was like a private library corner for the house, as a short row of bookshelves sat by the far wall, with a pair of armchairs arranged around a center table, with a desk lamp seated on a stand between the two chairs. Of course, Kaito's first action upon arriving to the room was to search the house for a towel that he could use to dust every visible surface before he could settle in. Lin had been willing to assist with such a mundane task, if only so she wouldn't have to endure him flinching every time he noticed a dirty surface in her vicinity.

Really, Kaito's obsession with cleanliness was incredibly ironic considering the amount of time he spent examining ancient artifacts, dusty old tomes, and outright ruin sites that had degraded over decades or centuries to the point where the entire place would be considered dirt and dust.

Lin snapped her claws mentally, knowing that doing so for real would irritate the Togetic, and she forced herself to refocus on her previous line of thought. How rare for her to need to force herself to stay focused, but no one was perfect. What had she been musing about? Cecilia's issues? Yeah, that had to be it.

The Quilava's eagerness to get away from Sinnoh for a while had been rather transparent to Lin. Sure, there probably was some nostalgic yearnings, but Cecilia had not had a very happy upbringing, from what Lin had gathered, so she was more likely running from something that was bothering her. And there was the fact that Shadow had insisted on being filled in on what Cecilia knew about Diablos, a request that Lin had considered reasonable. The only condition had been that Cecilia not reveal their base of operations as being the Old Chateau, not only because Diablos himself was located within the walls, but because it was such a convenient and private meeting space that the group would not appreciate that information leaking to a potentially hostile party.

Cecilia hadn't shared anything in detail about how that meeting had gone, but she had returned seemingly unharmed, so Lin doubted it had gone TOO badly. Definitely could have gone worse, considering how volatile the Espeon had been acting in the immediate aftermath.

The Weavile's ear twitched, and she froze in place, straining to focus on the distant sounds approaching. Kaito glanced up from his reading, casting a perplexed look in Lin's direction, for the sudden tenseness in her body had actually drawn his attention.

"What's up?" he asked her, cocking his head to the side, his fairy wings fluttering gently. Lin was honestly surprised he really cared, considering she had just been sitting there in one of the chairs for the past half hour or so, no longer actively assisting him with scouring the books for whatever piece of data he was hunting for.

"Excuse me for a moment," Lin replied, rising to her feet and adjusting her scarf. Ignoring Kaito's confused expression, she slipped silently from the room. The stealthiness was entirely unneeded, but being able to move about without alerting those nearby was a valuable skill in combat, hunting, and general survival, so Lin was not about to break a habit that had consistently practical use in her everyday life.

"W-wait, Lin!" Kaito protested, but his call received no response from the dark claw Pokemon. Her attention was too focused upon the flickers of noise and voices that seemed to be approaching them, different from the usual traffic of the city.

There was no real need to be concerned, but Lin had been struggling with the familiar sense of restlessness that was rapidly spreading through her body, overtaking her usual sense of patience and calm. It was an antsy, almost itchy feeling that nudged and nagged at her brain, spurring her body into action. Even the simplest actions might be enough to soothe the symptoms, but right now her senses had homed in on the chatter and background noises, unable to relax until she had identified the source.

The sounds were definitely getting closer, going as far as climbing the wooden steps that led to the residence's door. Lin only had time to furrow her brow in bafflement before something collided with the door with enough force to make the door rattle ominously. Kaito yelped in alarm from the other room, and moments later, the fairy Pokemon emerged from its grotto, clutching his chest with one paw, but looking more aggravated and bewildered than actually pained.

Perplexed, Lin closed the distance between herself and the door and slowly turned the knob before pulling it open. This action was immediately followed by a familiar blue and tan quadruped falling into the doorway from the outside, her blue eyes unfocused for a moment before she shook herself and climbed to her feet, looking incredibly embarrassed.

"...are you serious, Cece?" Lin asked incredulously. "Did you...run into the door?"

"It was supposed to open!" Cecilia protested. Lin quickly discovered that the Quilava was not alone, and instead was accompanied by two other Pokemon, neither of whom she recognized. One of them was a blue bird-like Pokemon with cloud-like wings, and the second was a visibly uncomfortable quadruped with vibrant orange fur and a fluffy collar and tail that reminded the Weavile of clouds, although less so than the Altaria hovering by her shoulder.

"How fast were you moving that you ran into the door without enough time to turn the knob?" Kaito asked, looking less-than-thrilled to discover that Cecilia had been the source of the startling crash earlier.

"She's brought guests, Kaito," Lin stated, opening the door wider so that the fairy Pokemon could see the others present. Kaito gave the Flareon a blank look, but his expression softened when he noticed the cloud dragon.

"Oh. Hey, Sorin."

Lin blinked and examined the Altaria with renewed interest. So, this was the Pokemon that she had heard about numerous times since meeting Kaito, but without ever having the opportunity of meeting him directly. Then again, she always stuck to Sinnoh, and Kaito had even mentioned previously that Sorin disliked traveling long distances, despite possessing the capability of doing so.

"That's about as enthusiastic a greeting as I expected to get," Sorin chuckled. He glanced over at the Flareon, who was fidgeting awkwardly, and glancing back at the city residents with an expression of apprehension. "Er, think we can come in for a while, rather than wait out here looking conspicuous?"

"You may as well," Kaito sighed. Cecilia stifled a giggle and gestured for the other two to follow her inside, and Lin stepped back from the door to better allow for the Altaria's bulk to squeeze through the door frame. The Togetic again gave the Flareon a puzzled look. "Who's your friend?"

"We can do introductions in a bit!" Cecilia chirped, nearly forgetting to keep her flame vents extinguished in her excitement. This was the happiest Lin had seen the Quilava since they had come to Johto, although close inspection of the Quilava's eyes indicated that she was forcing at least a small percentage of the bubbly mood. "Don't forget that Sorin still has to meet Lin officially!"

"I did forget, actually," Kaito admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly with one paw. Lin allowed herself a tiny smirk, closing the door behind the Flareon as she walked inside. Bizarrely, the Fire-type Eeveelution seemed no less uncomfortable indoors than she had seemed when standing outside. As if aware of the Weavile's gaze, the Flareon pulled her fluffy tail tighter around herself like a protective garment.

"Okay, now we can get introductions started," Cecilia chirped, smiling. Lin glanced at the Quilava with mild amusement, but made no objection. Considering Cecilia was the only one who seemed to know literally everyone present, it was only logical that she be the one to kickstart the introductions. "So, this is Kaito," she told her fellow Fire-type, sitting back on her haunches to grandly gesture towards the Togetic.

"He's a long-time friend of mine," Sorin added, likewise addressing the Flareon. "One of my other contacts, even though Cecilia's the one who suggested coming to him. Oh, by the way, Kaito, I'm going to need to have a word with you in a little bit."

"Oh? About what?" Kaito wondered, looking genuinely intrigued, but the Altaria shook his head, wordlessly reminding the fairy Pokemon that now wasn't the proper time to discuss the matter. "Hm...very well."

Cecilia observed the interaction with interest, only to move along with the introductions. "And this is Lin!" she said, making a similarly grand gesture towards the Weavile, who offered a simple, curt nod of acknowledgement. Both Sorin and the Flareon turned their attention towards her, Sorin offering a weak smile, whereas the Flareon only mirrored the Weavile's nod, non-verbal tone and everything.

"And I'm Sorin," the Altaria supplied, realizing that now was an appropriate time to introduce himself. "Er, nice to meet you, Lin. Heard a tiny bit about you, but admittedly not too much."

"Likewise for you," Lin answered. She almost went as far as to extend her paw for a handshake before it swiftly dawned on her that the Altaria was lacking convenient appendages to do so. The Weavile's red eyes immediately flicked towards the Flareon expectantly.

There was a pause, and even Sorin turned towards his companion. Finally, the Flareon spoke, and although it was only a single word, there was an oddly clipped note to her voice.

"Celes."

"Lovely name," Lin stated, seeing as there was literally nothing else provided for her to comment on. "Have you known either of them long?" she wondered, gesturing towards Sorin and Cecilia.

"Sorin for two days. Cecilia since yesterday," Celes replied. Her tone was still rather clipped, but she seemed to be making at least a tiny effort to rein it in, but there was no question in Lin's mind that Celes was not here for the sake of socializing, particularly if she had only known her companions for a bafflingly short time frame.

"That's it?" Kaito asked, furrowing his brow, and casting the other two a perplexed look, which Cecilia didn't seem to notice at all, but Sorin smiled apologetically.

"That's part of what I want to talk to you about," he explained. He paused, and looked over at Celes, a silent question in his eyes. The Flareon averted her gaze for a moment, steeling herself, before looking up at the hovering Togetic.

"I'm looking for my brother," Celes said stiffly. "Sorin's been asking his sources if they've seen him, and supposedly you might be able to help. Though if you can't, I'd hardly be any worse off."

Both Lin and Kaito blinked at the Flareon's downcast tone at the last sentence. To Lin, it was easy to recognize the combination of tone and behavior. For whatever reason, Celes' search had proved fruitless thus far, and she was inching ever closer to despair and depression.

"Hmm...well, I doubt I've seen him personally," Kaito admittedly slowly. "I've spent more time in Sinnoh lately, except during the winter. Could you elaborate a little bit?"

Celes rolled her eyes. It was clear that she had gone through this routine several times already, because her words carried an almost-rehearsed tone to them as she described her brother. Evidently, he was an Eevee going by the name of 'Blaze'. He was originally clan-born, but had left some months previously, and had not been seen since, despite Celes' efforts.

"Hold up," Kaito interrupted, peering at Celes with greater interest. The Flareon frowned, but paused, giving the Togetic an inquisitive look. "Which clan?"

"Does it matter?" Celes asked, unable to hide her irritation.

"Yes, actually," Kaito answered, his body shaking a bit as he considered the Flareon. "It wouldn't happen to be the Violet City clan? Or the Goldenrod clan, even?"

"Why does everyone ask me this?" Celes growled, the frustration evident in her brown eyes. "I don't know the city names, and I don't know landmarks."

"Was your clan ran by an alpha?" Kaito wondered, but Sorin shook his head, catching the Togetic's attention.

"No, I met her near Violet, and she's told me enough about the clan to exclude it as an option. I don't know anything about the Goldenrod clan, but we were in Goldenrod before coming this way."

"Oh. Blackthorn, then," Kaito mused. All eyes swiveled to face the Togetic, all expressions a mixture of baffled or mildly curious. "I've traveled the region a few times," the fairy Pokemon explained defensively.

"Yeah, but enough to know where all the Eevee clans are located? That's weirdly specific trivia," Cecilia giggled.

"I got the info from Kuro," Kaito stated stiffly. "He would know the clans better than I would."

There was an awkward pause following this statement, as the other Pokemon exchanged uncertain looks with one another. From the looks of things, no one seemed to fully understand what the Togetic had meant by that comment.

"What do you mean?" Lin asked finally, flicking one end of her scarf over her shoulder and pivoting her body to face Kaito directly. "Who's Kuro?" she added, realizing that the name did not immediately ring a bell in her mind, undoubtedly a side effect of not being in on all the information that Kaito knew.

"That Zorua, isn't it?" Sorin wondered, although he was clearly talking more to himself than the group. The statement nevertheless gained a small nod from Kaito.

"He's a Zoroark now," Kaito explained with a sigh. "Kuro was an old friend of mine. Emphasis on 'was', because that went sour a long time ago."

"Really? What happened?" Cecilia wondered, her blue eyes shining with curiosity. Kaito looked momentarily pained, but then shook his head, clearly unwilling to address that question now.

"If anyone would know the inner workings and going-ons of the Johto Eevee clans, it'd be him," Kaito said seriously. "But I wouldn't know the first place of where to find him, and there's no way that he'd help on my request."

"Why would he know about the clans?" Celes asked blankly.

Kaito paused, fidgeting with his paws for a moment, but the Flareon's expression was unusually intense, and Lin could see that even with the Togetic's tendency to dodge direct questions or give vague responses, there was little chance that Celes would let such an answer go by without question.

"Kuro was born in the Goldenrod City clan...which is known for being purist. For those who don't follow, Zorua and Zoroark have the ability to create illusions, to disguise themselves or their environment, but an unskilled member of this ability will be exposed quickly, as sometimes all it takes is simple inspection for the illusion to fail, but stronger illusions require more effort. I don't know if it was his mother or his father that was a member of the Zoroark line, because Kuro himself never knew."

"If he was a Zorua, then it had to have been the mother," Celes argued, frowning at the Togetic.

"Not true," Cecilia interjected with a soft smile, her eyes showing a hint of sadness. "Assuming the absence of a Ditto, a cross-bred kit can be the species of either parent, although the odds depend on a number of factors, such as biological compatibility. I imagine a Zorua and an Eevee are definitely compatible enough to produce either species, but this is a more common occurrence in the wild, as breeder-run Daycare Centers have a more controlled environment."

The Quilava blinked, realizing she had everyone's full attention. Celes and Sorin were staring at the fire weasel with blank shock and interest, respectively, and even Kaito seemed intrigued by her knowledge.

"How do you know that?" Celes asked finally.

Cecilia shrugged. "I grew up near a Daycare Center, and spoke to a lot of the Pokemon that came and went. Not all trainers left their Pokemon in pairs, so they sometimes...mingled...with different Pokemon, and I've heard of cases where the resulting eggs hatched into the species of the male Pokemon, but it was more common with very similar species. It makes sense, though. If Pokemon are going to bear offspring, they want their kits to have an evolutionary advantage for their environments. Some think cross-breeding causes more defects, others consider it a healthy way to create a more adaptable gene-pool. As a result, some cross-bred Pokemon end up possessing unusual qualities inherited from their parents, regardless of their species. Like, even non-Riolu descendants of a Lucario might have an affinity for aura."

"That's...fascinating, actually," Sorin admitted. Celes nodded in silent agreement, whereas Kaito chuckled to himself. Lin, however, remained silent, observing Cecilia with interest. No one was fool enough to ever consider Cecilia to be stupid or uninformed, but never before had Lin ever witnessed Cecilia to have such a thorough understanding of a subject. Granted, it was rare to imagine a situation where this knowledge could be applied, which might be why the Quilava was so eager to share the information now that the opportunity had presented itself.

"Anyway, what were you saying, Kaito?" Lin prompted, seeing as this was precisely the type of tangent that often caused Kaito to evade fully answering a question, deliberately or otherwise. While it was a persistent issue, she didn't think Kaito was really doing it on purpose.

"Oh, right, right," the Togetic paused to regather his thoughts. "In any case, the clan wasn't able to figure out Kuro's heritage. No one claimed him as theirs, and the clan leaders probably assumed that the poser was a female Zoroark, who couldn't claim Kuro on the basis that she'd have to reveal herself, and the father either had been deceived entirely and had no idea of his role, or was protecting her by not exposing either of them."

"Was it normal for that clan to track heritage?" Celes wondered, her words oozing with distaste.

"Probably," Kaito answered with a shrug. "If they're as purist as the rumors say, they'd definitely want to be keeping tabs on that. Kuro said they raised him beyond the dependancy stage before forcing him out."

"Whoa, whoa...the clan kicked a young kit out?" Sorin asked incredulously. "Just because of his species, which he had no control over?"

"That's what Kuro claims," Kaito responded solemnly. "As with almost everything he says, one can never tell how much of what he says is factual, and how much is exaggerated. My understanding is that he was taken in by the Violet City clan, and that's where much of his education comes from. He sometimes calls them a 'foster home', up until he was 'adopted' by the Unown."

Celes scowled a little bit. "Well, if he can offer ANY help on where Blaze might be, I'm sure it can't hurt to ask."

"Um...it could, actually," Sorin said awkwardly, earning a glare from the fire Eeveelution, but the Altaria either ignored it or didn't notice the look at all. "Kuro's a Zoroark now?" he wondered, looking over at Kaito for confirmation.

"Yeah, he evolved like...two years ago or so, why?" Kaito wondered. Sorin fidgeted in mid-air.

"Yeah, that's a problem. Uh...Kaito...Kuro's been working with Inferna."

The significance of this comment was utterly lost on Lin, but everyone else reacted as if they had been struck by lightning. Celes flinched, her dark brown eyes widening with sudden realization. Cecilia cringed, whereas the blood seemed to drain from Kaito's face.

"Okay, you guys are looking really freaked out right now, and it's confusing the heck out of me," Lin commented, folding her arms across her chest.

"It's...complicated," Kaito sighed, shaking his head. "I'll explain another time, but not now."

"I'll hold you to that," Lin replied silkily, examining the claws of one paw idly. The incessant restlessness that had been creeping up on her for the past half hour was returning in full force, now that the conversation was beginning to shift into more ambiguity and evasiveness. Unable to endure the sensation in silence any longer, Lin straightened up and adjusted the scarf around her neck. "In the meantime, if I'm not presently needed, I'm going out for a while," she stated.

"Oh?" Cecilia seemed surprised by the abruptness of the Weavile's departure. "Can I come?"

"If you wish," Lin said curtly, but she flashed the Quilava a tiny smile before focusing on Sorin and Celes. "It was nice to meet you, and I expect I'll see you again soon," she told the Altaria.

"Yeah, probably," Sorin replied, offering a smile. Lin again had to remind herself that the Altaria lacked the necessary appendages to shake her paw, and instead settled with a polite bob of her head as she slipped past the two, the ends of her scarf trailing behind her.

"See you!" Cecilia chirped, and hurried after the Weavile as she stepped outside and down the steps leading towards the rest of the city.


	70. Reacquainted Discussion

It appeared as though the fine weather earlier that morning had been little more than a hope spot for those eager to get their day started. Lin had not spent much time outdoors, but she had seen that the skies were mostly clear, and she wasn't entirely sure when that had changed.

Hm, another downside to spending too much of her time cooped up in that house was that she couldn't get an accurate read on the temperature and weather fluctuations. As a Pokemon that had been born and raised in the snowy mountains of the coldest region, Lin had developed a knack for predicting the weather based on factors such as wind direction, speed, and cloud formation, to say nothing of obvious signs like temperature and scent.

However, Johto was a different flavor, so to speak. Whereas Sinnoh had an unfortunate tendency to be hit with abrupt and intense weather shifts, Johto seemed far more stable, and Lin had not spent enough time here to learn the various clues that the sky and patterns had to offer her.

The morning had started off rather bright and cheery, but now the sky was covered with pale gray clouds, much like one of the previous days had. It wasn't raining yet, but Lin had a hunch that it was only a matter of time before the clouds opened up to deliver their bombardment of water droplets.

Cecilia seemed to be getting a similar vibe, because she kept glancing upwards as they walked, and her blue eyes seemed thoughtful each time she did this.

"Expecting rain?" Lin wondered, watching the Quilava from the corner of her eye. Cecilia blinked at the question, but then smiled at the Weavile.

"Looks like it," she replied cheerfully. Now that they were no longer standing within a wooden residence, Cecilia had reignited her flame vents, which were crackling with vibrant red and orange flames, sharing the sound of her mood to everyone in the vicinity. Lin smirked in spite of herself. One might think it strange for a Fire-type Pokemon to be in such spirits when confronted with the possibility of rain, but Cecilia was an unusual case. She didn't enjoy being caught out in the rain, but she appreciated the weather for what it was, and liked to listen to the pattering of raindrops from within the comforts of a warm den.

She also used to say that rain showers provided almost perfect opportunities to invite someone to wait out the rain with her. Lin could confirm the accuracy of that claim, for it seemed that Cecilia almost always had a guest at her den in the wake of a rain shower. Come to think of it, that was even true the last time the Weavile had visited Cecilia at her den, around the time that Kaito had finally returned to Sinnoh after the winter. How long ago had that been? A little over a week?

Lin paused mid-step, but Cecilia kept walking, realizing only after she was a few paces ahead of the Weavile that Lin had stopped.

"What's wrong?" the Quilava asked, her expression genuinely concerned.

Lin waved her paw in a silent reassurance that she was physically fine, but the thoughtful expression in her red eyes betrayed that her mind was elsewhere. Cecilia glanced around uncertainly, before nodding her head in one direction, where the flow of humans and Pokemon in the area seemed drastically reduced. Lin accepted the suggestion, and the two of them made their way towards the western edge of the city, where the remains of one of the fabled towers still stood, a husk of the monument it once was.

"What's up, Lin?" Cecilia wondered, settling herself into a seated position on the side of the path leading towards the demolished landmark, her blue eyes fixed upon the Weavile with a serious expression. Lin selected a nearby tree trunk and reclined her back against it before allowing herself to slide to the ground, and she folded her legs into a cross-legged sitting position. She remained silent for a moment, merely adjusting the scarf at her neck and verifying that each of the trailing ends were roughly the same length.

"Nothing so serious that you have to look so worried," Lin replied finally, flicking one end of her scarf over her shoulder, a tiny smirk gracing her face. "It just occurred to me that with all that's been going on lately, we haven't had much opportunity to discuss things."

Cecilia cocked her head towards her friend with blank curiosity. "Like what?" she wondered, a faint trace of hesitance within her tone. Lin considered her words carefully before speaking, searching for an angle she could aim for that wouldn't cause the Quilava to become defensive or uncomfortable. Almost every conversation she held with the members of the group were examined under this lens, for it was one of the only ways Lin could get beneath their guard without conflict.

"Anything. Everything," Lin answered finally, offering a vague shrug to punctuate the statement with a reminder of how broad the subjects could reach. "We haven't had any real opportunity to speak, one-on-one, since...just before winter?"

"That's true..." Cecilia agreed slowly, but she wasn't making eye contact, instead gazing around the area with a critical eye. Lin was torn between labeling this behavior as Cecilia being self-conscious of those who may overhear, or whether she was being evasive. Of those options, she was leaning towards the former, because Cecilia had warmed up to the Weavile impressively quickly compared to her usual acquaintances and tentative friendships, and this openness and warmth had not faded over the past year or so that they had known one another.

"There are a few...specific details I would like to touch upon, because although I have a general understanding of things that have happened, the details have eluded me," Lin continued pleasantly.

"Okay," Cecilia answered, but Lin couldn't help but notice that her earlier show of enthusiasm had simmered down significantly. Considering how forced her mood had seemed back at the house, this didn't surprise the Weavile at all.

Lin again paused to consider how best to phrase her next sentence, not only to receive an honest answer, but also to avoid asking for information that she didn't actually want to have. The problem with Cecilia being open with her at times was that she sometimes crossed the line between 'open and honest' and 'revealing way too much', which was why Lin had made a point of insisting that Cecilia refrain from revealing certain details to Shadow for their private discussion last week.

"It's a small thing, really, but it's so bizarrely crucial to the recent events that I can't help but wonder. The other day, when I stopped by your place to inform you of Kaito's return..."

"Ooh, you mean the time you randomly started talking in code?" Cecilia interrupted, grinning at the Weavile. Lin rolled her eyes and sighed softly.

"Yes, but it was meant to be a precaution if you had a guest at the time," Lin conceded, and her red eyes flicked towards Cecilia to make momentary eye contact. "Am I correct in my assumption that Shadow was your guest at the time, Cece? Because by the time you arrived at the Chateau that evening, you were incredibly agitated, and you almost immediately confronted Diablos. I assume you learned the information in the intervening time, but my question is...'how?'"

Cecilia's expression soured a little, and she broke eye contact with a downcast expression. Lin waited patiently for her friend's response. She had done what she could to make the transition to the subject as delicate as possible, but it was nevertheless prodding at a sore subject. Despite the fact that Cecilia had cheered up in the aftermath of the confrontation, the incident had been followed by the conflict at the Solaceon Ruins, and the serious discussion she and Shadow must have had afterwards. Doubtlessly, the matter still weighed heavily on her mind and heart, but that was why Lin found it necessary to address it directly.

Lin was not an emotional Pokemon by nature. She was seen as aloof and even cold at times, but there were few others that Cecilia was willing to confide in. Their bond was one of trust, despite the seeming contradiction of their personalities. Polar opposites in almost every way, but the closest of friends and allies all the same.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was less than fifteen seconds, Cecilia looked up and nodded unhappily. "Our minds linked by accident, for only a few seconds," she said quietly. "I saw flashes of his past memories, including when his family was attacked. I recognized Rio...and Force...and Diablos' eyes. He had earlier told me he and his brother were traveling, so I knew in my gut that his parents were out of the picture...but I needed to confirm it with Diablos directly. Careful what you wish for, huh?"

Cecilia's voice cracked a little at her last comment, and Lin spotted the glistening in her blue eyes. She averted her gaze politely, as if lost in thought, providing Cecilia the opportunity to wipe her eyes within a window of 'privacy'. A useful tactic to employ, really. Some Pokemon, including members of their group, found it difficult to openly express emotional pain in Lin's presence. It was a side effect of Lin's species and demeanor, for Cecilia had once admitted that seeing Lin always so calm and unfettered made her feel weak for being openly emotional. The Weavile had swiftly torn that argument down, insisting that emotion was not a sign of weakness, only a lack of emotional control.

It had taken some time for the others, such as Cecilia and Iris, to accept the notion that Lin had no intention of judging them for expressing their emotions. Even so, Lin understood that there was still a sense of embarrassment lingering when one lost their composure due to emotions, and she consciously aimed to relieve that awkwardness whenever possible.

"I see," Lin murmured, and she turned her gaze towards the sky, silently noting how the clouds were gradually blotting out the sun's rays, causing the surrounding area to appear darker, or later in the day than it actually was. After another moment, the Weavile refocused on Cecilia. "And what about the talk you had with him last week? Did that go okay?"

"I guess so," Cecilia answered with a mild shrug, "Why?"

"These were things that took a significant emotional toll on you," Lin pointed out seriously. "We haven't had the opportunity to go over them properly, and I wanted to know how you've been faring since."

"Aww, that's sweet," Cecilia giggled, but her expression sobered again almost immediately. "It...went better than I thought it would, but it still didn't go great, you know?"

"I don't follow," Lin said bluntly. "Call me a pessimist, but-"

"You're a pessimist," Cecilia echoed promptly, flashing a grin in Lin's direction.

Lin pressed her paw to her face, partially from exasperation, but mostly just to keep Cecilia from seeing that she had cracked a smile at the Quilava's response. This was always the problem with being the serious one - every so often, the antics of her peers could cause the serious face to falter at an inappropriate time, but she didn't want to encourage the behavior by reacting favorably to it. At least not in a way they could see.

"Seriously, Lin," Cecilia began, and Lin raised her head so that the two of them were making eye contact again. "It's nothing to worry about. Just...something I have to work through on my own. Everything's fine, really."

"Hm, if you insist, I won't press the matter further," Lin stated simply.

"Thanks. I appreciate that," Cecilia said, and she smiled. The two of them fell into an awkward silence, broken only by the crackling of the Quilava's flames and the distant chatter and sounds of those moving about the city.

"I have nothing more I wish to address at the moment," Lin stated abruptly, and she climbed back to her feet. The nagging feeling of restlessness was returning again. It was the type of discomfort similar to when one was thirsty, but drinking a glass of water wasn't enough to provide immediate relief. Moving about outside was a start, but it wasn't enough to fully relieve the symptoms. "So unless you have something to ask me about, I think we should move on."

"I do have a small thing, actually," Cecilia said slowly, and the Weavile blinked. When she had provided the offer, she did not legitimately think that Cecilia would take her up on it. Not that this was a problem, but it came as a surprise.

"Yes?" Lin prompted, raising her eyebrow curiously.

"I don't know if Kaito's explained it to you or anything, but...I just remembered that when I explained things to Shadow, there was one question he had that I couldn't answer, because I didn't even know it myself," Cecilia said quietly, and she looked up at Lin.

"You're not really narrowing things down for me, Cece," Lin noted with a wry smirk. "My current hunch is it's about our Spiritomb...associate's agenda."

"No...well, yes, that too, but more specifically...what is the whole inner darkness thing?" Cecilia wondered. "It gets mentioned a lot, but it's almost never a good time to ask what it means...but if it's that important to everything."

Lin was quiet for several seconds. Her immediate impulse was to confess that she also did not fully understand the significance of what inner darkness was, in the context that Diablos seemed to use it in, but her mind was just as quickly pulled towards a different line of thought, one that seemed more appropriate to follow.

"Hm, I expect it to be similar to the sort of qualities that get one labeled as a Dark-type," Lin mused aloud. This understandably earned a baffled look from the Quilava, but Lin paid it no mind. "That is how I would approach the concept without guidance," she explained, tapping her chin with one claw. "Dark-types are viewed often times as the most...primal and even vicious classification of Pokemon. I would know, being one myself."

"Uh huh...you're going to have to give me more than that, because I don't follow at all," Cecilia complained. Lin smirked, unfazed by the lack of comprehension on her friend's part.

"Very well. I will use Dark-types as an example, but I want you to apply the definition to all Pokemon in some form or another, even yourself. My pack was big about battling, to gain and show off their strength. Battle strength was crucial to all areas of survival. Enemies would be overcome and dominated. Food would be acquired through hunting, and even mate selection could be simplified by excelling in battle. The pack mentality continued in that every individual could be viewed as a rival, in a constant contest to surpass one another, and your own limitations."

"Right..." Cecilia agreed, but the confusion in her eyes told Lin that she wasn't yet putting the pieces together, but this was to be expected with such a vague example.

"Much of these qualities are seen as part of a Dark-type's instincts. The desire to dominate, the viciousness of hunting, the urge to settle things with violence. Primal urges, but honed into a way of life, rather than buried. This is how I would view inner darkness. The desires that manifest within you at a primal level, always struggling to be displayed and let free," Lin murmured, her eyes glittering and she flexed her claws.

"So...how does that apply to everyone, or even me?" Cecilia wondered. Lin chuckled softly, and the Quilava's look of confusion intensified.

"Think about, Cece," Lin stated, fighting back a smile as she observed the Quilava. "Within you are powerful drives and desires to do things some might view as primal or vicious. Everyone is different, so what triggers the response can vary, but it's definitely there. When you're angry, when you're scared, or just very determined...your primal desires surface, and even the tamest of Pokemon may act in an uncharacteristic manner to achieve what they want. Much like a Dark-type...push us into a corner, we strike back twice as strong. No holds barred, if pressured significantly."

Cecilia was quiet for a long time, simply digesting Lin's explanation. "This is...what you interpret it to be like?" she wondered.

"That's my interpretation, yes," Lin confirmed. "I am willing to test it against specific examples if you think that will help you comprehend it, Cece."

"Um...well, I'm just thinking right now," Cecilia said, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. "I'm trying to remember what Diablos said when I confronted him that one time...something about how Shadow's loss will nurture his darkness, and...I don't remember what else."

"Logical enough," Lin mused, and Cecilia shot her a dirty look. "No, no...see, if you apply the situation to my pack...if someone attacked and killed a pack member's family, they would seek retribution at all costs. Gain allies and train endlessly in pursuit of this cold justice. Hatred, fear, anger...all the fuels to drive them to rapidly grow strong enough to avenge their loss. Simply put...Shadow losing his family would spur him not only to protect those close to him, but also to return his pain back to the one who inflicted it. Such an event would trigger the primal desires in his heart. His inner Dark-type, as I put it."

"Well...damn," Cecilia muttered.

"But everyone is different, and not everyone would react in such an extreme way. It's just as possible that instead of seeking revenge, one might instead cling more tightly to what they have left...and I would label that as closer to what you do, Cece."

"I...what?" the Quilava jerked her head up, bewildered.

"You feel for Shadow's loss, but not in the same way that he does, if I'm not mistaken, because you've never really had a family to lose," the Weavile stated delicately. "You were harmed by the event because you lost a close friend, and it wounded another friend because he was manipulated into acting against his ideals. You have not abandoned the group despite this event, and while it visibly troubles you to continue forward, you've clung tighter to your friends. I'm certain that if one of us were threatened, you would protect us, even at personal risk."

"Y-you think so?" Cecilia squeaked. Lin regarded the Fire-type with a critical eye.

"I lack concrete evidence, as too little time has passed since you learned of this, but that is my impression, from what I know of you, Cece," the Weavile remarked, speaking barely above a whisper. "Grief and guilt hold you back for now, but I pity anyone foolish enough to put any of us in danger when you're around. I expect you'd even rival my strength."

"Aww, now you're just flattering me," Cecilia protested, her cheeks reddening, but she was grinning, basking in the compliment despite her words.

"I'm not one to give needless compliments," Lin noted smoothly, and she gazed around with noticeable restlessness. "Now if you don't mind, I need to burn off some energy, so any assistance you can lend me in locating a worthy adversary would be greatly appreciated."

"Huh? Oh, um..." Cecilia frowned and gazed around them. They were still to the side of the path leading towards the ruined tower, and no one had gone past them since they had come this way, so it seemed like she'd have to rely on her knowledge of the city. "Did you try the City gym?" she wondered.

"Ghost-types," Lin snorted. She couldn't really explain it, but she found Ghost-types to be incredibly unsatisfying opponents, no matter how formidable they were. They just lacked something that could satisfy her thirst for battle. If she desired a strategic challenge, they were worthwhile, but right now she wanted something else.

"Oh. Um...then I'm not sure," Cecilia admitted sheepishly. "Plus, it looks like it might rain soon, so the number of possible opponents in the area might dwindle, if you wanted to challenge like...a trainer's team or something."

"Worth a shot, I suppose..." Lin mused, although it immediately occurred to her that the Pokemon Gym would probably be the best-suited environment to locate and challenge Pokemon trainers. "City outskirts might work, considering how high traffic the city tends to be."

"True, can't go picking a fight inside the city limits," Cecilia agreed with a giggle. "You could maybe try the Theater, I heard sometimes they have small-scale Pokemon battles as an opening act, so maybe their Pokemon need to train or spar to stay in shape? You could maybe help out on that front. And I think Sorin and Celes planned to drop by there to ask around. He knows one or two of them, I think."

"That's as good a reason as any," Lin shrugged. If nothing else, she could maybe discover whether Sorin had any contacts that were competent battlers, or if he himself was a force to be reckoned with. That was all the motivation she needed to make her decision, and set her sights on the Theater as her destination.


	71. Cloudy Visit

Sorin frowned thoughtfully, gazing after the departing Pokemon for a few moments before turning his focus back towards Kaito.

"Am I missing something?" he wondered of the Togetic. He nodded back in the direction of the door, his frown deepening. "What's up with her?" he asked, pausing for a moment before clarifying, "Lin, I mean."

"She's restless, I imagine," Kaito replied with an indifferent shrug of sorts. "We've been staying here for a few days, looking through my research data."

"Not exactly a Weavile's cup of tea, huh?" Sorin mused. Kaito chuckled softly, and shook his head.

"Not in the slightest. Lin is clever and observant, but she is much more suited to more...proactive pastimes. I invited her to join me for this, if only because I knew no one else would. Iris was less than thrilled by our last field trip, and Cecilia just wanted to revisit her home region. If I brought Force, Iris would tag along, and that'd defeat the whole purpose."

Sorin nodded slowly. Really, it came as little surprise that Kaito's associates didn't share the Togetic's enthusiasm for certain subjects. Of them, the only one he had never met previously was Lin, and due to the brevity of the encounter, he didn't really know much about her. She hadn't spoke very much during the earlier discussion, except to occasionally ask a question. As much as the Altaria enjoyed an opportunity to study a new face and pick up on some of their behaviors, he had not been given much time to work with.

"Have you known her long?" Sorin wondered.

Kaito considered for a moment. "Uh, roughly a year, give or take a month or two," he stated with a shrug. "Met her in Mt. Coronet, she stumbled upon me, really."

"Uh huh...you know, I've sometimes wondered how you even recruit your group members," Sorin mused, flashing a smirk in the Togetic's direction. "I mean, we've been friends for many years, but you're not the social type, so how do you even get a group together?"

"How does ANYONE get so many contacts?" Celes interjected with tangible irritation. Both of the hovering Pokemon blinked at her, as if they had abruptly remembered that she was there, but the Flareon didn't seem to be annoyed by the lack of attention, and instead her outburst seemed centered around a question that had been gnawing at her brain for a while now.

"Kaito gravitates towards people with kind hearts," Sorin answered seriously, prompting the Flareon to raise her eyebrow.

"It's a natural quality of my species," Kaito elaborated. "Kind, caring, unselfish individuals are the type to befriend others more easily, and look past the faults and flaws of those they come to know and trust. It's the only reason I tolerate your tone."

"Excuse me?" Celes narrowed her eyes at the fairy Pokemon, and Sorin winced.

Unfazed, Kaito nodded and gestured towards the fire Eeveelution. "Your rude tone and mannerisms. You're going to turn off a lot of the people you meet, and that's probably what you're going for, but you're not going to find people who'll do you favors and have your back, because quite frankly, who would want to be around that?"

"She knows, Kaito, she's...working on it...kind of," Sorin interjected, growing a little anxious. Kaito was unlikely to take any bait to pick a fight of some sort, but Celes was a different story. She did seem to be making conscious efforts to adjust her tone and mannerisms, but progress so far had been slow, and she was quick to become frustrated when something was annoying her, and then she'd slip right back into her curt tone. Of course, it'd be unfair to expect her to break a bad habit in the course of a single day or two.

Celes averted her gaze, and seemed to pull her fluffy tail tighter around herself, but Sorin still caught a glimpse of the hurt in her eyes, although the expression was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Even Kaito seemed to realize his words had been more hurtful than intended, because he fidgeted awkwardly for a moment before sighing. "Despite your tone, I can sense the overall kindness in your heart. Though having Sorin vouch for you helps a lot."

"Can we like...move on, like...right now?" Sorin asked, all but cringing at Kaito's words. He could already tell that nothing that nothing being said on the subject was making the situation any less uncomfortable.

"Fine with me," Kaito said, crossing his arms and fixing the Altaria with an expectant look. "So I'm guessing I'm not the only one you've asked about whether they've seen her brother. Blaze, right?" he asked, casting a look at Celes and receiving a mute nod in response. "So who else have you asked?"

"We talked to Matthias back in Goldenrod," Sorin supplied promptly. "He said he'd get someone to check Pokemon registration files, although it's a long shot, because the odds of an Eevee being captured and named Blaze is pretty slim, and most trainers either give names of their own choice, or leave it generic."

Kaito actually laughed at this remark, prompting Sorin to look at him in bewilderment. The Togetic rarely laughed, usually preferring a light chuckle to express amusement. Celes seemed less bewildered, but she clearly wasn't following Kaito's line of thought.

"Okay, I'll bite. What's funny?" Sorin asked, when the fairy Pokemon made no attempt to explain his amusement.

"Sorin, you of all people should know better," Kaito answered, still shaking with residual amusement. "A fair number of trainers will run a name idea past the Pokemon in question, although I can't deny the generic option being a thing. Pokemon Center staff tend to ask for a name or identifier on a Pokemon's first visit, don't they? Or is the fact that Adrian knows Ember's name a bizarre coincidence?"

"Oh...that's true," Sorin conceded, frowning. That didn't really adjust the odds of locating Blaze in this method to anything more favorable. The Eevee line was very adaptable, which is why they were so popular among Pokemon trainers. To have a single Pokemon capable of attaining an evolution that would let them fit into almost any team lineup, on top of the species' legendary cuteness, was very desirable. Furthermore, Blaze's name leaned towards a Fire-type theme, so unless the trainer wanted the Eevee to be a Flareon or something, they probably wouldn't stick with that name.

"Matthias is a good choice to consult, because he's got a whole host of resources, what with working in the City," Kaito continued thoughtfully.

"You know Matthias, too?" Celes wondered aloud, her dark brown eyes widening in surprise.

"I know of him through Cecilia, and not even that well," Kaito admitted. "He's a useful resource, since he works with the pawn shop, and he sometimes picks up some interesting items with ties to something historical. He's a great resource for information and gossip, but you've got to handle him just right to get anywhere."

"I noticed," the Flareon muttered, and Sorin fought to hide a smirk.

"Anyone else you've already talked to? I'd hate to retread steps," Kaito pressed, refocusing his attention on the Altaria.

"Er...technically, I asked Inferna," Sorin said, wincing a little.

Kaito looked confused, but his expression relaxed a few moments later. "I assume that by 'technically', you mean that she is not going to be a resource, so you may as well not have bothered?"

"Okay, to be fair, it was either me asking, or Celes asking, and...let's just say the situation was already tense. Neither of us made it better."

Kaito frowned, and for a short time, he seemed genuinely worried. After a pause, he turned to Celes, the frown still shadowed upon his expression.

"Could you clarify your brother's situation?" he asked seriously. "You're looking for him, but what's his angle? Is he aware you're looking?"

"I doubt it," Celes sighed, her voice heavy and her gaze becoming fixed on an arbitrary point on the wooden floor.

Kaito appeared slightly frustrated by the Flareon's vague response, and he cast Sorin a meaningful look. It took Sorin a moment, but he figured out what the issue seemed to be.

"Er, Celes? I think Kaito was more asking the circumstances behind Blaze leaving the clan. Like, whether he was separated from you somehow, or if he moved out, or-"

"He just left!" Celes snapped, and Sorin blinked. Admittedly, that was the sort of impression that Celes had given him in their previous discussions, but she hadn't outright confirmed this, so he wouldn't have felt comfortable giving Kaito his assumption as an answer. Despite Celes' outburst, Sorin privately noted that there was much more bark than bite behind it, so to speak. She wasn't so upset as to be aggressive, but she was unquestionably agitated.

"Ran away, then," Kaito mused.

"Snuck away," Celes corrected with a growl, but her glare was directed at the floor, rather than at either of them. "He just left, without telling anyone."

Sorin and Kaito exchanged uncomfortable looks. It was clear from Kaito's expression that he already regretted pursuing this line of questioning.

"I suppose I wouldn't be able to use that information to help find him," Kaito sighed. "If he disliked the clan enough to run away, I doubt he'd reveal that about himself, even if asked."

"What? Why?" Celes asked, sounding legitimately confused by the remark.

"Think about it," Sorin said, hastily stifling a chuckle when he noticed the Flareon's unamused expression. "If you were in his shoes, uh, so to speak, and hated the clan as much as you say Blaze did, would you ever tell anyone you're from that clan?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Celes replied, but the fierceness in her eyes wavered, a sure indication that she was lacking confidence in her response.

"Take it back to yourself, now," Sorin said earnestly. "From your own experiences and feelings, are you willing to share all your secrets and history with people and Pokemon you barely know? Of course not. No one wants to relive their worst experiences like that, with people they don't trust completely. How many people before you and Cecilia do you think I told my history with Inferna to?"

"Wait, you told her and Cecilia about that?" Kaito interrupted, staring at the Altaria with stunned disbelief.

"It...came up," Sorin said blandly. "I was part of what I wanted to have a word with you about. Celes and I ran into Inferna two days ago...and Ember ran into Inferna yesterday. Neither encounter ended well."

"Is that how you know Kuro's working with Inferna?" Kaito demanded.

"Er...can we touch upon this later?" Sorin asked, casting an awkward glance towards Celes. "We're getting off-topic, and we were focusing on her-"

"No, it's fine," Celes insisted quietly. "I need a minute to think about you said, anyway."

"If...you're sure," Sorin said, his tone consumed with uncertainty, but Celes' intent seemed sincere enough, so he managed to relax a little to focus more on Kaito, leaving the Flareon to her private thoughts.

"What happened?" Kaito asked, the concern evident in his words, and he fluttered nearer to the cloud dragon.

"Ugh...I don't really even know how it happened," Sorin sighed. "Inferna was camping out on the route to Goldenrod, and Celes and I ran into her on the way to see Matthias. We had a scuffle, but overall got out okay. Inferna said we could get by unscathed for our way back, on the condition I notify Ember that she's there."

The Altaria heaved a sigh and shook his head. Even back when Inferna had made the 'offer', Sorin had promised himself that he wouldn't let Inferna string him along in such a twisted manner. Ember hadn't been ready, physically or emotionally, to face her mother in battle again. The hurt from their first encounter still clung to the Charmander's psyche.

"I wasn't exactly planning on following through with that, but when we were on our way back, it turned out that by sheer twist of fate, Ember had already come by the same area, and we came in on their battle," Sorin continued, doing his best to keep his voice even, so as not to betray the raging storm of emotions within his chest.

"By herself?" Kaito asked, perplexed.

"No, she was with Avis and Adrian. I think Adrian was heading to Ecruteak, but they must have taken the wrong junction or something to end up there."

Kaito scowled. "I doubt it's as simple as that, if Kuro's involved. Manipulating the scenery is an infamous trick of his. I'm assuming he was there, right?"

"Yeah, he did something to restrict Adrian or something," Sorin said. He hadn't been close enough to identify exactly what had happened, but there was no other explanation for why Adrian had been a bystander with no active attempts to break up the fight, and the departure of the two opposing Pokemon had been met with obvious relief from Adrian. Other comments made during the aftermath had implied that Adrian had been somehow restricted from interfering.

Kaito cursed under his breath. "Of course, he did," he muttered bitterly. "He probably knew Ember's history, and would just delight in such a dramatic conflict, devoid of any interference. So what happened?"

Sorin didn't answer, but his silence and facial expression communicated the message more clearly than words ever could. Kaito nodded grimly, and focused on his left paw, like one might inspect their claws for dirt.

"Is she okay?"

"Physically, she'll be fine," Sorin said dully. "And maybe my consoling her afterwards will keep her from descending too far into depression or rage, but I really can't be sure yet. So that's my other reason for wanting to talk to you about it. Do you have any advice at all? I'm worried about her, but I don't want her to become more dependent on me, or even on Adrian."

The Altaria fidgeted, his voice rising in pitch, even as he allowed himself to settle on the wooden floor, no longer using his wings to stay afloat. Desperation leaked into his voice as he continued speaking, as if he were unwilling to let silence hang in the air for longer than a moment.

"This is the second time she got her tail kicked by Inferna, but I don't think losing like that will drive her to be even stronger, or otherwise learn from the experience. I'm sure that's what Inferna wants to happen, but Ember's self-loathing is-"

"I know, Sorin," Kaito interrupted quietly, and the cloud dragon fell silent. Kaito rubbed his chin absently with one paw, fluttering to one side of the room, only to do an about-face and float back, doing a mid-air version of pacing back and forth.

Seconds ticked by, yet no one spoke. Celes seemed to grow a little antsy with each passing moment, and she turned her attention towards the window instead, peering up at the sky warily. This morning had showed signs of rain approaching, and Sorin definitely wanted to avoid that ordeal if possible. At least the worst case scenario was taking shelter in this house, rather than a tree again.

"Lin," Kaito stated abruptly, and Celes flinched slightly, turning her attention back from the window and fixing the fairy Pokemon with a mild glare that went completely unacknowledged.

"Lin?" Sorin repeated blankly.

Kaito nodded seriously. "She's the only resource I can think of that might be able to make progress with Ember, and it shouldn't even be difficult to coax Ember into seeing Lin, because she expressed interest in facing Lin back at the Ruins."

"Maybe...but you outright told Ember that she'd have no chance against Lin in battle. I'm trying to build up Ember's confidence, not tear her down again," Sorin insisted.

Kaito gave a small shrug. "I told Ember I'd mention it to Lin in a week or so, once her hormones settled down-"

"Oh, so THAT'S why she gave you a death glare," Sorin grumbled, fixing Kaito with an unamused glare. "And you called me an idiot for saying something dumb to her. You know she's sensitive about her heat."

An embarrassed sputtering sound from the nearby Flareon put an end to the conversation, as both of the male Pokemon turned towards the Fire-type, wearing identical expressions of confusion.

"Uh...you okay?" Sorin asked uncertainly.

"I'm fine," Celes replied curtly.

"You sure?" Kaito pressed, although he was looking slightly more amused now. "Need some water or something?"

"I'm fine," Celes insisted, but then muttered under her breath. "Just didn't think it was normal to openly reference heat seasons."

"You grew up in a clan," Kaito retorted incredulously.

"That doesn't mean anything," Celes sniffed, as if she was embarrassed to even be having this conversation, but indignant enough to keep responding.

"I dunno, Kuro mentioned that most Eevee clans are really knowledgeable about their season, as are any packs and small groups in the immediate area of said clan. This really shouldn't be that weird for wild Pokemon to mention," Kaito said, looking more and more perplexed by Celes' reaction.

"Never mind!" Celes snapped, turning to stare defiantly out the window. Sorin and Kaito exchanged uncertain glances, and the Altaria shrugged his wings.

"So how can Lin help Ember?" he wondered, eager to get the subject back on track. He had gotten somewhat used to Celes' peculiar sense of modesty, but he wouldn't have guessed that it extended as far as conversation that wasn't even being discussed in a crude or inappropriate manner. Part of him wanted to know whether the Flareon had actually been educated on the subject, but less for personal interest and more just because he distinctly remembered how awkward it had been to explain things of that nature to Ember, considering they were completely different species. Heck, even something as basic as battle training had been a huge pain due to their difference in species.

"I just think that part of her problem stems from the fact she doesn't have many opponents that share a battle style," Kaito explained, likewise leaping at the chance to change the subject back to something more relevant. "My understanding is also that Lin has previous experience mentoring others, so while in actual battle, Lin is unlikely to lose to Ember, she can probably address any flaws in Ember's style and drive."

"Hmm...maybe," Sorin conceded after a few moments of weighing the options over. "But there's no guarantee that it can be arranged for a while, yet."

Kaito shrugged. "That's the best advice I've got for now, so do with it whatever you wish. Unless you catch Lin on the way out, I'll bring it up to her, and see what she thinks. She'd probably prefer it to my research project."

"Fair enough," Sorin noted with a shrug of his wings. He glanced back at Celes, wordlessly judging her current mood. She had been surprisingly patient thus far, considering Kaito hadn't been much help directly, but he was sure that her patience would wear out soon, and didn't relish the thought of being stuck in the house for an undetermined length of time in case it began raining before he finished up with Kaito.

"Is there anyone else in Ecruteak you're going to talk to?" Kaito wondered, already catching on to what Sorin seemed to be thinking about.

"Yeah, was going to stop by the Dance Theater. Noblesse tends to be pretty reliable, since he moves around the region a lot," Sorin answered with a smile. Celes glanced over, her ears perking up at the first hint that they would be departing shortly. "And we kind of want to avoid the rain."

"Sure, go ahead. Feel free to stop in later if you want," Kaito replied, his tone already shifting to one of idle disinterest. "It was nice to meet you, Celes."

"Same," the Flareon replied bluntly, and she all but led Sorin back towards the door. With a bit of effort, she managed to undo the latch securing the door shut, and made her way outside, with Sorin right behind. Kaito followed them to the door, and closed it behind them with a gentle clicking sound.

"Thank you for being so patient, Celes," Sorin said quietly. She cast a sideways glance at him, but didn't say anything. "And I'm disappointed that Kaito wasn't as much a help as I'd have liked, but it's not like we're going to give up looking. The more people keeping an eye open, the better."

"I know. Thank you," Celes stated, her tone stiff, but Sorin could still hear the sincerity in her words. Sorin flashed the fire Eeveelution a brief smile before making his way towards the large building a few street lengths away from them. The sky was darkening as more and more gray clouds blanketed the atmosphere overhead, and several times, Sorin could have sworn he felt a rain droplet, so he picked up his pace a bit.

"Sorry about dragging you inside buildings, too," Sorin chuckled, making a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood further. "I know you don't like the cities, but this is one of the ones where Pokemon going in and out of buildings is fairly common, so you really don't have to worry much."

"It's fine. It's for Blaze's sake," Celes retorted, blinking as a rain droplet splattered on her muzzle. The rest of her body seemed immaculately dry, reminding Sorin of the fact he had first encountered her during a drizzling rain, and how the Flareon's body had seemed to evaporate the droplets on contact. Not wanting to risk the rain soaking into his wings, Sorin hastened towards the main entrance of the large building, which was labeled with a sign designating it as the "Ecruteak Theater".

"Here we are," the Altaria announced, almost unnecessarily. "Now let's just hope that Noblesse is in today, because boy would that be awkward otherwise."

"...what do you mean, 'in today'?" Celes asked, struggling more than the previous endeavor to pull the door open.

"Well...it's a possibility that his coordinator has the day off, or is doing a performance in a different city, or does her rehearsals on a different schedule," Sorin admitted. "That's the risk when it comes to dealing with Pokemon attached to a human trainer or coordinator - they're more linked to the human's schedule than simply going to a territory or building."

"You're not filling me with confidence here," Celes deadpanned, and she hissed in surprise and pain as the door suddenly sprung open, sending her tumbling backwards in the most undignified manner possible, although Sorin couldn't help but notice that she managed to tuck her body to roll and tumble in a manner that would prevent what human entertainers might refer to as a 'wardrobe malfunction'. Even when knocked around unexpectedly, the Flareon still did everything possible to preserve her modesty, entirely by instinct. It was the weirdest thing Sorin had ever seen from a wild Pokemon.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" a human female cried from the doorway, as soon as she spotted the indignant Flareon. Celes fixed the offending human with a glare and got back to her feet, wasting no time in slipping past the human's leg and into the main building. Sorin shrugged his wings in a vaguely apologetic manner, for the young woman seemed completely horrified by her unintentional door collision with the Fire-type. She even went as far as to hold the door open so that Sorin could follow after Celes, before finally leaving the building and heading down one of the streets, presumably in the direction of either the Pokemon Center or the nearest store.

The interior of the Theater was surprisingly dim, with the bulbs overhead providing very low lighting, but the floors were nicely carpeted with a lovely red carpet that seemed almost luxurious as it led towards the performance hall.

Sorin vaguely recalled that the Ecruteak Theater had undergone some remodeling over the past few years, switching from a small single room with a dozen or so chairs and a small stage to a far more elaborate set-up with a small-scale auditorium and a larger stage, fit for several actors and Pokemon to put on a pageant, musical numbers of varying size, or other such forms of stage entertainment that simply had not been possible with the previous set-up. Despite the evolution of scale, the building was still commonly referred to as the 'Dance Theater' although dance was no longer the dominant production.

The Altaria found Celes just inside the main auditorium area, visibly intimidated by the size of the place, but still looking rather peeved by the earlier tumble she had taken. Furthermore, Sorin noticed that they were not the only living beings in the building, as a number of the chairs dotted around the audience area were presently occupied, although no one seemed particularly engrossed in anything, so that at least shot down the concern that there was an ongoing performance.

"So...how do you like the place?" Sorin asked teasingly, earning an annoyed glare in response. "Yeah, I figured. But we're going to have to go closer to try to find my guy, or at least ask if he's in."

"Whatever. Just get on with it," Celes muttered.


	72. Noblesse Oblige

One might think that, after all the traveling that Celes had done in the past several months, and all the anxiety she had endured whenever she needed to talk to yet another unknown face, or visit yet another unknown location, she would find some comfort in how spacious the Ecruteak Theater was. Unfortunately, while it was true that the Theater had more maneuvering room than the small dwelling she and Sorin had just left, she found this new area more unnerving because of how unnatural it was.

The ground was covered with a thin colored fabric, which felt foreign beneath her paws. It was not like grass or dirt, or even the wood that the previous home had been built by. Furthermore, the large room was dimly lit, putting the Flareon on-edge, as her eyes could not fully penetrate the gloom to spot potential threats lurking among the rows of seats. Even the center aisle felt unnerving, as chairs flanked the pathway, giving her similar vibes to a dark forest path, with shadows lurking on both sides.

Even the hectic and heavily occupied Goldenrod City felt less nerve-wracking than this mostly empty, dim chamber. If Celes didn't know better, she might have considered the possibility that she was claustrophobic. Having grown up in the wild, within a clan, confined areas made her nervous, and the presence of numerous unknown individuals made her feel trapped.

Even Sorin's presence was of little comfort. Having known the Altaria for only two days, she was not going to claim that she trusted him, although she couldn't fathom what his intentions would be for steering her wrong or deceiving her. There was only so long she could accept his actions as being selfless before becoming suspicious of what sort of benefit he was getting from their arrangement. As of right now, his visit with Kaito at the house was sufficient for Celes to feel that Sorin was still receiving some personal benefit from their endeavors, and that she didn't currently owe him a debt in that sense.

Both Sorin and Cecilia had expressed at some point in their acquaintanceship that Celes was a bit high-strung, if not outright paranoid. Not exactly assertions she could deny, but she didn't really care either way. The only criticism she felt had some value was the insistence that her tone was turning people off from assisting her. Sorin still seemed okay with coming to her defense when anyone brought that up, but it pained Celes for him to do that without her asking him to. It was like he was covering for her, hiding or downplaying her mistakes so that she wouldn't face the full consequences.

Karma, really. She had done similarly for Blaze, after she had evolved. She had sent him back to the clan first, so that the attention would be solely on her for being outside the clan boundaries, and freshly evolved at that. Why had she done that? At the time, she had justified it as something that siblings did for each other unconditionally. They looked out for each other, supported each other, loved one another.

However, none of that was really true. No matter how much Celes tried to convince herself otherwise, there remained that hidden grain of truth that irritated her heart like sand in a Shellder's mouth. She had snatched Blaze's hope for evolution out from under him, and then she covered his tracks so that he wouldn't even be blamed. He had been forced to go back to the place he hated with all his heart, and then get a free pass from the penalty that might finally have allowed him to be free of the place. To add further insult, his sister had gained status after evolving. It didn't matter what her intentions had been, for the aftermath of her actions had driven a spike between their bond.

She had told Sorin some of the story of how she had evolved, but had refrained from sharing much more than that. Even if he somehow had pieced things together to understand why she was so guilt-ridden about Blaze's departure, it didn't change anything. The past couldn't be undone, just like her evolution couldn't be undone. Just like Sorin's failure to warn his daughter of Inferna's true nature couldn't be undone. The best any of them could hope for was to repair things for the sake of the future.

And she couldn't do that unless she found Blaze again. That was her drive. That was her one true need, surpassing all other desires. It was for this goal that she reminded herself why she was here in the first place. As much as she disliked the atmosphere and environment that she found herself in, Sorin's efforts were yet to be proven completely worthless.

Sorin led the way down the center aisle of the theater, making his way purposefully towards the upraised platform at the back of the room. Various figures, both human and Pokemon, flitted around the front row of seats, or across the platform, and occasionally dipped behind the tall curtain of thick fabric that lined the entire rear of the stage, hinting at the fact that there was more space behind the curtain than met the eye.

Celes trailed a few paces behind the Altaria, glancing sideways down each set of seats as she passed each row, unconvinced that their unoccupied state meant that there was nothing laying in wait. It really wasn't that she was paranoid of getting ambushed or anything like that, but rather her instincts told her to be constantly aware of everything around her in unfamiliar locations.

Sorin hesitated, hovering in place for a second or two, his eyes squinting through the gloomy lighting. He murmured something to himself as his attention passed over each face, Pokemon and human alike. The cloud dragon had caught some of their attentions, but it didn't seem as though he was familiar to them, either. Celes was just relieved that they weren't staring at her instead. Last thing she needed was to become more self-conscious and paranoid beneath the weight of dozens of eyes upon her.

"Er, excuse me," Sorin said, addressing the nearest Pokemon, which happened to be a short rodent-like Pokemon with bright yellow fur, a tail shaped like a bolt of lightning, and vibrant red cheeks that seemed to spark with electricity every few moments. Being addressed like this caused the Pikachu to flinch badly, and it regarded Sorin with great apprehension.

"Um...y-yes?" the Electric-type stuttered, its voice high-pitched, but just vague enough for Celes to privately question whether it was a female, or merely a younger male. "We're still, um, setting up for uh, the rehearsal, so-"

"Easy, calm down," Sorin said, wincing a bit as the Pikachu's cheeks gave off a shower of sparks. "I'm just wondering if Noblesse is in today."

"N-noblesse?" the Pikachu stammered, its eyes darting around as if seeking some hole that it could crawl into and escape. "I...think so? Backstage, maybe...um, I can go check..."

"Do you have a role in this production?" Sorin asked, keeping his voice soothing and speaking as patiently as possible in an attempt to placate the obviously anxious mouse.

"Um, no, just lighting work," the Pikachu squeaked nervously. "I did audition, but I um..."

"Stage fright?" Sorin guessed gently. The Pikachu nodded sheepishly, and Sorin offered a soft smile. "It's okay. Least you made the attempt, so the next time should be easier, right?"

"I...guess so," the Pikachu said slowly, its eyes lighting up a little. Evidently, it had never occurred to it that this could be taken as a silver lining.

"It definitely will," Sorin said, smiling again. "Plus, you get some experience with the technical stuff, get to know the cast and crew of a production, that'll do loads for you down the road, trust me."

"Thanks," the Electric-type mumbled, its face glowing red, but a smile forming across its muzzle.

"All right, you can go ahead and check if Noblesse is here. Uh, if he is, tell him Sorin's here to see him quick."

"Okay!" the Pikachu said, and bolted away, climbing onto the stage platform and disappearing behind the curtain, nearly colliding with a human that was emerging from behind the sheet of fabric. Sorin chuckled and turned towards Celes, who was regarding him with a mixture of confusion and impatience.

"If I let her go when she was so nervous, there's almost no chance she'd come back. Noblesse is kind of a seasoned performer, so he'd be intimidating to a newcomer, even though he's rather down-to-earth, so she might not even approach him otherwise. And if he's not here, she'd be too nervous to tell me that," Sorin explained.

"And you figured all that out just from its- I mean, her, stutter?" Celes asked, hastily applying the feminine pronoun now that Sorin had clued her in to the gender of the other Pokemon.

"I like to observe people going about their everyday lives," Sorin reminded her with a shrug of his wings. "I've seen how people act when they're nervous, or shy, or just intimidated and not sure how to handle something. Some species are more prone to flight responses than others, but typically I've seen that they just need a little nudging or a confidence boost and they'll pull through. Show interest in someone and they perk right up, like a daisy in sun."

Celes frowned, but bit back the impulse to counter his statement. She couldn't really deny the effectiveness of such a tactic, but it reminded her unpleasantly of many of the clan interactions. Manipulative tactics to get someone to take notice of you, or to wrest some sort of favor from the exchange. Compliments and reassurances were subtle poisons in that regards. Make someone feel flattered, and they'd be more inclined to do something for you.

Not that voicing this thought would get them anywhere. What was there to object to? Sorin didn't seem to be outright lying or giving false promises or compliments, so she couldn't call him out for being manipulative. The only thing she objected to was the fact that Sorin only engaged the Pikachu in casual conversation because he knew it would be beneficial to do so, which WAS manipulative, but his agenda was innocent enough. Ugh, was it even normal to view all interactions under this lens? Celes hadn't really put that much thought into it previously, because outside the clan, she kept herself distant from others, pursuing her own goal exclusively. Now, ever since she met Sorin, she had been questioning this approach, and struggling with whether the principle of being manipulative was inherently wrong, or if the immorality was determined by the intent and outcome moreso than the actions.

Great. A philosophy debate for the ages.

Movement at the back of the stage called her attention away from the mental argument she was currently embroiled in, and a bipedal figure emerged from behind the curtain, pausing to allow the fluttering of the fabric to add a dramatic effect to his appearance.

The Pokemon stood at roughly the height of a small human, with a bright yellow body that rivaled the color of the Pikachu earlier. Its torso was white from the neck down, and the neck itself was decorated with three black stripes. It had somewhat stubby arms for such a tall Pokemon, and its tail shared the same tri-striped appearance of its neck and ears. The most noticeable feature, however, was the odd red orb embedded on its forehead, and another at the end of its tail.

"Sorin!" the yellow biped called out jovially, and it walked across the upraised platform towards them.

"Noblesse," Sorin echoed. Seeing Celes' confused expression from the corner of his eye, Sorin leaned over and murmured, "He's an Ampharos. Electric-type, if you're not familiar with them."

"Thanks," Celes muttered back, sizing up the yellow Pokemon, and pulling her tail closer to herself. Even at this distance, she could pick up faint vibes of static electricity in the air surrounding the Pokemon, and her fur was fluffy enough without being warped into embarrassing configurations by static.

"What, no hug?" Noblesse asked, his tone one of playful disappointment. "Feels like ages, Sorin."

"It's been a while," Sorin agreed, merely shaking his head in response to the former remark. "But you must be doing well with your performances. Think I heard the ratings for the last play-"

"Yes, yes, critically acclaimed, but no award nominations," Noblesse lamented with a wry smile. "I feel so snubbed."

"Oh...sorry," Sorin said, wincing, but Noblesse waved it off with a smirk.

"Even Rachel was outraged, but her friends wisely told her not to make statements or petitions decrying the issue, because it might bring backlash upon our career."

"Rachel?" Sorin repeated, before it clicked. "Oh, that's your uh...what's the term in this field?"

"Coordinator is acceptable," Noblesse replied promptly. "But enough about me, my friend. Who's the lovely cumulonimbus drifting at your wing?"

Celes rolled her eyes, whereas Sorin seemed confused for longer than he had reasonable right to be. The only justification she could come up with was that Sorin was used to people making cloud puns ABOUT him, rather than about those around him. She, on the other paw, had come to expect males comparing her tail to a cloud, both in appearance and actual softness, usually with an attempt to touch or brush against her tail. That was her one big complaint with being a Flareon - the fluffy body seemed to encourage unwelcome cuddles.

"Celes," she answered dully, before Sorin could reply. It wasn't likely that he'd introduce her, as he usually let her supply her name whenever someone asked, but him being slow on the uptake for the cloud pun was too painful for her to stay silent.

"Well met, Celes," the Ampharos said, tilting his body into a generous bow, and he flicked his gaze upwards to make eye contact with her. "My name is Noblesse. Spelled with an 'E' at the end; it's an uncomfortably common mistake, and I rather not have folks thinking that Arceus has shunned me."

"Uh...okay," Celes said, pausing uncomfortably. She really hadn't troubled herself with how someone's name might be spelled, because she knew next to nothing when it came to reading human words, and couldn't think of any situation where she might need to know the spelling. The clan hadn't really done any education on reading, other than how to make the letters associated with their names, but even that was more for the leaders' benefits, so that in situations where property or territory was to be divided, everyone would be able to correctly identify a written label designating it as such.

"So, what can I do for you?" Noblesse wondered pleasantly, clasping his paws together and glancing between Celes and Sorin with genuine interest. "I'd normally presume an autograph request, but Sorin doesn't seem the type. Though if your lovely lady is a fan of mine, you've got good taste," the Ampharos added with a playful wink in Sorin's direction.

"Wha-?" Sorin blinked, bewildered, and his face started to glow with a reddish tint. "Er, no, no, we're not...a couple."

"Really?" Noblesse wondered, sounding surprised, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief. "And here, I always thought you were a male after my own heart, Sorin. An elegantly noble dragon adorned with fluff...surely you see the appeal to a female that is equally soft?"

"Uh...I'm not sure how to respond to that," Sorin said awkwardly. Celes rolled her eyes again. The Ampharos' intention was obviously just to make them uncomfortable for his own amusement. Sorin's actual opinion on her attractiveness was irrelevant. On second thought, Noblesse might very well be trying to segue the conversation into a flirting attempt. From what she understood of the 'male after own heart' remark, the Ampharos was expressing that he thought Sorin would have similar tastes to himself, and it was not-so-subtly indicating that Noblesse found Celes attractive. If the conversation was going to head down that path, it was best to set the record straight promptly, so as not to encourage him.

"I'm not interested in relationships right now," Celes said curtly, fixing Noblesse with a stern look that would ideally communicate that her stance was unwavering. "I have other priorities to tend to in my life."

"Ah, waiting for the 'The One', then?" Noblesse asked with a friendly chuckle, and Celes noted that his stance had shifted slightly, so that the Electric-type was no longer subtly gravitating in her direction. That was enough of an indication that he had gotten the point.

"Sure," the Flareon responded tonelessly. She didn't exactly have the most idealistic vision of her romantic future. Even once the matter of locating Blaze was laid to rest, she doubted that she'd consider the notion of a potential love interest. She was too jaded about the intentions of others, which made it unlikely that she'd ever trust someone enough to open up and relax around them. And if she couldn't do that, then the prospects of a stable and healthy love life was as delusional as believing she could actually fix the clan's dysfunctional social system.

"Little jewel of advice for you, then," Noblesse said, leaning forward as if to share a closely guarded secret. In spite of herself, Celes perked her ear up inquisitively. Noblesse glanced from side to side, as if confirming that none of the humans or Pokemon nearby were trying to eavesdrop. "Don't expect 'The One' to seem like it from the beginning."

"What?" Celes asked, perplexed. Even Sorin frowned in confusion, so he didn't seem to understand the statement any more than she had.

Noblesse nodded, offering a grin. "I've done a lot of plays, read a lot of scripts, even seen a couple movies, blame Rachel for those, but a lot of the time, the guy who turns out to be the most compatible and true for you is the one you either overlook entirely...or the one you have the most belligerent tension with."

"Er, Noblesse? You realize that you're referencing works of FICTION, right?" Sorin interjected. "I wouldn't consider works of drama to be the best things to use as a basis for romantic advice."

"Perhaps not," the Ampharos conceded with a chuckle. "But I've seen examples of females who hold out for their true prince, the male that will sweep them off their feet and other cheesy imagery, and they overlook the pining affections of the simple, but honest and loving male in front of them. But I wouldn't recommend going after an utter jerk, either."

"I'm not interested in any relationships at all right now!" Celes snapped, growing impatient with the line of conversation. Noblesse blinked and raised his paws placatingly.

"Okay, okay...just saying," he said, his expression sobering, but a tiny smile lingered on his face. "So what can I do for you?"

"I've been helping her look for her brother," Sorin explained quickly, as if afraid that leaving Noblesse and Celes to their own devices for a few seconds would cause the conversation to divert its course again. "I've been asking most of my contacts and friends, and I figured there was a chance you knew something, since you travel around the region a lot."

"A brother, huh?" Noblesse mused, considering the features of Celes' face with a careful eye. The intensity of his focus actually made the Flareon rather uncomfortable, and she breathed a tiny sigh of relief when the Electric-type looked away. "Okay, member of the Eevee line, I'm guessing? Older or younger?"

"Uh, older. He was still an Eevee when he left the clan," Celes said quickly, but Noblesse held up a paw to interrupt her.

"Give me the time frame. When did you see him last?"

"Uh...couple months ago. Before winter, like...in the fall?" she guessed, wincing at how stupid the description sounded. She didn't know exactly when Blaze had left the clan...to make matters worse, it had actually taken her almost a week to realize that Blaze was absent from the clan, and then she had asked the other members if they had seen him.

"How old is he?"

"What?" Celes sputtered instinctively, but her mind quickly jumped back on track. "Um...he's three, going on four. He's got a summer birthday."

"And that makes you...two, going on three, with...an early fall birthday?"

"...yes. How do you know that?" Celes demanded. Noblesse smirked a little.

"You see a ton of different Pokemon of various species and ages in my line of work. So many different parts to audition for, and you start to get a knack for reading ages, and working with how they look during different stages of physical maturity, so they can be cast for older or younger character roles."

"Hm, I guess. How does that help you know if you saw him?" Celes asked dully, but once again, Noblesse raised a paw to interrupt her.

"I've got a phenomenal memory. Got to know lines, dance steps, battle techniques, names, faces, all that good stuff," Noblesse said brightly. Celes exchanged a skeptical look with Sorin, but the Altaria merely shrugged his wings.

"I know I'm just grasping at straws here," Celes sighed, shaking her head. "The odds of anyone coming across him and remembering him is next to-"

"Wait, wait!" Noblesse interjected, touching his paw to the Flareon's mouth to silence her. She recoiled from the touch and fixed him with a glare, mentally weighing over the consequences of attempting to bite him in retaliation. Noblesse regarded the Flareon's face carefully again, and then broke into a small grin. "Male Eevee, roughly three years old...Is his name Blaze?"

A hush fell over the entire theater, such that one could hear a pin drop, or even the dull pattering of raindrops on the roof overhead. Celes could only gape at Noblesse in numb shock and disbelief, the gears in her head frantically churning to recall whether anyone had mentioned Blaze's name in front of the Ampharos, but returned nothing.

"Gotcha," Noblesse murmured in satisfaction, the silence serving as the confirmation of his hunch. "Memory never lets me down."

"H-how did you know that?" Celes asked, but all the forcefulness was gone from her voice, replaced by a shaky weakness that made her feel small and helpless, like a kit.

"I have a memory for faces," Noblesse explained. "Flareon and Eevee look the most similar, and I can definitely see a resemblance between your face and his. Your eyes, too. Both of you have these large dark brown eyes."

"W-when did you see him? Where?" Celes demanded.

Noblesse chuckled softly. "Around the outskirts of Cherrygrove City, around December tenth, I believe. Probably foraging for food due to the approaching winter, because he was definitely hovering around the city, but the Rattata were giving him a hard time, I guess."

"Cherrygrove?" Sorin repeated, frowning. "What were you even doing all the way out there?"

"Preparing for a holiday production," Noblesse replied, but Celes noted that the response came almost too quickly, as if he had expected that question, and had the answer ready. "I watched him tangle with a pair of Rattata, and lose, and that's why I remember him so clearly."

"Why's that?" Celes asked, scowling. So help her, if Noblesse made some sort of comment about her brother being weak or stupid or anything along those lines...well, then Sorin would need to hold her back. She had endured seeing her brother get picked on enough at the clan without being able to do anything about it then.

"Bear in mind that I am an actor, and take part in many productions and performances," Noblesse said, seemingly oblivious to the unspoken danger, because his voice was completely casual. "I know when someone is pulling their punches and putting on a show of helplessness. This Eevee fought with gusto, but made a show of how much of an amateur weakling he was, and ultimately lost. The act was painfully transparent to me, so I approached him, and that's how I learned his name. He denied that he was faking, but you can't pull the wool over my eyes that easily. I used to be a Mareep, after all."

"What?" Celes wondered, bewildered.

"Never mind," Noblesse replied quickly.

"So then what? Did he say where he was going?" Celes asked, desperation leaking into her voice. She was so close, having received her first real clue since setting off on her months-long hunt to locate her brother.

"No, I was called away soon afterwards," Noblesse admitted with a shrug. "I made a suggestion of a friend he could call upon for the winter, since he obviously wasn't prepared for it, but I don't know if he followed through with that."

"A friend? Who?" Celes asked, her eyes widening. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, a mixture of excitement and apprehension racing through her body.

For the first time, Noblesse hesitated, and his eyes flicked towards Sorin, and then at something beyond Celes' shoulder. His attention lingered at this point for far longer than just a casual distraction, prompting Celes to look over her shoulder to see what the holdup was about. To her surprise, she saw that two other Pokemon had come in through the door, and both of them were familiar faces. One of them was Cecilia, and the other was the Weavile she had met at the house earlier.

"Ha! Told you they'd be here!" Cecilia said brightly. Although she was too far away to see for sure, Celes suspected that the Weavile rolled her eyes at the comment, and she spoke too softly for the Flareon to catch what was said.

As the two newcomers approached, Celes noticed that both of them bore signs of being caught outside during the rain, as Lin's black fur glistened with raindrops, but she seemed untroubled by the fact, and Cecilia had hints of steam rising from the areas marking her flame vents.

"Good morning, ladies," Noblesse said, stepping past Celes and offering the new arrivals a generous smile. "I applaud your fashion sense," he added to Lin, giving the scarf an approving look, which she acknowledged with an indifferent bob of her head.

Sorin cocked his head in puzzlement.

"Why are you two here?" he wondered.

"Hi!" Cecilia chirped to Noblesse, before focusing on Sorin's question. "Oh, because Lin's really restless and is looking for someone to spar with. Know anyone worthwhile?"

"I can talk for myself, Cece," Lin noted, but she was smirking slightly. The Weavile flexed her paws restlessly, the vicious claws glinting in the dim lighting of the theater room.

Sorin frowned a little bit at the question. "Not off the top of my head," he said, shrugging his wings. "Kaito wants to recommend Ember, but I doubt she's in top form right now, after losing to Inferna. I don't even know where Adrian might be."

"Still waiting to know who this Inferna is, and why she's so feared among you guys," Lin commented, examining the claws of her left paw restlessly, before flicking one end of the blue scarf over her shoulder.

"Ah, Kuro's unrequited love interest," Noblesse chuckled. Attention shifted to the Ampharos so abruptly that it nearly made Celes strain her neck in the process, but Noblesse was either indifferent to the strange reaction, or delighted in the spotlight metaphorically returning to him.

"You know them?" Sorin asked, stunned. Noblesse chuckled at the reaction.

"But of course! Kuro shares my appreciation of the stage, and we did much of our stage training together. My field is such a narrow niche that I make a point to keep in touch with my peers. He intends to involve me in an upcoming project of his, but those details are under wraps yet. I'm betting he wants me to fight her - it fits with the other details he's shared with me."

"What details?" Lin asked seriously, but Noblesse simply grinned.

"My dear Weavile, you should know that an entertainer never gives away the secrets before the show. Kuro would be so upset with me if I spilled such juicy information for free. Lin, is it?"

"Yes. Who are you?" the Weavile demanded.

"Pardon my belated introduction, lovely lady. I am Noblesse," the Ampharos said, tilting his body into a bow, but Celes noticed that he seemed far warier towards Lin than when he done the bow to her and Sorin earlier. Probably something to do with Lin's restlessness bordering on hostility.

"You annoy me," Lin stated curtly.

"Forgive me," Noblesse said, touching his paw to his chest in a show of formal apology. "It is simply rare for me to see such a rare jewel of a female with such fine taste in apparel. Your scarf fits your profile like a glove, making me but a tinge envious of-"

"Flirting with me is a waste of time," Lin growled, flexing her claws.

"Ah, I forget. Your species court via battle, am I right?" Noblesse chuckled, and his eyes twinkled with mischief again. "And you came here seeking a spar? Just as well. I'm about to go on a lunch break, so how about I be your opponent? We will have to move venues, of course, because your ice and my electricity could do too much damage to the Theater."

"Fine with me, just point the way," Lin retorted.

"Hold on, we're not done with our business!" Celes protested, scowling at the Weavile and giving Noblesse an annoyed glare. "Who'd you recommend Blaze to? I need to ask them if they saw him!"

"Excuse me, lovely cirrus, I have to notify the crew of my impending absence," Noblesse said, offering Celes an apologetic smile, and without another word, he went back onto the stage, disappearing behind the curtain.

"That went well," Cecilia noted brightly, a sentiment that was evidently not shared by anyone else in the small group. Sorin glanced around at them and sighed.

"Anyone else getting an uncomfortable feeling about all of this?" he wondered. Lin gave a curt shrug, and Celes simply scowled, wordlessly communicating her frustration with being set aside in favor of Lin. Not like that was surprising. If someone stood to benefit more from one person than another, their attention invariably went to the one who had more to offer them. Celes would just have to wait until it was her turn again.

At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder whether Noblesse was deliberately trying to dodge the question. Saying a few words shouldn't take up too much time or effort, so either the answer was incredibly complicated, or he didn't want to tell her something.

And neither option made her feel better.


	73. Storm Brewing

The rain had really picked up within the short time that Lin and Cecilia had been inside the Theater. It had been only a light shower before, but now as Lin emerged from the building, she saw that dark clouds had fully rolled in, blanketing the sky in an obsidian veil. Rain bombarded the ground like bullets, and any of the city residents that were still outdoors were racing towards their homes or another form of shelter.

Noblesse appeared completely unfazed by the rain, the water rolling down his smooth skin, with no fur or the like to absorb or hinder the flow of water. Lin was not quite so fortunate, as her thin fur quickly became drenched, and the scarf around her neck becoming heavy and waterlogged.

Needless to say, Sorin promptly opted out of accompanying them to the sparring venue, citing that the rain would soak into his wings to ridiculous extents. Even Cecilia seemed a little bit daunted by the sheer volume of rain, and offered to accompany Sorin back to Kaito's location, so that the Altaria would at least not be stranded at the Theater in the meantime.

Celes, on the other paw, seemed intent on not letting Noblesse out of her sight for long, and had wordlessly chosen to follow them towards the west end of Ecruteak City. The Flareon's fur was heated enough to turn most of the water into steam upon contact, but even with this factor, she paused beneath the shelter of nearby trees often to allow her fur to fully dry and warm up before continuing.

The weather itself did not trouble Lin at all. She was used to training, battling, or traveling through a variety of intense weather conditions, as Mt. Coronet seemed to attract the worst of the Sinnoh's climate. She was mildly disappointed that it was rain, as opposed to snow, or even sleet, for the colder temperatures and familiarity of the weather would give her an advantage. Sneasel and Weavile were excellent hunters, their senses far exceeding that of the common Pokemon, and their lifestyle of battle and navigating the mountain enabled them to adapt to harsh weather and rough terrain.

However, rain was a different beast altogether. Snowfall reduced visibility, and the cold could be taxing to one's body if they were unadjusted, but it also muffled sounds and made it difficult to distinguish movement from drifting snow. Sneasel and their evolution had honed their senses of smell, sight, and hearing to work well in these conditions, and Lin applied similar skills to her fighting style. Rain likewise reduced visibility, and while the darkness was no issue to her, the pounding of raindrops on leaves, cement, or earth were distracting, and filtered her hearing through overstimulation, instead of just muffling sounds.

Her sense of smell posed few advantages in battle anyway, so she considered that a minimal loss. Rain left a unique scent signature upon the earth, whereas snow again obliterated the majority of the smells, so Lin did have a mild concern that she would find herself distracted by another of her senses being overstimulated.

The Weavile blinked as rain splashed across her muzzle and she shook her head to clear her vision. Battling with a handicap would ensure that this spar would be far more challenging, and indeed, more satisfying, but it had been a while since she had battled or trained in such intense rain, so adjusting to how her senses were being hit would be a touch irritating.

"Here we are! Is this spot to your liking, lovely?" Noblesse inquired, stopping and turning around to face her. Lin blinked and scanned the surrounding area. From the looks of it, Noblesse had almost literally brought her to the same general area that she and Cecilia had been talking in not even a half hour ago, as she could make out the remains of the Brass Tower further ahead. On the other paw, this worked to her liking just fine. Discounting the weather, such an area was bound to be lower traffic, meaning a minimized chance for interference or collateral damage.

"Works for me," Lin stated, flexing her claws eagerly. She silently noted a tiny portion of her enthusiasm was due to how Noblesse kept using endearments in his sentences, despite her firmly telling him she would not reciprocate any interest. It did not escape her notice, either, that Noblesse had agreed to battle her soon after. He was seemingly aware of how her pack used to handle courtship rituals, and she was unamused by the implications. If he wanted to court or flirt with her through battle, then she would gladly cut his efforts to ribbons. He didn't appear to have any legitimate affection or interest towards her, which suggested that he was more likely teasing her, but such behavior was a fool's approach when it came to a Weavile.

"Fantastic," Noblesse chuckled. "If you need time to finish preparations, do so now. I'm going to do a costume change."

Lin merely raised an eyebrow inquisitively, a gesture that was probably completely unnoticeable in the current weather. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Celes had settled beneath a large, leafy tree that protected her from the worst of the rain, and gave her a comfortable distance from the action. Meanwhile, Noblesse extracted a small bundle of cloth that he had been carrying tucked under his arm since they left the theater. With swift, practiced motions, he draped the fabric around his neck and fastened the yellow gemstone clasp at the front.

The Weavile blinked at the accessory, her puzzlement becoming amplified. She had originally thought it to be a scarf similar to her own, but on closer inspection, it instead seemed more like a black formal handkerchief, like something that might be worn to a dinner party that permitted Pokemon guests. It seemed designed, if not tailored, to complement the Electric-type's ringed neckline, while still producing a more formal image. Even the gemstone clasp matched the Ampharos' color scheme, although Lin suspected it was an artifical gem, as the real deal would probably be too valuable to affix to such a small cloth accessory.

"Is there a practical purpose to wearing that for a spar?" she wondered aloud, not without a small trace of disdain. Considering his earlier compliment of her scarf, wearing a seemingly pointless, although aesthetically pleasing, item to their spar seemed like he was making fun of her.

"Says the Weavile wearing a scarf nearly as long as she is tall. It looks wonderful on you, but one wonders if its length ever trips you up," Noblesse countered pleasantly. Lin scowled slightly, choosing to forego a response in favor of taking a moment to verify the loop keeping the scarf in place around her neck. When she was still a Sneasel, she often received criticisms about her wearing a scarf, even in battle. As an Ice-type, she did not require its protection from the elements, and the ends of the scarf tended to trail dangerously close to her feet. Others sometimes noted that if an opponent could seize one of the ends of the scarf, or if it got caught on something, they could sabotage her movements, or even put her at risk of being strangled.

There was no denying that this concerns had merit, which was why Lin always took a moment to confirm how the scarf was fastened around her neck before beginning a battle. However, she was not willing to part with the scarf entirely. By this point in her life, it was more to her than a simple fashion accessory, and the scrappy nature of her species guaranteed that she would find herself battling frequently. In that sense, it was better in her eyes to adapt to the scarf's potential flaws than to be rid of them.

Once satisfied, Lin straightened and held eye contact with Noblesse. He smiled pleasantly in reply, and for a few moments, neither of them moved nor spoke, and the only sounds around them was the pattering of rain and the rustling of leaves. Finally, Lin raised her paw in front of her and snapped her claws loudly.

At that precise moment, the skies rumbled with thunder, drowning out even the sounds of her claws. The Weavile blinked and cast a resentful glare at the offending storm clouds. It was almost a shame that Cecilia hadn't been present to witness the moment, because Lin was sure the Quilava would have gotten a kick out of the sky stealing her thunder in an almost literal sense.

Noblesse smirked, doubtlessly enjoying the moment's irony, but he nevertheless assumed a ready stance, communicating without words that he was aware that Lin had been signalling for the spar to begin. His black eyes focused on the Weavile, evidently waiting for her to make the first move.

An interesting choice, but not an entirely surprising one. Many Pokemon she had faced in the past pursued one of two distinct strategies, and both revolved around them being aware of her species' reputation as swift and merciless hunters. The most common strategy was to take the offensive from the beginning, in the hopes that forcing Lin to take a defensive position would prevent her from gathering any momentum for her own offense, and they could eventually get past the defense for a decisive victory.

That had been the strategy Frost had utilized in their battle back at the Solaceon Ruins. Effective only for a short time, for what many opponents failed to realize was that pack Sneasel trained by battling one another, and there was no shortage of opponents who approached battle with an all-out offensive. In addition, it was not uncommon for Sneasel spars to turn into two-on-one battles, or even battle royales involving up to five total participants. If a Sneasel did not improve her defensive game, her potential for growth would become limited if strength in numbers could turn the tide overwhelmingly against her.

The second strategy was for a Pokemon to focus their energy into solidifying their defense. This was the approach more tactical Pokemon utilized, believing it to be a foolish endeavor to leave one exposed without knowledge of their adversary. Ironically, this was the tactic Lin herself preferred, but it was clear, under these weather conditions, that she would not be able to read Noblesse's style or intentions. Getting a feel for him would be nigh-impossible with the rain filtering three of her senses at once.

Still, the Weavile was not so reckless to lunge at an opponent she had no knowledge of. It would be ideal to get within close range so that she could strike with her claws, but she could be patient for now. The rain could still assist her in another way.

Lin flicked her wrist, her paw freezing the air and moisture between her claws, creating two jagged shards of ice within her paw. With a fluid movement, she hurled the projectiles at the Ampharos, and Noblesse pivoted hastily, one of the shards whizzing harmlessly past his shoulder, and the other grazing his left ear.

Seeing that the Electric-type's stance was slightly lopsided, Lin darted closer, but that was merely to add more pressure; she was not yet in range, nor did she intend to get that close just yet. Excitement was building up within her, dispelling the restless butterflies that had swarming within her since this morning. Her red eyes glinted, and she brandished her paw, again seizing two frozen chunks of ice between her claws and hurling them towards Noblesse.

The Ampharos drove his right paw forward, and electricity coursed through him, its energy traveling from the gem on his forehead down to his paw. The rainwater running over his body helped accelerate the flow of electricity, and bolts of yellow lightning snaked outwards from the Ampharos' paw. As Lin's thrown Ice Shards came closer, two bolts leapt off of Noblesse's paw and intercepted the shards, obliterating them with a loud crackling of energy.

Lin blinked in surprise, but then smiled internally. That was certainly an...interesting tactic. Using the rain to help conduct his electricity, and then passively intercept projectiles like a reverse lightning rod...not a strategy she saw on a regular basis, although she doubted it would be very effective if not for the rain.

Noblesse was smirking a little, and Lin recognized the danger a split-second before the sphere of electricity gathered at the Ampharos' paw launched towards her. She dove sideways, tucking her body into an expert somersault and returning to her feet a short distance away, but her left foot slipped on the slick grass, and she hastily pivoted her body to keep from falling over. The resulting spasm was far from her usual graceful maneuvering, and she made a mental note to be wary of the slippery ground.

With unexpected speed, Noblesse pivoted to face her again, and a beam of sparkling energy fired from the gem at his forehead. With no time to even consider another somersaulting evasion, Lin formed her paws into a defensive cross shape and black energy coursed through her claws. She grimaced as the beam collided with her paws, and swiftly tore through the makeshift energy barrier she had conjured. The remaining energy broke through her defense and struck the Weavile in the chest with enough force to knock her off her feet, and she slid backwards a few inches on the wet grass.

"Are you hurt, my dear?" Noblesse inquired, sounding mildly concerned, but Lin merely climbed back to her feet with as much grace as she could manage.

"Only my pride," she retorted crisply, readjusting her scarf absently, her eyes fixed upon Noblesse. It seemed that she had going too lightly on him. True, she preferred to feel out an opponent before proceeding to fight more seriously, but she could see now that this was a mistake. Noblesse still lacked the finesse of a seasoned battler, but he was no pushover, that was for sure. With the rain proving to be a considerable asset to his electricity, and a significant hindrance to herself, it seemed that there was no need to hold back any further.

"Oh? Is this the turning point when you'll fight me more seriously?" Noblesse wondered aloud. Lin blinked, but then narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the Ampharos.

"And what makes you think that?" she asked, her tone as cool as a melting ice cube.

"Simply your eyes, lovely," Noblesse explained with a chuckle. He was speaking louder to be heard over the pounding rain and occasional rumble of thunder, but it had the side effect of making him sound smug, like he was explaining things to a child. His body language had none of the signs of being smug, which was the only reason Lin hesitated to consider him as such, although the rain was still interfering with her ability to make out the smaller details.

"My eyes?" Lin repeated, frowning. It wasn't the statement itself that bothered her, because she usually obtained a remarkable amount of information from studying someone's eyes, but if Noblesse could do likewise, then it could indicate he was more experienced than Lin had originally expected.

"Didn't you know? Your eyes show up very vibrantly, even in poor lighting," Noblesse explained pleasantly. "Eyes are the window to the soul, after all, and as a stage actor, they can offer a lot of unspoken cues critical to timings and other details that keep the production flowing smoothly. So I've learned to watch for those cues, and right now, your eyes are excited."

There was no point in denying this assertion. If her eyes had revealed so much to him, then it was just a matter of time before the rest of her body did likewise. She could already feel the eagerness spreading through her, and the revelation that Noblesse could read body and emotional cues in his opponents' eyes, regardless of how he learned this skill, meant that he was an opponent much more worthy of her effort.

Lin flexed her claws and darted towards her foe. The gemstone on his head flashed momentarily, and Lin immediately side-stepped, picking up speed to the point that she was little more than a black and blue blur to all those around them. Waves of electricity radiated outwards from the Ampharos' body, but Lin continued to side-step at high speeds in a counterclockwise direction, so that even as Noblesse pivoted to turn the Thunder Wave's focus onto her new location, she was always two steps ahead of him.

The moment she could see his back, she closed the gap between them, and swiped her claws across his back, leaving a shallow gash across his smooth skin. The Ampharos yelped in pain, but there was no blood. Noblesse spun around, but unlike his previous attempts to catch her with his Thunder Wave, he turned to his right, and his orb-tipped tail swept beneath Lin's legs, causing her to stumble. By the time she had righted herself, her vision was filled with the white skin of the Ampharos' stomach, followed immediately by the blindingly yellow glow of his electricity.

Lin leapt backwards hastily, but she knew it was a hopeless endeavor. She had been at point-blank range, and her water-soaked fur and scarf ensured that he would not miss. A wave of electricity discharged from Noblesse's body, striking Lin with the force of a tidal wave. She was physically hurled backwards, tumbling across the grass with all the grace of a rag doll. Doubtlessly, the entire affair might have been excruciatingly painful, but every nerve in Lin's body seemed to have simultaneously gone numb, leaving only the bizarre tingling sensation that far surpassed, but rivaled, the feeling of her limbs falling asleep.

It took incredible effort, but Lin managed to roll herself over onto her paws and knees, and from there, rise slowly back to her feet. She swayed slightly, for the sensation of solid ground beneath her feet felt foreign, to the point where she couldn't even be sure that the ground WAS solid.

"Oh wow...you okay over there?" Noblesse asked, looking and sounding legitimately concerned for her well-being. "My apologies, I forgot just how much the weather was amplifying my electricity..."

He started to step towards Lin, but she let out a hissing sound that would not have sounded out of place coming from an enraged Persian. Noblesse froze, his eyes widening in concern.

"Don't come near me," Lin breathed. The only sensation in her body she was aware of was the accelerated beating of her heart, the only clue that she was actually alive, and not in some bizarre form of unfeeling limbo. "You haven't won, you have no right to approach!"

Noblesse's eyes darted around them, bafflement etched on his face.

"I just want to be sure you're-"

"Shut up!" Lin snarled, and to emphasize her words, purple flames erupted from her claws, burning intensely despite the bombardment of rain upon the battlefield. There was no rage in her eyes, however, but that only made the Weavile seem even more terrifying. Her mouth was curling into a vicious grin, and she was breathing harder, in time with the pounding of her heart. "I won't let you win..."

Noblesse looked increasingly nervous as he observed Lin's expression. "Is this about the comment about Weavile courting? Because I was teasing, I'm not actually interested in you. I just thought a spar would be fun-"

"It is fun," Lin agreed, her grin widening. "More fun than any opponent I've had in weeks, no...in months. You're the only one since him...this is the only time since I've evolved that I've felt like I could actually lose. So don't hold back anymore. I sure won't..."

Noblesse opened his mouth to reply, but Lin slashed her claws through her air, leaving a trail of purple flames in their wake. She closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, and drove her claws into his shoulder. Noblesse yelped, but as he pulled back, she closed her fist and struck him once in the stomach, then drove her other fist into his chin. The orb upon the Ampharos' tail lit up, and the Weavile retreated at once, just before another wave of electricity erupted from Noblesse's body, lighting the entire battlefield with an intense yellow light.

Lin was already out of range by the time the electricity surged through the area, and she flicked her wrists, each paw greedily seizing a pair of Ice Shards between her claws. She hurled them at Noblesse in pairs, one set aimed for his right shoulder, the second set for his left leg. Noblesse was quick to pivot to avoid the first set, but he yelped and staggered backwards as the second pair of jagged ice struck his leg. Lin dove forward, sliding across the wet grass on her stomach, and slashing her claws across the Ampharos' uninjured leg. Noblesse gasped in pain, and lost his footing, falling into a seated position.

Lin shivered with excitement. There was something incredibly satisfying about seeing her opponent in an undignified position mirroring the one she had been forced into earlier. Yet, she didn't want him to fall just yet. This was the most exhilarating battle she had ever fought away from her home pack. To crush Noblesse now would be anti-climactic. She wanted him to give her more satisfaction, to show off more of his battle spirit until she was content with defeating him.

After all, this male had the gall to patronize her with endearments in battle. He may have retracted his flirtatious interest, but that didn't change the level of insult he had shown her, intentionally or not.

Lin waited for a second, long enough for Noblesse to stumble back to his feet, and then she pressed her offense, directing power into her claws until they glowed with eerie black energy, expanding until it was an extension of the claws themselves. She slashed at Noblesse viciously, alternating between her paws with each strike, moving so quickly that she was practically a blur of motion.

Noblesse at first was forced to focus only on dodging and retreating, lest a delay in moving leave him in shreds, but after retreating numerous paces, his eyes suddenly shifted, and he moved forward instead, accepting several deep gashes across his stomach as consequence, and he drove his fist directly into Lin's face, his paw erupting with electricity a split-second before impact.

It happened so quickly, and the movement was so unexpected, that Lin had no time to even try to defend herself. She reeled from the electric punch, and from the corner of her eye, she saw the Ampharos' gemstone glow brightly a moment before the same sparkling beam from before lanced out from his forehead, striking her directly in the chest with enough force to hurl her backwards. Pain flooded into Lin's body, replacing the hollow numbness that had consumed her nerves previously, and for a few seconds, she wasn't even sure if she could move.

"What the hell?"

Kaito's voice somehow managed to overtake the din of the rain, and Lin rolled onto all fours again, her red eyes glinting with eagerness, despite the roughness of the previous attack. This was the sort of battle she had been hungering for, and the fact that Noblesse had gone beyond her expectations only made it even more satisfying. The pain and sting of being knocked around would only make her ultimate victory all the sweeter.

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the grounds briefly, and during that flash, Lin could see the Togetic hovering at the sidelines, making no effort whatsoever to seek shelter from the pounding rain. Noblesse glanced in Kaito's direction, but then returned his focus to Lin.

"Is that what you find fun in battles?" Noblesse demanded, sparks flying from his body as he glowered at the Weavile. "Making your opponent feel like shit when they lose? I don't like being toyed with, or played for a fool."

"No, that's not my goal," Lin purred, climbing back to her feet. "You are strong, especially in the rain. But you fight just for fun."

"So what?" Noblesse demanded, crossing his arms.

"That means, to you, this battle has no stakes," Lin explained, unable to hide her growing smirk. "You have nothing driving you to win. Without a purpose, your strength amounts to nothing."

Noblesse scowled. "Winning isn't everything," he countered coolly. Kaito looked between the two of them uncertainly, but made no attempt to interrupt.

"That's because to you, this fight has no meaning. You don't care if you win or lose, because you have nothing riding on the outcome," Lin countered, flexing her claws in an effort to stifle a sudden flare of aggression within her heart. Her eyes sharpened and focused upon the Ampharos, and her breathing pace hiked up a notch. "Not everyone has the luxury of seeing battle as nothing more than entertainment. Entertainment that they can discard on a whim, or give up entirely when the fun grows old."

The Weavile clenched her paw so tightly that she could feel the claws digging into her palm. Noblesse blinked at her, his expression again becoming one of concern.

"This battle should have nothing riding on it for you, either. It's just a spar for you to burn off energy," Noblesse pointed out. "I can surrender now, if it's a pride-"

"It's not pride!" Lin snapped, and she took a breath to calm herself. "If it was pride, I'd be satisfied just by winning, and fail to make any growth at all. No, you're strong. The strongest opponent I've ever faced as a Weavile...that's why I won't let you surrender. I need an outcome. Win or lose, I want you to do your best to defeat me."

"My...best?" Noblesse repeated, and he seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I can't get you to reconsider?"

"Not a chance, at this point," Lin murmured. The curious hesitation Noblesse was showing her was fueling her excitement. Was it possible that the Ampharos still had a trump card of some sort? Some method or tactic of battling that would force her to further adapt and struggle to overcome him? If so, then she wanted to see it.

"...not going to be happy about this," Noblesse muttered, so faintly that Lin had to strain her ears even to catch that much.

"What?" Lin asked, but Noblesse shook his head, leaving Lin with a trace of annoyance in her chest.

"Fine, I'll give this a shot to...enhance this little spar," Noblesse said, although he now appeared to be addressing Kaito and Celes more than Lin herself. He made eye contact with Lin, and she nodded impatiently, internally frowning as she was buffeted by a sudden gust of wind that whipped both ends of her scarf behind her, despite their water-logged state. Even Kaito seemed to be struggling against the wind's strength, but it soon settled down.

"What was that?" Lin wondered, bemused. The rain that had been bombarding them was suddenly thinning, as if the wind had taken the storm away.

"Oh? It seems I have Suicune's blessing to use this gift," Noblesse murmured. Lin glanced at Kaito, but the fairy Pokemon seemed just as baffled by the comment as she did. Noblesse grinned briefly, and gestured towards the cloth fastened around his neck. Lin was about to ask when her eyes caught sight of something peculiar. The gemstone clasp was glowing faintly, almost unnoticeably against the Ampharos' yellow skin.

"Hm? What's going on?" Kaito asked, his body tensing. It took Lin a moment, but she soon picked up on an unsettling vibe surrounding the area. Like some invisible force abruptly applying a massive amount of pressure to their surroundings. Doubtlessly, Kaito had picked up on the feeling first. Lin peered around warily, her body tensing in anticipation. Noblesse had closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in focus, and the gemstone at his neck was pulsing more intensely.

 _"Sheep enhanced by dragons..."_ Noblesse murmured, his voice carrying easily across the small area to Lin's ears. _"Gift bestowed by Unown..."_

The Ampharos cringed abruptly, and the clasp at his neck began to glow solidly, no longer flickering.

 _"Use my heart as the anchor..."_ Noblesse whispered, and his eyes opened a fraction, enough for Lin to see the pained tears leaking from beneath the eyelid. He clasped both paws together in front of him, and as he continued speaking, each word seemed to cause him physical pain. _"And...and manifest...my...evolution..."_

It felt like Lin's heart had dropped into her stomach, although she could not explain why she was suddenly overcome by this surge of dread and unease. Brilliant beams of light extended outwards from Noblesse's chest, so bright that Lin was forced to shield her eyes as the Ampharos was consumed by light. Energy like nothing she had ever felt before was coursing all around her.

It felt like an eternity before the light faded, and when it did, Lin cautiously peered out from behind her arm, unsure what to expect.

Noblesse was standing in front of her, exactly where he had been moments before the bizarre light show. He looked almost exactly the same, but it didn't take Lin long to notice the alarming change that had taken hold of him.

The handkerchief and gem clasp were gone, as if they had never existed, and majestic wool flowed from the Electric-type's head like hair, and even more white cotton wool fluttered outwards from the space where his tail had once been. Contained within the wool at his tail were several more of the energy orbs that normally adorned the Ampharos' forehead and tail.

Noblesse panted slightly but then opened his eyes fully, and Lin saw that his eyes now glowed with a distinct, cats-eye sigil. The Weavile froze, blank shock rushing through her body at the sight. Blue and green energy surrounded Noblesse's body, and he grinned in triumph, delighting in their looks of shock.

The glowing sigil in his eyes did not linger long before fading, but it had been enough.

That symbol...it matched the one in stone that she had taken from the Solaceon Ruins. And judging from the look on Kaito's face, he had realized the exact same thing.

"Looks like you were wrong...Lin," Noblesse panted. When this received nothing more than a blank look, his grin widened. "About my drive...if I can achieve Mega Evolution like this...then..."

The blue-green energy surrounding his body intensified, until it was if his body itself was ablaze with this energy. The Ampharos clenched his fists, his eyes watering in obvious discomfort, but then all at once, his body relaxed, and the energy became fully absorbed into his body.

"Then...I should be a match even for your drive, so come at me," Noblesse finished, his voice coming out with full confidence and determination. Now that the surging energy had seemingly settled within him, he was no longer struggling to speak or move. On the contrary, his eyes were alight with similar passion to her own battle lust, pumping Lin up to resume the battle.

Lin blinked, regarding the transformed Ampharos warily. She could definitely feel something different about her opponent. Something incredibly powerful, calling out to her most primal self. If Noblesse had been such a formidable opponent earlier, then this new form of his must be even more spectacular, if the mere sight of it filled her equally with apprehension and excitement.

"I can't wait," the Weavile purred.


	74. All-Out Spar

Lin wasted no time in resuming the battle. She kicked off her right foot, dashing towards Noblesse with all the agility her Weavile body could muster. Adrenaline was pumping through her body, revitalizing her both physically and mentally, and with the storm beginning to subside, her eyes were picking up on details that she had been blinded to mere moments ago.

Noblesse shifted his stance, but his movement seemed more sluggish than before, and Lin could not hide a smirk as she drew closer. The Ampharos' transformation had altered very little of his body structure - he had gained no additional mass or size, save for the wool adorning his head and tail, and in the current weather, this was a disadvantage. In addition, the Ampharos did not seem well-practiced with the transformed state, and so his sense of balance seemed to be off by a fraction of a second.

And even such little difference was enough to cost you when it came to fighting against a Weavile.

Black energy engulfed Lin's claws, and she raked them viciously across Noblesse's stomach. The water rolling down his body played a small role in resisting the damage, as her claws tried and failed to catch on some irregularity in his body's grain, but she also noted that the skin seemed tougher than the last time she had attacked Noblesse with her claws.

A crackle of electricity interrupted any further notes Lin could make, as each of the orbs protruding from Noblesse's fluffy tail lit up, one by one. The Weavile leapt backwards, tilting her body into an expert backflip, as yellow bolts of lightning erupted from the Ampharos' tail, the beams criss-crossing one another and turning the air around them into a dangerous grid of electric wires. By some miracle, Lin's maneuver had enabled her to avoid taking any direct hits, but she could smell the sizzling in the air and had felt the heat emanating from the close misses of the electric beams.

Her eyes widened as she landed, the red eyes gazing warily at her opponent. Either Noblesse had been completely sincere in agreeing to go at her with his best efforts, or the transformation itself had supplied him with an absurd increase in power. Logical to assume the latter, for if each of those energy orbs produced powerful electricity under normal circumstances, then having a whole bunch of them at his disposal meant his electrical output was massively amplified.

The gem at Noblesse's forehead glowed vibrantly, and a pulse of electric-blue energy lanced towards her. Lin pivoted hastily, but a simple tilt of his head allowed Noblesse to redirect the aim of his attack, the beam tracing a line across Lin's torso. Blazing heat raged through Lin's body, as if Noblesse had carved the line into her flesh with a welding torch. The physical effect of the energy was not quite that dramatic, but to Lin it still felt like her very skin was on fire, and continued to burn long after the attack had subsided.

"What the hell was that?" Lin demanded. It was physical pain far beyond anything she had ever experienced before. It was worse than taking a direct hit from a Flamethrower attack, or even feeling the sting of a vicious enemy's claws. There was no doubt left in her mind that the transformed state of the Ampharos had provided a significant boost in power, but her mind was struggling to grasp the technique that had just been used against her.

"Uh...Dragon Pulse," Noblesse answered, sounding a little perplexed. Lin conjured icy energy around her paws and pressed them firmly against her burning skill, dulling the pain a little, and she stared intently at her opponent. The blue-green energy from before was shimmering around his body, and for a fraction of a second, Lin could see the outline of the stone's sigil reappearing in his eye, like some malformed pupil. At the same time, the wool on his head and tail seemed to puff outwards, engulfing his body in a faint blue glow.

"It shouldn't sting that much," Lin hissed, but even the pain searing her body was not enough to keep her from continuing the fight. Battle was the ultimate joy for a Weavile, and there were few things Lin enjoyed more than the thrill and excitement of facing an opponent with different tricks than the norm. Something had changed about Noblesse, but she couldn't put her claw on it yet. Not just the damage output, but something more subtle than that. Something that made something like Dragon Pulse sting far more than it should have.

Lin was not going to just stand idle, no matter how painful it was to move. She couldn't bring herself to disappoint her opponent, after he went to so much trouble to bring her a genuine challenge, and she doubted his transformation would last forever.

Mega Evolution...

That's what Noblesse had called it. The term was foreign to her, completely unknown. Did that mean it was not a standard form of evolution, but something different entirely? Honestly, she didn't care to know the answers right now - she had a battle to win. And it was time for her to really go all out.

A predatory smile grew across her face, displaying her pointed teeth that normally only showed through her smirks of amusement. Rain dripped down her face, soaking into the feathers of the red crown that ringed her neck, underneath the waterlogged scarf.

Lin swept her paw across the air in front of her, each of her claws shimmering with an icy blue glow. In the wake of her movement, rain solidified rapidly into ice crystals, peppering the grass with white flakes of snow. Every raindrop that fell within the same range of space experienced a similar transformation, until it was no longer rain falling upon the Weavile's body, but snow and ice. The temperature of the air, already chilly from the bombardment of water, descended rapidly, so that even the occasional breeze felt cold as it passed across her body.

Noblesse shivered a little, and produced a sphere of electricity between his paws. Sparks bounced between the rain that still fell around his body, and in a fluid motion, he launched the electricity in Lin's direction.

"Perfect," Lin purred, and she cleaved the air horizontally with her claws, kicking off the ground immediately afterwards. Snow was a fascinating form of water, for it fell to the earth much slower than either rain or sleet, and Lin planned to take advantage of that trait. As rain entered the space she had carved into the air, the hyper-chilled air rapidly changed the water droplets into snow, but rain was entering the chilled space much faster than the snowflakes were falling away from it, causing the flakes to stick together. By the time enough rain had gathered within that space for the snowflakes to form a thin sheet of snow and ice, Lin was already airborne, and as soon as her feet made contact with the surface, she used all her agility to spring off the makeshift platform, shattering it to bits in the process, but netting her some extra height and distance.

The Weavile's grin widened as Noblesse's Electro Ball passed beneath her, and she dropped down onto the bewildered Ampharos, both her paws glowing with icy blue energy. She exhaled forcefully as she descended, unleashing a gale of ice and snow into the electric sheep's face, forcing his eyes shut. His forehead gem glowed with vibrant light, and a powerful bolt of sparkling energy erupted from the center of the gem, but his eyes were closed, so he could not aim. The Weavile tucked her body to the right with all the training and finesse of a gymnast, veering away from the instinctive attack. She landed with nary a sound, but it was clear that the chill her body was giving off somehow registered with Noblesse's senses, because he desperately jerked his head towards her, bringing the energy beam along with it.

Lin reacted with sheer instinct, punching her paw forward until her fist collided with the Power Gem beam. Coldness radiated from her fist, creating a thin layer of ice around her paw, supplying just enough of a chill to defend against the intensity of the Ampharos' attack. She smirked calmly, focusing all her mental energy towards maintaining this otherwise flimsy defense. Noblesse's projectile techniques contained raw power, but not longevity. He would not be able to keep up this bombardment, at least not long enough to break through her defense. Once his assault paused, she would end this battle in one swift strike.

Part of her wanted to prolong the fight a little longer, and test out her tactics just a little more. It was so rare that an opponent forced her to use her ice abilities over her claws, but many of her stronger opponents had been fellow Ice-types, such as Frost. A shame, because this battle was reminding her how effective her ice abilities could be, as an unexpected element, or even as a support for a more direct strike.

At this range, snowflakes were falling around both of them, and Noblesse was cringing from the cold, shivering far more intensely than he should have. Did the wool on his body not supply him with any additional warmth? Something slowly clicked within the Weavile's mind, and her grin widened in triumph. If her hunch was correct, then victory was definitely hers.

As expected, Noblesse's energy soon tapered off and he opened his eyes warily. Lin didn't even allow him the chance to realize the threat of her presence before she acted, closing the gap between them in an instant. There wasn't even much need to direct energy into the claws for some extra range and damage, for they still shimmered with the icy energy she had used to defend. Without even the slightest hesitation, the Weavile raked her claws viciously across Noblesse's chest, then brought her other paw to scratch his stomach. She alternated her paws with each strike, mercilessly directing her blows to every conceivably vulnerable area she could find. Chest, shoulder, stomach, leg. Repeat.

Noblesse cried out in shock and pain, but Lin noted that her claws were not breaking the skin. He was receiving scratches and blows, but nothing that would incapacitate him as an opponent. She struck again and again, finding her hits unsatisfying, for there was not even a trickle of blood being drawn. The Ampharos was recoiling from her blows, wincing and yelping and even flailing desperately to try to dislodge her, but Lin remained stalwart and relentless.

The water that had been rolling down Noblesse's body had become icy, clinging to his body like a thin layer of insulation. Lin could see from the Ampharos' eyes that the cold was excruciating for him, far more than it logically should have been, and the feeble sparks his body was giving off indicated that the ice was stifling his electrical currents, the opposite effect that the rain had been having during the first half of their battle. With the cold sapping his strength, and his electricity unable to fire off as quickly, powerfully, or effectively as before, Noblesse was effectively neutralized as a threat. Victory was hers.

Yet the Weavile did not cease her assault. Her mind was a haze of aggression and growing frustration. Her claws struck viciously at the opponent's body, yet she was still not breaking the skin, nor leaving so much as a single crimson mark across his unblemished white stomach. It made no sense to her! She had managed to leave scratches upon him earlier in their fight, even with the rain, yet after the transformation, Noblesse's body resisted the damage for no logical reason.

Ice was crawling along the entirety of the Ampharos' body, and his movements had become sluggish. His eyes were glazing over a little, as the cold seeped deeper into his body, sapping his energy. At this rate, he would pass out from cold-induced drowsiness before Lin so much as left a scratch on him.

"Stop it, Lin!" Kaito shouted, and Lin froze, alarmed. Never before had she ever heard Kaito shout like that. It was stern and commanding, a far cry from his normal demeanor. There was something else laced within his tone as well, but Lin could not immediately place it. Concern? Shock? Perhaps, but it was something different...something that made her insides squirm with guilt and embarrassment. Disappointment?

Lin didn't have time to puzzle it out any further. Out of nowhere, a pressurized jet of water blindsided the Weavile, striking her with enough force to knock her clean off her feet. She tumbled across the grass, crying out once as her head bumped against the trunk of a tree. Everything seemed to be spinning around her, and she groaned, clutching her head with one paw and keeping her eyes closed in an effort to reduce the nauseating effects she was experiencing.

"Oh crap," Kaito muttered, just loudly enough for Lin to hear him.

"Aureia, keep your eyes on it," a male voice said sternly from somewhere nearby. The Weavile's ears pricked up, but whenever she tried to open her eyes, she was overcome by dizziness and forced to reclose them. "Is he okay, Rachel?"

There was movement nearby, and Lin managed to open her eyes a crack without ill effects, enough to make out the silhouette of two humans, presumably one male and one female, based on the given name and voice. One of them was examining Noblesse with obvious concern, and a pang of regret stabbed into Lin's gut as it began to sink in how viciously she had been attacking, and what it must have looked like to the newcomers. No wonder she had been sniped by the water jet.

She groaned again and rolled onto all fours, making an effort to sit up. She got no further than the roll before something heavy slammed into her side, forcing the wind from her lungs, and she coughed violently. To add insult to injury, something pressed down onto her back, forcing her stomach against the ground. The weight did not lift off afterwards, and Lin quickly determined that whatever was on top of her had four paws, indicating that there was a quadruped literally sitting on her back.

"Get off me," Lin grumbled, immediately attempting to roll the weight off of her, but found herself unable to. Whomever was pinning her had their weight pretty evenly distributed over her body, preventing her from shifting one way or the other.

"Nuh-uh," a female voice said, sounding like it was coming from right beside her ear. Lin was loathe to admit that she was actually slightly relieved to know that it was a female Pokemon currently pinning her. Not that this made the current arrangement any more enjoyable, not least of which because the Pokemon's voice sounded like she was in fairly good spirits.

"Noblesse, can you hear me?" a second female voice asked urgently from further away. Lin opened her eyes a little further, straining to see what was going on from the corner of her eye. The two humans were still inspecting the Ampharos, who was definitely recovering a little bit from Lin's freezing assault, but Lin expected that he was still a bit drowsy. "Are you hurt?"

"I didn't know Ampharos still had wool after evolving," the male human commented.

"They don't," the female human replied blankly, before it clicked. "Oh, Noblesse, you're so dumb sometimes!" she griped, but Lin noticed her tone was far more amused than angry. "Were you using your Mega Stone to flirt again? Aureia, is that Weavile a girl?"

"If you think I'm going to CHECK, I promise you, I'm not that bored," deadpanned the voice near Lin's ear.

"Aureia...I think Rachel meant you should ask," the male human noted, sounding incredibly amused. Undoubtedly responding to an inquisitive look from his female counterpart, he chuckled. "She was giving you her 'Are you a moron?' look."

"...you both are morons," Aureia muttered.

"Excuse me," Kaito said, moving forward into view, but he seemed to be addressing the Pokemon pinning Lin, rather than the humans. The weight on Lin's back shifted a little, but remained there, as the Pokemon turned its attention to the Togetic. "I can clear up the confusion here. Lin and Noblesse were having a spar that admittedly got a little intense near the end. She's not dangerous, and does not need to be restrained."

"Oh good," Aureia replied blandly. Something slapped the ground loudly from right beside Lin, and she flinched, but still found herself unable to move. Both humans turned towards the sound, looking alarmed from the glimpse of them that Lin could see. "He said stuff, blah blah blah, I'm getting off her now," Aureia stated, lifting one paw off of Lin's back to gesture in Kaito's direction.

This was followed immediately by the weight being lifted from Lin's back, and she sat up, massaging the side of her head that had collided with the tree. Now that she could look around, she was able to confirm that the Pokemon that had been pinning her had been a female Vaporeon. The most curious quality that Lin could see from just this brief glance was that the Vaporeon's eyes were devoid of emotion, although her tail was flicking with subtle happiness. Judging by the droplets of water clinging to its body, Aureia had been outside during the receding rain shower and found the weather to her liking.

The male human was watching Lin closely, perhaps not entirely convinced of her lack of threat. She sized him up in return, and remained in a seated position. She still needed some time to fully collect herself, so it was probably in her best interest to simply wait until the humans had left before attempting to leave. The human was fairly young by human standards, she supposed. No facial hair to indicate older age, and his features were youthful. She estimated that he was probably in his early adulthood, although she knew humans aged much slower than Pokemon did, so getting an estimate of his age in years was beyond her skill set.

The female human seemed similar in age, but like with the male, Lin was not likely to get an accurate approximation. Raven hair extended to her shoulders and her clothing was modest, yet comfortably fitting. The only reason the style caught Lin's notice at all was that she had known some human females to prefer tighter clothing that accentuated their figure, but this young woman carried herself with confidence and grace despite not dressing for the sake of allure.

"Noblesse doesn't seem too bad, Adrian, just really cold," the female human continued, looking up from her inspection of the Ampharos. The wool that had been adorning his features had disappeared somehow, and the black bandana with the gemstone clasp had somehow reappeared in its place. Noblesse himself seemed to be recovering, but ice crystals still clung to his body, and he was shivering.

"You should probably still get him checked out at the Center," the male human said seriously. "Make sure he doesn't have internal injuries or something like frostbite."

"The cold wasn't that severe," Rachel said, shaking her head. "Noblesse, what were you even thinking?" she continued, turning to the Electric-type with a stern frown. "You know messing around with your Mega Evolution is taxing, and you're part-dragon in that form, so why would you spar with an Ice-type?"

"Ha! Knew it!" Lin purred, but her grin was a bit forced. It had occurred to her that the extra force behind the Dragon Pulse and his sudden susceptibility to cold might have indicated Dragon-typing, it somehow failed to occur to her how stupidly dangerous it was for her to assault him with Ice Punches and ice-infused Slashes when he was unable to reliably defend against them. Maybe not all the nausea in her gut was from the rough tumble she had taken. All that had mattered to her had been winning, but why hadn't she forced him to yield, like she had with Frost, when victory was assured? Why had she not stopped her hunter instincts from taking over this time?

"Can't resist a pretty face?" Noblesse suggested with a weak shrug. He had evidently recovered enough to speak again, and it was clear from his trainer's expression that they had a close enough bond that she could get the gist of what he was saying, because she scowled at him disapprovingly.

"Are you sure he's going to be fine, Rachel?" Adrian asked, still unconvinced. The Vaporeon had wandered back over to where he was standing, and was watching the discussion with mild interest. Kaito had moved nearer to Lin's location, yet was hovering passively, giving Lin the impression he was using his presence as a reassurance that she was of no threat to the humans. The fact that neither the humans nor the Vaporeon had questioned Kaito's judgment struck her as rather odd, but then again, Kaito had taken residence here, so maybe he was fairly well-known or connected to the human community.

"Yeah, he just needs to rest and warm up a little more. Makes me wish I had a hot water bottle or something."

"Oh, no need to pamper me that extensively," Noblesse protested with a chuckle.

"Do you think I could borrow Ember for that purpose?" Rachel continued, paying no heed to the Ampharos' protests, and looking up at Adrian earnestly.

"Uh...probably not the best idea," Adrian said, wincing a little bit. "She's...in a bit of a mood right now. I don't imagine her being thrilled if I call her out during a dying rain storm just to use her flame."

"If you need heat, I'll help," another voice spoke up unexpectedly. Lin blinked, before remembering that there was another Pokemon present, who had gone almost completely unnoticed during the spar and intervention. Celes stepped out from beneath the shelter of the tree, casting a glance skyward to confirm that the rain had indeed slowed to a light drizzle.

The humans both glanced around, having heard Celes' voice, but had not noticed her presence either until now. However, the moment that the female locked eyes with the Flareon, she cried out and ducked behind Adrian, clutching his shoulders to utilize him as a shield between herself and the Flareon.

"...what are you doing, Rachel?" Adrian asked, bemused.

"That's the Flareon I accidentally hit with the Theater door!" Rachel explained. She offered the Flareon a desperately apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, again!"

"When was this?" Adrian wondered, bewildered.

"Right before I came to meet up with you," Rachel babbled, her eyes fixed nervously on the Flareon, who was now looking mildly annoyed at the reaction, and even a touch anxious over the sudden attention. If Lin had to guess, the Fire-type was already regretting her decision to try to help out. "She was coming in with an Altaria, and I didn't see her, and BAM! Door to the face. Do you think she's still mad at me? You're good at reading if Pokemon are aggressive, right?"

Adrian chuckled at his female companion's words. "Honestly, she looks harmless," he noted, shaking his head. "A bit nervous, but her fur isn't bristled, she's not growling, no display of teeth, and not spitting fire in our direction. I think you're safe. Aureia, do you mind exchanging a few words, just to be sure?"

The Vaporeon rolled her eyes, casting an indifferent look in Celes' direction.

"Uh...Vay-Ree-Por-On," Aureia stated blandly, carefully enunciating each syllable, then cocked her head inquisitively. "Por-Ree? Vay-On?"

"...what?" Celes asked, her brow furrowing in absolute confusion, and her brown eyes darting from side to side, as if this somehow would make it easier for her to process the nonsensical nature of what had just been said. Noblesse was looking amused, but putting impressive effort into hiding his laughter, probably to avoid Celes retracting her offer of providing heat if she thought she was being mocked.

"...you're literally just saying variations of 'Vaporeon' with different inflection again, aren't you?" Adrian asked, giving the Vaporeon a scolding look, but she merely tilted her nose away from him, her mermaid tail flicking with subtle enjoyment. Unable to hide his own amusement at his Pokemon's antics, Adrian shook his head. "I think you're fine, Rach."

"Offering me heat, my lovely stratus?" Noblesse asked, seemingly aware that the humans were unlikely to navigate the offer without a fellow Pokemon nudging one party along. "That's sweet of you."

Celes cast the Ampharos a withering look. "You still owe me information about the friend you told my brother to meet with," she reminded him crisply.

"That's true. I did not mean to cause you undue stress, little cirrus. I did not want to speak so plainly in front of Sorin at the time. I told Blaze to find Kuro, who could have set him up for the winter with the Violet City clan. However, I doubt he went, but revealing I knew that much might have tipped off Sorin that Kuro and I were in contact recently, and Kuro didn't want Kaito to know that."

"I'm right here, you know," Kaito noted, raising his paw to draw attention to his presence. The Togetic had been observing the exchange with mild interest, but increasing restlessness. Perhaps, like Lin, he was waiting for the humans to depart the area so that they could go on their way without any interference.

"I know. It was a moot point in the end, because I let slip Kuro's name in front of Sorin anyway, and our sparring match revealed my ace in the hole," Noblesse conceded with a sheepish shrug before refocusing on Celes. "So, about that warmth, how should we go about that? Hugging? Cuddling? Sit in my lap?"

"I could set your lap on fire," Celes retorted. The Ampharos winced.

"I'm open to alternatives," he said quickly. His trainer pressed one hand to her face and groaned audibly.

"Noblesse, please tell me you're not flirting with that Flareon," Rachel sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you are."

"To be fair, he is cold, so it'd be totally understandable to want to get as close to a heat source as possible," Adrian noted. He glanced down at the Vaporeon next to him, and then furrowed his brow, perplexed. "Aureia, you all right, girl?" he asked.

Lin looked over at the Vaporeon, and saw that the water Eeveelution had tensed up considerably, and was watching Noblesse and Celes with a wary expression. The Weavile frowned to herself thoughtfully, but was unable to recall when the Vaporeon's attitude might have shifted. With so many different people and Pokemon around her to keep track of, Aureia's overall passive behavior had gone unnoticed for the past few minutes.

"Hm, maybe we should get going," Adrian said, when Aureia gave no indication that she was going to respond to his concern. Rachel blinked, but gave a quick nod of agreement. Clearly, wherever the two humans were heading, coming upon Lin's spar with Noblesse was an unintended detour, and not part of the plan. Kaito reached over and lightly prodded Lin's shoulder, and when she glanced at him, he jerked his head back towards the house where they had been staying the past few days. Lin gave a small nod of acknowledgement and rose to her feet, flicking one end of the waterlogged scarf over her shoulder.

"Leaving?" Noblesse inquired, to which Lin replied again with a wordless nod. "Very well, have a good afternoon. Don't be a stranger!"

"Are you coming or lingering behind?" Lin asked, directing her question to Celes. The Flareon had supposedly been traveling with Sorin, and Cecilia had joined them for the trip to Ecruteak, but both of those two were at the house, and she had no idea what Celes' plan was now.

"I'll catch up," Celes answered blandly. "I just need to defrost him a little."

"I'll let Sorin know," Kaito remarked, and he gestured for Lin to follow him, leading the way back towards the main city. Lin followed at a slower pace, her mind beginning to retrace the memories of her sparring match, and the concerns that were still lingering in the back of her mind.

It had been so long since the last time Lin ever felt she had gotten too swept up in her primal instincts. Only through constant self-observation was she able to fully command the impulses and desires that existed within her after evolution. She was not normally one to worry about such things, even in retrospect of a close call, but she did have one very large, very valid concern.

What might have happened had Kaito not been there to startle her out of that mindset? Even if one made the argument that the humans' arrival would have physically prevented her from going overboard, there was no guarantee she would have been restrained peacefully. A Weavile's base instinct on being attacked was to fight back. It was only her calmer head that had allowed her to take being sniped and sat upon without resistance. And she was only calmer at the time because of Kaito.

Not the most reassuring of thoughts.


	75. Post-Spar Discussion

Neither Kaito nor Lin spoke for the duration of the walk back to the house. It wasn't a particularly far distance to go, but Lin appreciated the silence all the same. It gave her a little more time to mull over her performance in the spar, and she was sure that Kaito was likewise lost in thought, although for a different reason.

Part of her thoughts did want to focus upon Mega Evolution and what relevance it might have, but she didn't fully understand the concept, so there was little point in dwelling on those thoughts for long. Kaito probably knew a little more than she did, because wasn't that part of the reason they had come to Ecruteak in the first place? Kaito had recognized the symbol upon the stone they had retrieved from the Ruins, but couldn't recall the significance, and now they actually had something to work off of, so surely the Togetic would be able to narrow down the resources he had to reacquaint himself with.

Lin was momentarily startled from her thoughts when she realized that they had arrived back at the small house, and she followed Kaito inside, remembering to close the door behind her.

Sorin was presently nested upon the small sofa on one side of the room, preening his cloud-like wings, whereas Cecilia was pacing back and forth with obvious restlessness. Upon seeing that her comrades had returned, the Quilava perked up and bounded forward, her flame vents igniting for a split second in her enthusiasm.

"So, how'd it go?" Cecilia asked eagerly, her gaze focused on Lin, but occasionally glancing in Kaito's direction. Her expression faltered slightly when her question was met only with silence. "Um...that badly?" she asked, now looking nervous.

"Lin won," Kaito answered distractedly, but this seemed to only confuse the fire Pokemon further.

"And that's...a bad thing?" she wondered, and Lin realized, a moment too late, that her expression was ill-suited for someone returning victorious from a refreshing spar with a decent opponent.

"Ehh...it was a little intense," Kaito answered, now glancing towards Lin with a wary expression, as if he was afraid that saying too much would annoy the Weavile. Lin responded by rolling her eyes.

"I just have a few things to think about," she stated, internally wincing when she realized how clipped and annoyed her tone sounded. Cecilia blinked, now looking more concerned than ever.

"Is...everything okay?" she wondered, taking a cautious step closer to Lin, much how she often moved closer to Force or Iris whenever they were agitated and needed comfort, but much more cautious. Lin never was the type to appreciate affectionate contact, even among friends, and Cecilia knew that better than anyone.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Cece," Lin answered. "I'll work things out on my own for now." She flicked one end of her scarf, but the fabric fell short of being flipped over her shoulder, on account of the water making it more heavy than usual. Lin frowned to herself, casting a glance down at the water dripping from the blue material.

"Give it here, I'll help dry it," Cecilia offered with alarming enthusiasm. She even went as far as to take several steps closer and extend one of her paws towards the scarf, although Lin noted that Cecilia was wise enough to purposefully fall short by several inches. Even among friends, Lin did not like people grabbing or touching her scarf without consent. To her, it was on the same level of rudeness as grabbing her by the arm.

Lin narrowed her eyes suspiciously, an expression met by Cecilia widening her blue eyes innocently, the Quilava still reaching hopefully for the scarf. Very slowly, the Weavile began to unravel the soaked length of fabric, her eyes never leaving Cecilia's own.

"And you promise this isn't a ploy to insist on me sharing my personal concerns in exchange for my scarf's return?" Lin asked, barely speaking above a whisper.

"The thought did cross my mind," Cecilia admitted with a giggle. Lin paused and regarded the Quilava with a raised eyebrow, prompting Cecilia to hastily add, "But you said you'd work it out on your own, so I won't pressure you."

A peculiar expression crossed Lin's face at these words, for she distinctly remembered saying something very similar to Cecilia earlier that day, when the Quilava was hesitant to go into detail about the things that were troubling her. She had little doubt that Cecilia had phrased her statement specifically to reference the earlier conversation, but that was enough to remove her suspicion.

Without further hesitation, Lin finished unraveling the scarf, exposing the collar of red feathers that adorned her neck. For whatever reason, this action caused Cecilia's cheeks to flush slightly, as if she had walked in on the Weavile in some sort of compromising situation, but this reaction was thankfully brief. It wasn't even the first time Cecilia had seen Lin without her scarf, although such instances were incredibly rare. The same probably wasn't true for Kaito, and definitely not for Sorin, because Lin usually washed her scarf as part of her bathing routine, and Kaito was rarely ever traveling or visiting Ruin sites alongside Lin. Cecilia and Force were the more common examples, although Lin had noted that, despite Cecilia and Force having no reservations about bathing around one another (and an inclination to gleefully debates the etiquette of doing so), they seemed to follow an unspoken rule to give Lin's bathing rituals a lot more space than genuinely necessary.

"You're going to make a comment about the males seeing me naked, aren't you?" Lin deadpanned, the instant that Cecilia opened her mouth.

"...maybe?" Cecilia giggled, but she was grinning a little. Kaito stifled a snort of amusement with his paw, whereas Sorin seemed a cross of perplexed and uncomfortable. Lin rolled her eyes in amusement, and passed the scarf over to the Quilava.

"I'm a bit worn out right now, so I'm going to take a brief nap," Lin announced, stepping past Cecilia and heading towards one of the side rooms, which she had discovered previously, sheltered a guest room of some sort, with a relatively clean bed.

"Okay, uh...should I bring this to you when it's done, or wait for you to come get it?" Cecilia wondered, carefully placing the scarf over herself so that it would collect the heat of her flame vents without touching any fire directly.

"Hm...give me about an hour to come get it, otherwise bring it to me," Lin answered after brief consideration. With only a brief nod of acknowledgement to both Kaito and Sorin, Lin made her way out of the main hub room.

The guest room, as Lin personally decided to label it, was a small bedroom. Very little furniture was present here, apart from a small nightstand table on the far side next to a window, but it was bare of any sort of lamp or clock, unlike Kaito's study room. There was also a chest of drawers near the door, but Lin honestly didn't care enough to check whether there was anything in them, because the only article of clothing she cared even the slightest bit about was her personal scarf. The bed was surprisingly well-kept and tidy, leading Lin to muse again that the house probably had a cleaning service of some kind drop in on a routine basis, because there was simply no logical way that it could be left in this condition while it was unoccupied for unknown stretches of time.

Not that this really mattered. Any sort of vaguely soft and comfortable surface would do - Lin was not so pampered that she felt the need to sleep beneath the blankets or anything similar, so for all she cared, it could have been a blank cot and she'd have been satisfied.

* * *

Sleep came easier than Lin normally might have expected, with so much weighing on her mind, but perhaps she had not been too far off the mark when she had said she was worn out. Her body had taken a rather severe strain from the intensity of Noblesse's electricity and her own exertions, and taking a short nap was blissful relief.

Unfortunately, it still felt like only a few minutes had passed before she woke up. For a moment, Lin lay still, half hoping that sleep would reclaim her, but the subtle sound of movement nearby seized her focus. She sat up, her red eyes skimming the room before settling on the doorway, where Cecilia was standing, looking for a moment like a Stantler caught in headlights.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Cecilia asked sheepishly. "I was just checking to see if you were up, but you looked like you were still sleeping, so-"

"You're fine, Cece. Has it been an hour already?" Lin wondered, glancing towards the window, but the curtains hanging in front of it blocked any chance of judging the passing of time from the sunlight.

"A little longer than that, actually," Cecilia giggled, and she walked closer and hopped onto the bed beside Lin. With a bright smile, she held out Lin's now-dry scarf, which Lin accepted with a nod of thanks.

Lin was altogether unsurprised to note that the scarf was now pleasantly warm to the touch, but not hot, so Cecilia had clearly gone to great lengths to dry the scarf without applying too much heat to any one area of the material. Although naturally an Ice-type, Lin could not deny that cocooning oneself with warm silks or blankets on a winter evening was a pleasant experience, so draping the warm scarf around her neck again prompted her to emit a soft purr from the back of her throat, like a pampered kitten. Cecilia stifled a small giggle at the sound, but Lin wasn't bothered.

"So, how are you doing?" Cecilia asked, once Lin had finished adjusting her scarf to her satisfaction. The Weavile cast her friend the briefest of glances, a tiny frown creasing her muzzle.

"Well enough, I suppose," Lin answered, unable to fully hide the stiffness from her words. The nap had been a blessing for her physical well-being, but now that she was alert and conscious once more, her thoughts were quick to return to the events of the spar against Noblesse. It had been a thrilling battle, that much there was no use in denying. It was the type of battle that would have left her shaking with excitement, had it not been for the alarming mindset that had taken hold of her near the end of it.

"Okay, so um...I know I said I wouldn't pressure you..." Cecilia paused, watching the Weavile's reaction closely. Lin had no doubt that if she in any way indicated hostility towards the topic, the Quilava would immediately back off, but in truth, she didn't feel that strongly about Cecilia broaching the subject. Seeing that Lin's expression remained neutral, Cecilia continued, speaking with a little more confidence. "Is anything bothering you? I mean, even if you can work it out on your own, I...just want to let you know I'm willing to listen. You know, if you need me to."

"That's kind of you, Cece," Lin replied, examining the claws of her left paw idly, before allowing her gaze to meet Cecilia's eyes. "I naturally would have preferred to mull things over on my own, but it has occurred to me that it might be beneficial to take an opportunity to vent and share concerns."

"Should I be worried?" Cecilia wondered.

Lin smiled a little at that. "Hardly. If the matter was that dire, then I would not hesitate to bring it up, nor would I restrict my concerns to you alone. That said, I'd still rather limit the extent that others are privy to my personal concerns. Even so, that is not a necessity, merely a preference."

"Oh? Because I was just about to say, we can totally close the door if you want more privacy," Cecilia giggled, nodding her head towards the open door.

"Mm...I doubt that'll be necessary," Lin mused, regarding the Quilava with mild interest. "Has anything happened since I dozed off?"

"Not really. Sorin and Kaito talked quietly for a couple minutes, and then Sorin left to go check on Celes, but there was probably something else, too. Then Kaito went into his study room. Last I checked, he was rummaging through the books, but no clue what he's looking for."

"Hm...probably something about Mega Evolution, if I had to guess," Lin murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Cecilia gave her a bewildered look, the question in itself blatant just by her facial expression. "Oh, right. You recall the stone we retrieved from the Solaceon Ruins? The one we thought might have been a clue about Diablos, but no one seemed to know what it was?"

"Yeah...isn't that like...half the reason Kaito wanted to come here? To check for something about that?" Cecilia wondered. She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Dunno why he didn't like...bring it with him, though."

"I believe that it was to allow Diablos himself a chance to inspect the stone, but that's not important right now," Lin said, waving her paw impatiently. "During my spar with Noblesse, he achieved some sort of transformation state that he called 'Mega Evolution" or something like that, and it involved a gem-like stone with the same sigil as the one from the Ruins. Kaito and I both noticed, so I'm sure he's got a better idea of what resource he's looking for."

"Ooh! Now I kind of wish I had been there to see it, that sounds cool," Cecilia complained, but confusion flickered across her eyes a moment later. "I have never heard of that before, though."

"Likewise, but I suspect that Kaito has, because he's the only one of us that thought the sigil on the stone from the Ruins looked familiar. But as you can imagine, being familiar with dozens of different runic symbols leaves some holes. That's not really the main point here, though."

"Oh, right," Cecilia said, smiling sheepishly. "Um, but other than that, nothing's happened. Been quiet here. Been waiting for Sorin to get back, you to wake up, or Kaito to find something. So what's up?"

Lin was silent for a few moments, mulling over the best way to phrase her present thoughts and concerns. There was no easy way to go about this, either, because she wasn't entirely sure exactly WHAT was troubling her...or rather, WHY it bothered her so much. On the surface, the problem was simple - she had taken an unusual amount of pleasure from the battle against Noblesse, so much that it was close to being defined as a primal high. However, while she disliked this mindset on principle, it was something she already knew was perfectly normal for her species, and even Cecilia didn't know the details of Lin's background.

"Do you ever have times, Cece, when you've felt like you've been regressing?" Lin asked finally, again examining her claws, but focusing on her right paw this time. She was even consciously aware of the fact she was deliberately avoiding Cecilia's eyes when asking this question, but looking at Cecilia would just prompt her to subconsciously analyze how the Quilava was responding, and she didn't want to be distracted from her present thoughts and feelings.

"I...what?" Cecilia asked, her tone bewildered, and her blue eyes widening in confusion.

"Have you ever felt that you've overcome an obstacle in your life, only to find yourself being drawn back into the same pattern of thinking or behavior that you cast aside?"

Lin looked up at the Quilava, her expression stony. It wasn't that Cecilia's answer to this question was important, but rather she needed to communicate to her friend that the subject was to be taken completely seriously.

"Uh..." Cecilia's eyes darted about the room, as if some object nearby would provide her with the answer, but after several seconds, she just shook her head. "I don't think so," she admitted finally.

"That's fine. You do recall the day that Force and I came to fetch you, when we were en route to the Solaceon Ruins? On the way, I spoke to Force a bit about the thoughts and feelings that were haunting him at the time, and I let him inquire a bit about me."

Cecilia nodded slowly, but didn't say anything. Lin hid a smile. Cecilia was a surprisingly good listener when she needed to be. Although normally almost inappropriately cheerful and quick to rebound from foul moods, she still had a knack for knowing when her input was not necessary without risking the topic going off on a tangent.

Lin considered for a moment before continuing, "Force touched upon a subject I've never really touched upon with the rest of you. He noted that he's never seen me in battle. Have you ever wondered about that, Cece?"

"What, why we've never seen you battling?" Cecilia giggled. "Not really. I mean, you usually avoid picking fights, and usually break up hostilities before they get to that point, so I just always kind of figured you held battling to a higher standard. Like...you don't fight to solve petty quarrels, you know?"

"That's...definitely on-point," Lin agreed, a little taken aback by how accurate the statement was. "I do still train regularly, and spar semi-frequently, with restlessness being an unfortunate withdrawal symptom. But you've never wondered why you've never been given the opportunity to observe, nor why I do not accept sparring requests from any of you?"

"Oh. Well, I mean, maybe a little bit. I've sometimes wondered why you never offered to practice with me, at the very least," Cecilia admitted, although Lin detected a hint of hurt in the Quilava's voice. "I guess I've just been under the impression you're way stronger than the rest of us. I even thought it was weird that when you were restless today, you just asked me to help find an opponent, instead of asking me to spar with you."

"Hm, a reasonable assumption," Lin admitted. "As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I was raised up in the mountain peaks, and my pack was mercilessly competitive. As a result of this upbringing, I am much stronger than many would be prepared for, and my evolution remains proof of that."

"So, um...what does any of this have to do with your earlier spar?" Cecilia asked, frowning. "I'm sorry, I'm just...not getting your point yet."

"I'm rarely truly challenged by my opponents, Cece," Lin explained solemnly. There was no boasting in her voice, only the simple stating of a fact. "Sneasel thrive on competition to continue driving them to grow stronger. I'm no different in that regard. When faced with a challenging opponent, I can't help but get excited. My heart racing in my chest, blood pounding in my ears, the hundreds of mental calculations buzzing in my brain as I plot out the best strategy to outmaneuver my opponent...it's the best, Cece. The ultimate pleasure experience for me."

"So...is it that you don't spar with us because you get way too into it, and you're so strong that it's dangerous to fight with you?" Cecilia wondered, her eyes lighting up in understanding.

"Yes. It's unfortunately unavoidable, to be honest. If you're not on my level, then I'm holding back and not improving at all. If you rival me, I get over-enthusiastic. Sparring with other opponents allows me to more naturally feel out their skill level and adjust my strategies accordingly, because I don't already have a grasp of their level."

"Ooh...that make sense. So um...how did Noblesse fare?" Cecilia wondered.

Lin winced a little, but took a breath, gathering her resolve to explain the situation, "It was raining during our spar, and this provided me with a significant disadvantage. My senses were dampened, and Noblesse's electricity boosted in strength and accuracy. He was stronger than I anticipated, and the weather cemented the matter. Before long, I felt like I was being pushed into a corner...do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

"Uh...I'm guessing super-excited?" Cecilia answered.

"More excited than I've been in ages," Lin confirmed with a tiny smirk, basking in what residual emotion remained from the memory of the spar, and the moment when she realized that Noblesse was going to be a genuine challenge for her. "He was the first opponent since I evolved that I felt I might actually lose to. This has only happened once before...but ultimately, that's where the problem lies."

"What do you mean?" Cecilia asked blankly.

"Fighting against Noblesse reminded me of _him_ ," Lin murmured absently, and her eyes flicked up to meet Cecilia's perplexed gaze. "I speak of my pack often, but I've never told you why I left, correct?"

"Nope," Cecilia confirmed, after the briefest of pauses. Lin straightened up and adjusted her scarf, more as something to do than out of necessity. Her eyes were thoughtful and unfocused, but Cecilia waited patiently, making no attempt to prompt Lin into explaining herself.

"Battle was everything in my pack. It was the means to solve all conflicts, and enabled the acquiring of all basic needs. Disputes over food, shelter, and even mates could be settled through battle, and the best selection of our resources belonged to the ones with the skill and dedication to overcome all other competition. With such a competitive lifestyle, it was necessary for every Sneasel to constantly hone and test their skills, or risk being left at the bottom of the social chain," Lin said quietly. "It was a system of fairness. Contrary to stereotypes, pack members did not ever claim their defeated opponents as unwilling mates, although battling against a desired partner was still a means to impress them or secure some leverage in beginning a courtship. You know my stance on such things, so I initially trained primarily so that I'd never lose to any male, and therefore I alone would have the right to select my mate options."

"Right...but, um...you're asexual," Cecilia pointed out with a hint of embarrassment, her eyes darting towards the doorway as if afraid that she'd find a number of Pokemon eavesdropping just out of her line of sight. Lin rolled her eyes. This wasn't even technically a secret, as the Weavile tended to be very upfront about her disinterest in relationships. If anything, it'd be more accurate to say that she was both asexual and aromantic, but Lin sometimes felt that using both terms in conjunction didn't roll off the tongue as well as just using the one term to imply both sides of the coin.

"I didn't know that at the time; I thought I just had very high standards," Lin countered in a deadpan. "It wasn't until after my evolution that I started to recognize and solidify my viewpoint towards mates."

"Wait, did you evolve before or after leaving the pack?" Cecilia wondered, her eyes widening with interest.

"It's all kind of related," Lin said blandly.

"Will it help me understand why you're bothered about your spar with Noblesse?" Cecilia asked. "I mean, if you enjoy a challenging battle, and he was giving you one, and you actually won, I don't see what the problem is."

Lin heaved a small sigh. "He had earlier flirted with me and often used endearments when speaking to me. My mindset in battle is not as logical as when I am calm, least of all when I'm in such a primal state of excitement and battle lust. I know he was teasing me, but to act that way in battle, when I am blatantly uninterested in reciprocating, is patronizing and insulting. So when I got the upper hand, and my victory all but assured, I was compelled to keep attacking until my claws left a mark upon him. His skin resisted damage, and he was almost unable to retaliate, yet I didn't stop. I couldn't stop, because I was failing to leave a mark and would not be satisfied until I had. Kaito had to call me off."

Cecilia blinked, her mouth hanging open slightly, and Lin almost cringed upon seeing the expression. It brought back the feelings of guilt and disappointment in herself. It reminded her too much of her history with the Sneasel pack, and why she felt she had needed to leave entirely.

"It's all part of why I feel like I'm regressing a little. I thought I overcame this mindset when I left my pack," Lin stated morosely. "At the Ruins, when I battled Frost, I stopped myself from giving in to the mentality of disrespecting my opponents for my personal thrills. Perhaps I thought too highly of myself. I'm a Weavile, and one cannot escape their natural instincts so easily."

"You left your pack to get away from your species' mindset and instincts?" Cecilia asked, her forehead furrowed in confusion, although it was clear that the Quilava was doing her best to understand what Lin was saying.

"...in a sense, yes. The competitive nature of the pack and the constant battle to one-up each other, while fantastic for personal growth, lends itself to some uncomfortably predatory mindsets. I suppose I can give you the full explanation, if you want," Lin said.

"Sure, if you're okay with going into detail," Cecilia said, but it was clear from her face that she definitely was eager to hear more.

"It is a bit of a long story," Lin confessed, but Cecilia simply giggled and moved into a more comfortable position on the bed. "But I suppose there's nothing better to do at the moment," Lin conceded. "Very well, then. This was a bit over a year ago, before I met any of you..."


	76. Pack Recollections - Part 1

_February 12th - One Year Ago_

Despite the constant struggle to endure the harsh conditions, the snowy peaks of Mt. Coronet was one of the most visually breathtaking areas in all of Sinnoh, if not the entire world. Pure white snow blanketed the ground as far as the eye could see, and fresh snowflakes fell at a near-constant rate.

Adding to the tranquil beauty of the mountain was the way that the sunrise spread slowly over the body of the mountain before at last rising high enough to cast its rays over the inhabitants of the mountains. One could argue that the downside was that darkness dominated the morning and evening longer than it did for other areas of Sinnoh, but this was the complaints of a small minority. If even the snow-covered trees that dotted the mountain had adapted to the cycle of sun and snow, then other living creatures would have to make do if they wished to thrive up here.

Most of the Pokemon living in these harsh conditions had built their dens into small alcoves and caves all along the surface of the mountain, or had joined one of the many thriving communities within the labyrinthine passages that cut through the mountain. Those more susceptible to intense cold favored the enclosed spaces of dens, which yielded protection from the harshest winds, and a space to call their own.

A variety of different Pokemon made their homes here. From the peculiarly plant-like Snover, to the intensely trained Meditite, whose lifestyle revolved around enduring the most difficult conditions to hone their focus, both physical and mental. Humans passed through the area semi-regularly, risking life and limb in the hopes that the journey would strengthen them and their team of Pokemon. It was likewise common for some of the resident Pokemon to test their mettle against such nomadic trainers, eager to see if their personal training routines exceeded the methods of a human youth, and some sought out trainers as a means to advance beyond their current level, by impressing the trainer enough to be accepted into the team.

Such was the normal cycle up here, to the point where many of the packs and clans living on the mountain accepted and acknowledged the role of traveling human trainers in the mountain's natural pecking order. To engage a trainer for the challenge, or in the hopes of being taken in, was perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged for those who wanted to improve themselves, and it was theorized by some that if not for the humans gradually thinning the numbers of wild Pokemon, all the prey species would be in danger of being outright over-hunted by local predators, and that the predator packs would eventually turn upon one another and destroy the entire ecosystem of the mountain, making such a beautiful place little more than an arctic wasteland, devoid of all but a scarce few species.

For this reason, and from fear of escalating conflict if humans noticed members of their kind disappearing in the mountains, the packs had established an explicit law forbidding any resident Pokemon from engaging trainers with the intent of maiming or killing the traveler, and that if the trainer was defeated in battle, then the triumphant Pokemon was to allow the human to flee without pursuit. This rule eventually evolved into "allow them to flee without pursuit if the human drops something shiny or interesting, because trophies".

Having a personal den as a place to store one's trophies became something of a status symbol among the mountain's primary Sneasel pack, and could have led to the mass eviction of many other den-owning local Pokemon, but the pack alpha had put his foot down on the matter, and strictly restricted the number of private dens that could be owned by members of the pack, citing it as another potential resource for the pack members to wager in battles with one another.

With that in mind, only two pack members had the distinction of retaining their den for longer than a year. The first was the pack alpha himself, and even that one-year mark was a recent milestone. And the second was the current record-holder, a female Sneasel by the name of Lin.

By the standards of the rest of the pack, Lin's den wasn't really that special, other than its infamous status. It was smaller than the other available ones, and located closer to the outskirts of the pack's territory, giving it an uncomfortably isolated feel. It remained the subject of some speculation, because it seemed that no other Sneasel, male or female, could say with any degree of certainty what sort of trophies Lin might have stashed there, and no one was planning to enter the den without permission to find out, because once word got out what WAS in the den, the rumors would quickly be traced back to them, and retaliation was sure to follow. General consensus among the male population was that successfully wooing Lin was more appealing than claiming the den, and would probably come with some level of access permission, killing two Starly with one Ice Shard.

Unfortunately, this still left them with the hurdle of actually defeating Lin in an official battle, ideally with a witness, or managing to court her by their own merits, and realistically, neither was happening anytime soon. That's not to say that no one was making an effort, though.

On this particular February evening, the sky overhead was covered with a blanket of gray cloud, and the air was sparkling with glistening white snowflakes. It was nearly impossible to judge the sun's position in the sky, but there was enough light to safely navigate, while still being aware that it was descending from its peak.

The cave den was partially hidden from view, in the side of a cliff wall, and its placement almost ensured that one's gaze tended to drift right over the alcove entrance to the wall on the opposite side. It was only with foreknowledge of its existence, or luck, that allowed others to find it.

Unless they were there for a really good reason, most of the pack members avoided the area entirely. It was simply too far away from the rest of the Sneasel territory, and Lin was sure to confront them over the fact if they were too close to her den, and without a good reason for being there, she would consider it trespassing. Most Sneasel were quick to defend their dens from trespassers, so this wasn't really unusual behavior, considering how valuable the dens were, and the likely value of the trophies inside.

A sleek quadrupedal figure made its way towards the semi-hidden cave, its demeanor purposeful, in itself indicating foreknowledge of the cave's location. Its body was covered in light blue fur that was frozen into icy needles, and its face was framed by two dangling flaps of fur, with ends that trailed through the thick snow. The Glaceon paused by the entrance, silently taking note of the distinct mark on the stone wall that indicated the current owner, before walking inside.

The interior of the cave was nearly pitch-black, and the Glaceon hesitated, squinting through the darkness before tentatively taking another few steps. Within seconds, he felt his paw land on a loose piece of ice, crushing it underfoot with a barely-audible crunching sound. He immediately ducked his body as low to the cave floor as he could, just in time for something to flit past his left ear and strike the rock wall beside him. Had he not ducked when he had, the projectile might have skewered his ear instead.

"...you're an idiot, Frost."

The female voice of a weary Sneasel was nevertheless music to the Glaceon's ears, if only because she had identified him by name, informing him that he had been recognized and would probably not be attacked again.

"You told me to stop by in the evening," Frost replied, his tail flicking cheerfully as he rose up and settled himself into a sitting position. "It's the evening, so here I am."

"Frost, I recognize your enthusiasm lends you the unfortunate side effect of questionable decision making, but surely your parents have an objection to you visiting a female Sneasel at her den this sinfully early in the evening," Lin sighed.

"No, my dad says I'm not getting scratched up enough to question it," Frost replied idly, and then he blinked. "Questionable? How? You told me to come to your den."

"I don't recall telling you to enter my den without confirming that I'm awake. I said 'evening' because I'm nocturnal," the Sneasel sighed. "And you seriously just waltzed right in like you live here."

The Glaceon frowned, his expression shifting to genuine uncertainty. "Is that a faux pas? I've been in here before..."

The Sneasel groaned and pressed her paw to her face. "I was awake the other times you've been in here. Here's an idea - don't walk into a female's den unannounced."

"Duly noted," Frost replied, and Lin squinted through the darkness, focusing upon her protege's face. He certainly seemed sincere, even if his tone didn't fully match the words. After a moment, she shook her head and climbed to her feet, brushing one end of the long trailing scarf away from her legs.

"Whatever, let's move on," Lin stated in a vaguely clipped tone. She would have preferred to sleep a little longer, but Frost's enthusiasm for training and such was second to none. Even other Sneasel in her pack didn't have the same sort of drive that the young Glaceon possessed. She had known him for a little over a year now, when he was still an Eevee. Normally, one might think that a stereotypical prey Pokemon would avoid a huntress like the plague, but from their conversations, Lin had quickly determined that Frost's parents, both of which were Eevee that somehow had adapted perfectly well to the harsh mountain weather, were in good standing with the pack.

Over the course of the last several years, the pack had expanded its influence over a sizeable area of the mountain, offering the local Pokemon support, and the other factions the metaphorical olive branch in the hopes of forging a mutual alliance. Seeing as predator-prey relationships still existed, the initial efforts was understandably met with suspicion and skepticism, with some Pokemon believing that they were being blackmailed into an arrangement where they were expected to support their predators, and that refusal would result in being prioritized when the dinner bell rang, and that even if they agreed, they'd inevitably end up hunted if they no longer held value to the Sneasel society.

Even outside of prey species, many of the mountain inhabitants wondered if the whole thing was just a ploy for the scrappy pack to seize more control and territory, either by making the prey species so nervous that they left the mountain entirely, or by getting in close with other packs and clans before turning on them. There was a reason the network creation and expansion took several years to get anywhere. Sinnoh had been plagued by a large number of clan conflicts in recent times, and so everyone was wary of the intentions of their neighbors. Some feared that it would be another many years before true harmony was reached again.

Perhaps Frost's parents had been early subscribers to the arrangement, or maybe they had other connections. Regardless of the reasoning, the understanding was that Frost's family was granted immunity from local predators, although Lin expected that if a pair of Eevee had managed to thrive in the hostile conditions of the mountain, they were tough enough that any connections with the Sneasel pack was formality, not necessity.

Not that this would necessarily give Frost immunity from receiving injuries if he pissed off a pack member, but he would certainly not be hunted as prey. Despite this, Lin still insisted that he not tangle with other Sneasel. He was fascinated by the culture, but Lin didn't yet consider him competent enough in their social etiquette to not endanger himself by saying or doing something stupid. The fact he waltzed into her den was an unpleasant reminder that he really didn't grasp something this basic about her species.

"I believe you planned to show me a more advanced ice technique," Frost said, his tail flicking eagerly, and his black eyes shimmered with unrestrained enthusiasm. Lin strode past him, leading the way back to the den's entrance. Frost cast the trailing scarf a curious glance, but made no comment.

"Correct," Lin agreed, gesturing for him to walk in front of her. The Glaceon hesitated, but complied without objection. The Sneasel's red eyes scanned the surrounding area. "You've shown promise in regards to controlling environmental temperatures, and that will be crucial for this technique. I will warn you, however, that it is an extremely taxing ability, and you will likely not manage it for your first many attempts."

"Challenge accepted," Frost answered with a grin. Lin hid a smirk, before allowing her expression to become neutral once more. At her word, Frost stopped and turned to face her, watching her from across the small snowy field.

"The official name for this technique is Blizzard," Lin stated idly, adjusting her scarf so that both ends were trailing behind her shoulders. She intended to demonstrate the ability, and having her scarf whipped around from the intense winds would be distracting and counterproductive. "In terms of utilizing the ability, you will find it similar to your Icy Wind technique that you learned early on in our lessons."

"So it's Icy Wind with more firepower?" Frost guessed. Lin snapped her claws impatiently, and the Glaceon blinked.

"Horrible way of thinking of it. I want the notion of some techniques simply being 'more firepower' than a more basic technique to be expelled from your mindset," she said crisply. "You can always make a technique stronger once you have more practice or energy within you. True growth of one's skills focuses on finesse and control, not power."

"Is that not how one is considered stronger?" Frost asked blankly, and Lin fought the urge to scowl.

"There are multiple facets to strength," Lin explained calmly. "There is the most basic, being raw firepower. Overwhelming force to achieve victory is the weakest form of strength, because the cost of this power is that it is draining for your body, and often slow, allowing it to be outmaneuvered. That is what techniques like Hyper Beam embody. Pure power, but exhausting. If you rely on Hyper Beam to win battles, you will ultimately find yourself losing if your opponent is able to endure or dodge."

"But using exclusively weaker attacks isn't going to win me anything, either," Frost argued. "Poking someone into submission isn't a reliable tactic, either."

"You're ignoring my point to argue against the opposite extreme," Lin murmured, but she was smiling faintly. It was sometimes entertaining for the young Glaceon to get into debates with her over the merits of one thing or another. Their battle styles were quite different for the most part, so it was natural for him to not fully comprehend both angles. "When you have fully mastered a technique, you will be able to use it more quickly, with less focus, and ultimately, less strain on your body and mind. Control over your abilities is key to becoming stronger. If you can't control your power, then greater firepower techniques become dangerous."

Frost frowned a little. "Then...are you sure I should even be learning this yet?" he wondered.

"I will teach it to you, but you would be wise to continue training in your level of control before depending upon it in actual battle," Lin answered smoothly. "You have great potential, and with time, I hope you'll demonstrate that my faith was well-placed."

These words had a profound effect on the Glaceon. His eyes lit up and any uncertainty remaining melted faster than snowflakes exposed to a Fire Blast. He nodded to Lin eagerly, prompting her to resume the lesson.

"First and foremost, to use Blizzard effectively, one must have full control of the air temperature. The warmer the surrounding air, the more energy you will have to produce to obtain the full effect," Lin explained. This was little different from any other ice technique that she had shown him, but it was always best to touch upon previously learned skills before advancing. After all, one cannot learn to run before they learn to walk.

Frost nodded, but Lin noticed that his eyes flicked towards something past her, and her ears swiftly caught the sound of snow crunching underfoot. Even without turning around, she could tell that the approaching figure was making no attempt to be stealthy, so she was not personally concerned about it.

"Pardon my interruption," a male voice spoke, and Lin rolled her eyes, reluctantly turning her attention away from Frost and towards the new arrival. To add fuel to her reluctance, she found that the speaker was a vaguely familiar male Sneasel, doubtlessly one from the main pack, as he carried the familiar scent of other members of the pack.

"That'll depend on why you're here," Lin retorted crisply, her red eyes gazing intensely at the male Sneasel, searching his expression and demeanor for any tell-tale signs of his visit's purpose. He so far lacked the usual mannerisms of a male hoping to court her or challenge her to a battle, but he could just be better at hiding those signs.

"Ah, well...I was sent to find you," the male explained, casting an uncomfortable glance in Frost's direction, as if the Glaceon's presence somehow complicated things.

"Sent?" Lin scoffed skeptically.

"Master Vile wishes to compare your claws," the male Sneasel said importantly. The skeptical look on Lin's face vanished, her eyes widening in alarm. "When the summit beckons the moon twice."

"You don't say?" Lin mused, casting her gaze towards the sky, tracing a path to one of the highest peaks of the mountain. "Very well, be on your way."

The male Sneasel hesitated. "You...did understand, right?"

"I said 'very well'," Lin repeated coolly and she gestured to the side, the same motion one would use to escort a guest back to the door. The Sneasel nodded quickly and retreated the way he had came. Lin waited until he was fully out of sight before turning her attention back to Frost, who was understandably looking perplexed by the enigmatic exchange.

"What was that about?" the Glaceon inquired.

"Del wants to challenge me, it seems," Lin answered, adopting an unconcerned, even nonchalant tone as she spoke, if only to hide her growing feeling of anticipation and anxiety. Frost scrunched up his face in confusion, the question clear from his expression. "Our pack's current alpha," Lin explained, examining her claws idly.

"So...why was the message so weird?" Frost asked.

"Messages from the alpha are always delivered in an obscure manner if an unrelated party is present. Serves a bit as a playful battle of wits, as well," Lin answered with a shrug. "Masking the meaning behind cryptic clues is harder than you might think, because the recipient has to still be able to make sense of it, and if they can't, you've failed as a message-bearer."

"That seems kind of pointless," Frost noted.

"It's not like Del tells us to deliver messages like that. It's just another facet of how our pack constantly strives to one-up each other," Lin explained, managing a wry smirk. "I'm not expected until tomorrow night, so let's continue our lesson at hand, all right?"

* * *

The following night arrived more quickly than Lin would have liked, although on the other paw, this was a blessing, for it meant that she was forced to stew in her anxiety for a shorter amount of time.

Although she had chosen not to explain the reasoning to Frost, she knew full well what this was all about. Every so often, the pack alpha held a public exhibition match against one opponent of his (or her) choice. This was usually a reminder to the rest of the pack just how skilled and powerful the alpha was, to give them a level to aspire to, and to curb the egos of the stronger pack members that were starting to get a bit cocky and unruly.

In many cases, the alpha selected the pack member that was currently viewed as the strongest, because like any other member of the pack, the alpha sought the most exciting opponent. Battle was the lifeblood of the clan, and no matter who the opponent was, throwing the match was the ultimate cowardice. Opponents were not chosen just to lose, and the results were not fixed. Holding the battle in front of the entire pack meant that the loser would have their pride demolished in front of a large number of rivals. No self-respecting Sneasel would dare throw a match against the alpha. Being chosen was acknowledgement of one's skills, and while defeat was hardly desirable, losing honorably and putting up a great fight would preserve more of one's reputation than a shutout.

As Lin made her way along the snowy path leading to the mountainside arena, her mind buzzed with unspoken fears and anxiety. Try as she might to remain calm and look forward to the match, her confidence was wavering. Del was the only Weavile member of the pack, and that would grant him an overwhelming advantage, such that even she would be hard-pressed to compensate for. One did not manage to evolve and become the pack alpha without being exceptionally strong by their own merits.

As she drew closer to her destination, she could make out the sounds of excited chattering among a large group of Sneasel, and it was clear that she had been spotted from a distance, because the chattering grew louder until it had risen to almost a deafening roar. Yet as she climbed the final hurdle of rock and snow, the din calmed into an almost reverent hush.

As expected, there was a large number of Sneasel waiting eagerly for her arrival, some of them nudging the Sneasel standing next to them in order to point her out, although the flowing blue scarf trailing at her sides was more than sufficient to identify her. Lin's eyes scanned the area, noting the enormous expanse of empty space before her, and on the opposite side of the mountain peak, she saw a second gathering of Sneasel huddled around a lone Weavile.

The Weavile was seated upon a large boulder, waiting calmly, his eyes closed as if sleeping. Like all Weavile, his head was adorned with a large crown of feathers, in sharp contrast to the single feather upon all the Sneasel around them. Three viciously sharp claws protruded from each of his paws, again in contrast to the mere two of its unevolved kin. Everything about the Weavile radiated with power, confidence, and skill. The mere sight of the clan alpha made Lin's legs feel shakier, with the knowledge that he was to be her next opponent, and in front of what seemed to be the entire pack. She was never one to be this anxious and uncertain, but something about the Weavile always made her feel that way. It was the ultimate vibe of intimidation.

As one of the nearest Sneasel moved in to say something to the alpha, Del's eyes opened and he raised a paw to politely signal for the Sneasel to cease speaking. His red eyes fixed upon Lin with soft intensity, observing her passively. As the two made eye contact, Lin felt her body shudder involuntarily, uncertainty gripping her heart with its icy talons.

"Lin," Del stated quietly, his voice carrying easily across the arena.

"Delta," Lin replied curtly, but made a point of bowing her head slightly as an expression of respect. Del's eyes flashed in amusement at the Sneasel's use of his full name, but he made no comment, even though several of the other Sneasel around them fidgeted anxiously, as if Lin had just made a bold insult.

"Do you plan on wearing that for the battle?" Del asked, gesturing towards the Sneasel's scarf, tracing its shape in the air with his claws, as a reminder of just how long it was compared to the rest of her body.

"Yes," Lin replied stiffly, already taking a moment to verify the loop that held it in place around her neck.

"Forgive my rudeness in asking," Del said, sliding off the rock he was perched upon, and making his way casually across the arena. "How did you acquire that scarf?"

Lin hesitated, and narrowed her eyes at the opposing Weavile. It was not a rude question in itself, and while others had asked about her insistence on wearing it, the statements were usually made in a critical or insulting manner that didn't focus on where she got it, but more on why she had it at all.

Del showed no reaction to her suspicious look, and merely waited politely for her to respond. Even the other Sneasel around them were looking at one another curiously, as if for the first time in their lives, someone had brought an interesting bit of trivia to their attention. There was little chance of Lin being able to deflect the question in front of this many Pokemon, least of all when questioned directly by the pack alpha.

"I won it," Lin said finally. "From a human trainer a few years ago."

"Ah, and you took that as your trophy?" Del asked, sounding mildly amused. Lin gave a curt nod. "An impressive feat, at such a young age. You would have been roughly two or three years old. May I trouble you to ask what the trainer's team had included?"

Lin suppressed a slight scowl. "Eevee, Kadabra, and Scyther," she said bluntly. This earned her an utterly baffled look from not only Del, but many of the other Sneasel all around them. Lin knew full well what about her answer had prompted this reaction - simply put, none of those Pokemon were commonly seen at all, least of all utilized by a trainer this far into the icy mountains.

"Was...that the trainer's entire team?" Del asked, bemused.

"No," Lin admitted grudgingly. On the contrary, even she had gotten the impression that the trainer had been holding back his best Pokemon, because after she had beaten the third Pokemon, the trainer had considered Lin thoughtfully before signaling that he was conceding the match to her, and made his way back the way he had come. At the time, Lin had suspected that the human was far too smart to leave himself completely undefended up in the mountains, and that if she had continued attacking, he would have called upon another Pokemon to defend himself, and it would not have fared well for the young Sneasel. The Pokemon he had used were probably ones that needed the most training to endure the harsher conditions.

"Fair enough. An impressive feat all the same. Shall we go over the rules of our battle?" Del asked, his mouth widening into a grin.

"Standard exhibition match, I imagine," Lin cut in, but Del shook his head and waggled a claw at her disapprovingly.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Lin. We have an audience that may need to be reminded of things. Consider it a formality."

Another Sneasel stepped out from the crowd and approached the center of the arena, waving its claws in the air to draw the attention of the onlookers onto him instead.

"Attention, please!" the Sneasel announced, its voice so loud that it easily carried throughout the arena and into the crowd of excited Sneasel. A hush fell over the onlookers, probably more due to the icy stare of the alpha gazing around more so than the speaker. Lin willfully toned out the majority of the following speech, placing her focus instead on Del, already searching him for signs of weaknesses that could be exploited in battle. He stood with impressive ease, not even a hint of fear or uncertainty buried within his sharp red eyes.

The Weavile snapped his claws abruptly, and Lin flinched, before realizing she had missed her cue. The grandstanding Sneasel was introducing the combatants to the crowd, but Lin simply waved her paw curtly, indifferent to the belated response. There was an awkward pause, before the ceremony continued.

"The current alpha, the illustrious Del!"

At his name's mention, Del lazily raised a paw in acknowledgement, amid the eager cheers of male and female Sneasel alike. In a way, Lin resented the alpha's popularity. One would think, that in such a competitive society, the one on the top would merely serve as a figure to eventually topple in battle, but that wasn't really how Sneasel society operated. The alpha was more than just the strongest battler, or the craftiest strategist. He was a figure to admire and fear equally, maintaining order within and outside the pack. Then again, one's days would be numbered if they were genuinely loathed. No matter how strong Del was, the entire pack as a whole could beat him with sheer numbers. Del was not stupid or egotistical. He was smart, and polite, but firm.

By contrast, Lin's curt indifference to the attention of potential suitors and opponents alike made her something of an outcast. She was attractive and strong, and this set her on a pedestal above much of the rest of the pack, but she knew with certainty that the pack members did not view her as a 'friend'. They had no reason to hate her, but no reason to love her, either. She was reliable as a supporter to the clan, but little more than that.

Del undoubtedly would have known that, and that's why this exhibition match had such a huge turnout crowd. Lin's reputation set her apart as a challenger who could legitimately win, and everyone was eager to see a match where the alpha could theoretically lose. Adding to that, there were undoubtedly many of Lin's past opponents that would love to see her lose this match, as proof that she wasn't as untouchable as they felt she was.

"Rules! No onlooker may interfere with this battle, no matter what occurs!" the Sneasel continued, producing a tablet of stone that served as the rules document.

Lin snorted. That rule had first been enacted because these sort of matches used to be the equivalent of death battles to solve disputes between potential alphas. Once the society evolved from such a primal state many decades ago, the rule existed now for the sake of common sense rules.

"Rule Two! The challenger is to be provided with a Razor Claw pendant, which will be revoked if defeated."

At these words, Lin's ears perked up, and Del smirked. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a small object across the arena, allowing it to strike the snow at Lin's feet. The Sneasel hesitated for a moment, before bending to pick it up. The 'pendant' was little more than a sharpened, talon-like claw, visually looking like a stone fragment, with a long string affixed to it, like the bauble at the end of a piece of jewelry. Lin carefully placed the pendant around her neck, and the claw tapped against her chest.

This was a constant tradition for these exhibition matches. Defeating the alpha meant that one would almost certainly evolve from the experience, and truly become a peer to the alpha. It did not automatically promote them to the alpha rank, although this often happened. It was ultimately symbolic - you stood to gain respect, power, and evolution. But losing had the symbol literally ripped away from you. It was the most crushing blow to one's ego, adding insult to literal injury.

"Lastly, the victor, as per the pack's custom, may claim one thing of value belonging to the defeated, or make a request to be honored by the loser; the normal exceptions apply."

Lin rolled her eyes. This rule was simply setting in stone how the clan operated. It was also a reminder that even the alpha himself was not allowed to claim Lin as a mate if she did not reciprocate his interest, although he could make the request for her to join him on several 'dates' that would drastically up his chances of wooing her if she was simply skeptical.

One could question why Lin was automatically assuming that Del wanted to court her. After all, he was a very popular and powerful male Weavile, and the alpha of the pack. He was the type of mate that any female would be happy to have a shot at. That's why it bothered her so much.

Lin had focused much of her training so that she would be able to select her mate options by her own standards. Thus far, all her male opponents had failed to catch her eye, but she had never before considered the alpha as an option. Surely the strongest member of the pack would have some appeal to her? But even if he was interested, just how much would it damage her pride to lose in battle to a male that theoretically DID catch her eye? It seemed so wrong to her.

Lin shook herself quickly. That was a bridge to cross when she got there. Yet as she gazed across the arena towards the opposing Weavile, uncertainty continued to clutch at her heart. For the first time in what felt like years, she truly felt that she had no chance to win this fight.


	77. Pack Recollections - Part 2

**Not going to lie - this was probably THE hardest chapter for me to write, considering it went through like seven complete rewrites.**

 **Hope everyone had a good holiday, and has a good New Year!**

* * *

Now that the formalities had concluded, the excitement of the onlookers was gradually reaching its peak. The Sneasel that had held the honor of reading out the battle rules returned to the sidelines, joining the rest of the pack in watching the combatants.

Lin's eyes swept the crowd, and she clenched a fist tightly, imagining that her fears and anxieties were being crushed within the palm of her paw. Showing such fear would not help her in this battle, and would likely only delight the Sneasel she had bested in the past. There was little doubt that several of the onlookers had made private wagers with one another over the outcome, either in the eagerness that she'd be defeated, or with the faith that she could possibly overcome Del. It was hard to guess which reason was more likely.

Del stood across the arena from her, his stance relaxed and his eyes fixed upon her. Lin returned his gaze, her expression serious. Thinking of Del as an opponent she couldn't overcome was only going to solidify that impression in her mind. Thinking of him as the pack alpha was not going to help her. He definitely held all the advantages in this battle, being the evolved form of her own species, but the Razor Claw pendant hanging from her neck was symbolic that she had been considered worthy of evolution, and only needed to prove herself in one final test.

Lin smiled faintly. That seemed like the ideal way of considering the match. Del was just another obstacle, and if she succeeded in overcoming it, then she would truly be his peer. Even if she thought she could not win, victory on its own was not necessary. She just needed to do her best and, win or lose, she wouldn't back down from this match.

"Are you ready, Lin?" Del inquired politely and Lin nodded. Del clicked his tongue and fixed her with a meaningful look.

The Sneasel winced, realizing that she had fumbled the question. "I'm ready," she answered aloud, relaxing her fists. Proper battle etiquette required her to answer the question with words, and not just gestures.

"Wonderful. I've been looking forward to this," Del told her with a grin, his body practically shaking with excitement. Lin blinked, but did not answer. The idea that the pack alpha had wanted to challenge her for an unknown length of time was oddly flattering, and made her question her initial impression that Del had chosen her on a whim, or simply to knock her down a peg. Thus far, he had shown her nothing but sincere respect, a far cry from what she might have expected from other members of the pack eager to try to one-up her.

Del waited another moment before slowly, and purposefully, raising his paw over his head, and he snapped his claws loudly. An excited murmur rose up from the onlookers, and Lin herself felt a shudder of anticipation race through her body.

Before the Sneasel could even assess the best course of action, Del closed the gap between them, moving so quickly it seemed almost as if he had teleported. Lin barely had time to raise her guard before Del struck at her with his claws, directing each blow at a different area of her body. The first strike was easy to deflect, but the second was aimed at her left leg, prompting her to hastily retreat a pace. Over and over, Del struck at Lin, and for every blow that Lin blocked, she felt a spasm of pain shoot through her arm.

As she expected, Del was far stronger than she was. Even defending against his blows would take a toll on her body, and he was faster, with greater range. At this rate, she would definitely be taken out before getting a chance to fight back. In that case...

Lin exhaled forcefully, and a gale of icy wind billowed forth, buffeting Del directly in the face. His eyes closed for an instant, and Lin drove her shoulder into the Weavile's gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. The Weavile's arm shot out and seized Lin's scarf, and he yanked the fabric sideways.

The scarf constricted ever so slightly around Lin's neck before the loop came free, and the scarf was pulled from her shoulders. The Sneasel gasped, instinctively clutching at her neck, before a shudder of anger passed through her body instead. Del's eyes had been closed, so he probably hadn't intended to catch her scarf, as opposed to her arm or maybe her shoulder, so there didn't appear to be any malice behind his assault, and even by grabbing the scarf, he had succeeded in pulling her off-balance and preventing her from capitalizing on his momentary vulnerability.

However, something about the sequence of events aggravated her. Had she not adjusted the scarf's loop before the battle, she might have gotten choked by the scarf, and while this point had come up in numerous past battles, no one had ever successfully used her scarf against her to any significant degree. For Del to be the closest to succeed, and in front of the entire pack, only served to highlight that Lin's choice to wear her scarf in battle was a potential weakness, albeit one that couldn't pose a significant threat to her.

The Weavile blinked at the scarf in his paw, and then tossed it to the side, out of their way. Lin slashed her claws towards him, but Del stepped backwards, her claws missing by a fraction of an inch. Lin swiftly followed with a jab aimed at his stomach, only for Del to slap her arm downwards and deliver a sharp jab of his own into her shoulder. Lin recoiled with a hiss of pain, but even without checking to confirm, she could tell the wound had been minor, barely even enough to draw blood.

Del's eyes glinted with excitement, and he stepped backwards, mirroring her own movements. They both stood still for a moment, just watching one another. One would almost be able to see the wheels turning in both of their minds, working out a plan of how to overcome the other. Del had the advantage of his evolved form, but Lin was known to be resourceful and determined, even when outmatched.

The Sneasel was practically shaking with excitement, her heart pounding in her chest. In spite of the disadvantages presented to her, she had no intention of backing down. Del was faster, but there was a way to compensate for the difference in speed. Lin's mouth curled into a grin, and she kicked off the ground, like a track runner bolting at the sound of the starter gun. Del instinctively stabbed his claws towards her, but Lin shifted direction, darting past Del on his right side. The Weavile swiveled, attempting to keep his eyes on her movements, a feat that became more difficult as Lin began to pick up speed.

Agility was a rather common technique available to the pack members, and a very useful tactic when hunting prey. The common target was easily disoriented by the movements almost too fast to follow, and many Sneasel incorporated this idea in battles. A disoriented opponent could be taken down just as easily as prey, and it was an amusing way to toy with an opponent a little longer if that was the desired aim. When one was that rattled by bursts of movement and sudden jabs, their performance suffered to the point they resembled a drunken boxer, swiveling and swaying, while making desperate flailing motions in a vain hope of actually hitting something.

Lin personally disliked the way the technique was usually abused among a number of her peers, but she was not going to let herself slack off when it came to mastering it, when so many of her rivals would gladly take advantage of the technique's utility both in and out of battle. This match against Del was already proof that there were times and situations that warranted the use of Agility, not as a tool for mockery, but simply to compensate for a disadvantage in speed.

Sure enough, Lin spotted the knowing glint in Del's eye, and the yellow, oval shaped marking on his forehead seemed to glow briefly in the moonlight. In the time it took Lin to wonder what was about to happen, Del was moving again, directly towards her.

Lin gasped in disbelief as the Weavile pounced, drawing back his fist and driving it against her chest with enough force to hurl her backwards. Her body tumbled across the rocky ground of the arena, and she could hear the onlookers crying out in a mixture of surprise and delight. Lin pushed herself back up, and applied another burst of speed before charging back towards Del.

To her astonishment, Del side-stepped her with ease, pivoting on one foot and delivering a forceful kick to her side. Pain erupted from her ribs, and she again found herself tumbling across the ground. Earlier in the match, Del had definitely been faster than her by a considerable margin, but now...even after she had used Agility to try to match or even surpass him, he was somehow faster in comparison than when they started.

Lin growled, struggling a little more to push herself back up, but she still managed to stand in the end. Her body had collected a number of scrapes and scratches from her second painful tumble across the rocks, but her adrenaline was pumping more intensely, supplying her body with energy and battle lust like nothing else.

Del was watching her with interest, making no attempt to prevent her from getting up, but there was no guarantee that he'd stand idle for long. His amused expression made Lin's blood boil, but she knew that getting too close, or too recklessly, would only result in her being flattened again.

Lin brought her paws closer together, forming a growing sphere of purple energy between her paws. She seized the sphere in her right paw and hurled it towards the Weavile's legs. As expected, Del jumped, gaining enough height to pass over the Shadow Ball entirely.

Lin made a quick mental calculation before launching a second Shadow Ball in the Weavile's direction. Del seemed to have anticipated this, because black energy coursed through his claws moments before he swiped at the ghostly sphere, reflecting it right back at her with even greater momentum than it had originally.

Lin kicked off the ground herself, and swiped her claws horizontally, each razor-sharp digit glowing with a vibrant, pale-blue light. The space her claws passed through seemed to shimmer momentarily, like the inverse of heat rising from a warm surface, and when Lin's feet landed upon the affected air space, she used every ounce of her agility to jump again, angling herself away from the incoming Shadow Ball.

Del blinked incredulously, so baffled by the maneuver that he made no attempt to intercept Lin while she in mid-air. For that matter, he didn't move at all until Lin was back on the ground. When he did move, it was to gesture blankly between Lin and the empty space where she had carved out her temporary platform.

"How did you even do that?" he demanded.

"I rapidly chill the air with freezing claws," Lin answered dully. "It makes the air heavier and more dense, just long enough to make contact with it."

"...how did you even discover you could do that?" Del mused, but when she opened her mouth to respond, he waved it off. "Never mind right now. How interesting...this battle is everything I hoped for, so from here on, I'll go all out, Lin."

The Sneasel blinked, and her body tensed. She had only barely been holding her own against him earlier, so if he was going to go all out now...that was a rare honor, actually. Most opponents wouldn't be able to last more than a few seconds against the pack alpha when he was fighting seriously.

Lin grinned. Then her next challenge was to see how long she could last against the Weavile's full power. She flexed her claws eagerly, watching Del carefully for any sign that he was about to resume his assault. Del seemed to be regarding with the exact same intensity, his eyes glinting with unrestrained excitement.

"Let's not keep our audience waiting any longer. Here I come, Lin," Del announced. He snapped his claws loudly, and his image split into three identical copies. The Sneasel's eyes widened in alarm.

Double Team. Very few of the pack members had access to that technique, whereas Agility was a far more common sight to see. The intentions of either technique was usually the same; a method of disorienting the foe before striking in a moment of weakness. Unfortunately, Lin considered Double Team to be the far superior option, for the copies were able to move independantly of the user, whereas Agility was a single individual moving so rapidly they only appeared to be multiple individuals. It made Double Team significantly more difficult to predict and counter.

Lin forced herself not to scowl. Of course Del would have Double Team among his bag of tricks. One could whine and complain that using such tactics was cheap or cowardly, but it would make no difference. Among the Sneasel pack, only a loser complained about their opponents' tactics. If one lacked the skill and knowledge to combat 'cheap' tricks, then they deserved to lose. Sneasel already had to wrestle with the stereotype that they used cheap tactics in battle, so they had no excuse for not knowing how to overcome them.

The first Weavile darted at Lin, and she flicked her wrist, drawing a jagged shard of ice into her paw, which she hurled towards the Weavile, taking care to keep most of her attention on the two remaining copies. To her astonishment, the charging Weavile kicked off the ground, soaring over her projectile and descending upon her. She pivoted hastily, but it was too late. Del's feet made contact with her shoulders, and his weight did the rest, bowling her over and allowing his body to pin her entire upper body to the ground.

Before Lin could even try to dislodge him, Del brought his claws to her face, almost as if stroking her cheek, but Lin could feel the sharp points digging ever-so-slightly into her neck. If she struggled, the resulting wounds would not be fatal, but that was not his intention. The claws to her neck was merely to inform her that he had won. She only wished he hadn't made this claim while almost literally crouching on her stomach, because it made it rather difficult to breathe.

"Yield?" he murmured softly.

Lin growled, experiencing a flare of indignation deep within her gut.

"What the hell?" she demanded, glaring into the alpha's eyes. "You...barely even gave me a chance to fight back when you went 'all-out'!"

"I did give you the chance. It's just that you failed on the spot, making the conclusion anti-climactic," Del answered pleasantly, and his eyes glinted. "You made the assumption that the first Double Team was one of the illusions. It never even occurred to you that the attack was genuine."

"That's because it's a novice maneuver," Lin muttered.

"And that's my lesson to you, Lin," Del said, grinning. "The secret to a good bluff is the underlying possibility that it's not a bluff. Surely you've noticed that the amateur has the advantage of unpredictability against a seasoned foe, for their tactics are unrefined, and at times, nonsensical. You have a talent for reading your opponent, so while you physically cannot keep pace with me, you can still see through my tactics. To defeat you, I have to do something unexpected, and a novice maneuver was ideal for that purpose. In a battle of wits, I was triumphant, securing victory in the physical plane as well."

Lin glared at Del, practically seething now. "Is that your personal condition for claiming victory? To outwit me, despite your physical advantages?"

"Yes," Del answered promptly, and he smiled. "If you were a Weavile yourself...well, I wouldn't envy my chances of beating you again. Now, now, be a good sport and concede."

"And if I don't?" Lin retorted, gritting her teeth.

Del pursed his mouth. "If you refuse to acknowledge your loss with dignity, then I'll simply knock you unconscious. Would only take a single blow," he answered, closing his paw into a fist, and raising his eyebrow expectantly. "But I'd hate to have to reduce you to such a state. Surely your pride is not so important that you require it forcibly stripped from you."

"You're too kind," Lin hissed bitterly. "What entitles me to special treatment, that you'd aim to preserve my pride, even after beating me?" Her eyes narrowed, fixing the Weavile with a cold look. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Is that what you think?" Del asked, sounding legitimately surprised and slightly amused. He gave a little shrug of his shoulders and moved off of her, bending down and offering her his paw. "It's true that I admire your skill and strength, and consider you extremely attractive. However, it would not do to flirt with you while you're downed. Such an approach would be demeaning, and you'd doubtlessly resent me for that."

"I'd resent it regardless," Lin snapped, clenching her fist. "All males challenge me in the hopes of courting me. You're no different."

Ignoring the Weavile's paw, she sat up, wincing a little before climbing back to her feet. Del withdrew his paw, nonplussed. The crowd of onlookers were glancing at one another in confusion, evidently unsure if the outcome had truly been decided. Even Del was watching her with a trace of wariness, as if he half expected her to suddenly attack again, despite him claiming victory.

The Sneasel turned her back to Del, scowling. "Whatever. You won. Now what?"

The Weavile smiled faintly before raising his paw and snapping his claws, indicating to the rest of the pack that the battle had indeed ended. There was a few whines of protest from those who evidently had expected a more climactic outcome, but the majority seemed to accept the situation, and began to disperse, some of them shooting Lin and Del the occasional glance before whispering to one another.

Lin clenched her fists, avoiding eye contact with everyone around her. She had more or less accepted the fact she was likely to lose against Del, but that didn't make it much easier to swallow now that it was a reality. She had hoped to end the battle in some climactic fashion, fighting until she had expended the last of her strength, until there was nothing left she could do.

"Are you going to be all right, Lin?" Del asked softly, placing his paw on her shoulder. Anger surged through her body, and she whirled around, slashing her claws viciously at the Weavile. Del calmly deflected the strike with his arm, and she struck again with her free paw, only to be similarly rebuffed. However, he made no attempt to strike back, and merely regarded her calmly.

The intensity of the Weavile's stare sent an unpleasant shiver through Lin's body, all but sapping the aggression from her, and she turned away, shame welling up in her chest, and her eyes stinging. The Sneasel that were still lingering around the arena began to whisper to one another, as if they had just witnessed some juicy gossip, like a celebrity having a public breakdown.

"Come along, Lin. No need to stand in the spotlight right now. It'll only make you feel worse," Del said quietly, gesturing for her to follow him. Lin said nothing, still adamantly refusing to make eye contact with any of the Pokemon around her, but she noticed, from the corner of her eye, that Del had made a series of quick gestures towards the nearest Sneasel. Moments later, that Sneasel had come over, holding Lin's scarf. Del took the garment carefully before passing it back to Lin, and he again gestured for her to follow, leading her away from the arena and the small crowd of Sneasel still hovering nearby.

Lin absently draped the scarf around her neck, growing increasingly suspicious of Del's seeming charity. In all previous exhibition matches that she had witnessed, whether they involved Del or his predecessor, the victorious alpha rarely showed their opponent any real special treatment. Those matches were usually to curb the ego of the opponent, and remind them how much further they had to go. Furthermore, it was practically a requirement for the Razor Claw pendant to be removed from the loser with little fanfare, to further the symbolism that the pendant would enable growth and evolution, but failure would set them back. In spite of this tradition, Del had not taken the pendant back, nor had he given any indication that he was going to.

"Where are we going?" Lin asked dully, lifting her head enough to glance around, but she didn't recognize the path they were on.

"My den area," Del answered, and Lin stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes at the Weavile. Del chuckled quietly. "You really do assume the worst, don't you?"

"The evidence is really stacking up in favor of questionable intentions," Lin said coolly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I assure you, this is not a come-on," Del said pleasantly, although his smile made it clear that he knew Lin was unlikely to take his words at face value. "I chose it as our destination so that you could be out of the public eye for a bit. There is a matter I wished to discuss with you in relative privacy, but if the venue strikes you as suspect, then you need not accompany me further."

Lin frowned slightly. In truth, she really DID want to keep a low profile for a little while, to avoid any of her previous opponents or rivals making snide comments about her defeat. It was inevitable to be on the receiving end of a few remarks, but they would sting so much more in the immediate aftermath, when she was most disappointed and angry at herself.

"Fine, I'll take your word on it for now," Lin sighed, indicating that Del could continue walking. "But I'm keeping an eye on things."

"Naturally," Del agreed. They continued in silence for a few moments before Del glanced over his shoulder at her. "You're challenged that often by potential suitors?" he wondered.

Lin snorted. "Almost every male that challenges me hopes to impress me and court me. Our pack admires strength, so I shouldn't be surprised."

"But you're far more paranoid about it than I would expect," Del noted. "Despite our pack rules forbidding unwanted advances, you seem to resent interest in general."

"Our pack is a competitive society," Lin replied curtly. "Males and females alike are judged by their strength in combination with physical attractiveness. They don't challenge me because they necessarily want me specifically, but because they'll be seen as more desirable by the rest of the pack if they can defeat me. And if they can beat me, there's social pressure on me to at least humor any interest they may show towards me, because if they're better than me in battle, then something must be wrong with me if I don't find them attractive."

Del blinked, gazing at her with genuine fascination. "That's...a very interesting viewpoint. Do you feel that's a flaw with our pack's systems and rules, or something unrelated?"

"Unrelated," Lin sighed. "The problem is rooted in our instincts, and I'm sure other species have something similar. If the goal of courtship is to seek the best possible genetics to pass on to the next generation, it is natural for our species to value strength and resourcefulness. Our competitive society is designed to encourage this growth...and on its own merits, I find our system to be better than most."

"I see," Del murmured, and he paused, informing Lin without words that they had reached their destination. The cave entrance burrowed downwards, instead of straight into the side of the mountain, and the wall beside the entrance was marked by an X, formed with three distinct claws, indicating that the den owner was a Weavile, compared to the double lines made by a Sneasel's claws.

The interior was impressively spacious, perhaps built to accommodate a maximum of four, maybe even five, Pokemon, opposed to one or two. This fit with the unofficial designation of being the pack alpha's den. Historically speaking, it was exceedingly rare for the alpha not to have a mate. In past instances, multiple mates was also a thing, although the practice had eventually been ironed out many years prior, as competition among an alpha's harem led to the uncomfortably high chance of rivals being assassinated, kits being harmed, or the alpha themselves being slain.

The most notable features within the den, apart from its size, was the sizable collection of trinkets and other items stashed in the far back corner of the den. Del even chuckled slightly when he saw what Lin was looking at.

"Rumor has it your trophy collection is rather extensive," he mused.

"I barely keep any trophies," Lin muttered. It was the honest truth - apart from her scarf, there were very few things that the Sneasel wanted to hoard. Whenever she collected a number of objects, she became irritated by the clutter within her den, and cleaned out the non-essentials. The majority of the pack feared her wrath too much to sneak into her den, but the fact there was nothing particularly valuable in there for them to steal served as an extra layer of deterrent.

"Seriously? How anti-climactic," Del mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Or is that a bluff, so that I won't try to collect on the stakes in our battle?"

"I doubted you were after any potential trophies," Lin stated idly, examining her claws. "I assumed you wished to court me. You haven't entirely disproved that assumption."

"I admit to being a tad smitten with you, Lin, but that was not my motive for challenging you, and definitely not my motive for inviting you here," Del said, sitting down and leaning his back against one of the cave walls. "Although I must ask - if you suspected that to be my motive, then why did you accept my challenge?"

"Because...I wanted to evolve," Lin said, feeling her face flush with a hint of shame at confessing this desire. She stroked the Razor Claw around her neck absently, and even emitted a nearly inaudible purr as she did so. "I wanted to face a worthy opponent, and be able to enjoy the greatest battle imaginable. It would make the thrill of victory much sweeter, and evolution a well-deserved reward. And if I could defeat the strongest male in the pack, it would guarantee that no one would be able to choose or limit my mate options but myself."

"You keep coming back to that," Del noted seriously. "Do you simply not have your eye on any male in the pack? Or female, if your tastes lean in that direction. I apologize if that's presumptuous."

Lin snorted, but she was smiling slightly. "I've thought of that possibility, but the answer remains the same. It's not that no one is attractive...it's more that they just...don't offer me anything I need. I just see the whole thing as...pointless."

"So you agreed to our match, as a personal challenge, and so that you'd be able to evolve," Del mused. The prompt shift in topic did not escape Lin's notice, and she was grateful for it. "I trust you at least noted the possibility you'd lose."

Lin gave a nod, sitting down across from Del, but with a respectable distance between the two of them. "Usually...I get more fired up when facing a male opponent. The mere thought of being one-upped by them inspires me to fight more intensely. Yet...time and time again, you one-upped me, and yet..."

The Sneasel clenched her fist and lowered her gaze to the den floor, shaking in an effort to hold back the stinging in her eyes.

"I can agree with that," Del said slowly, prompting Lin to jerk her head up, surprised by his comment. "I've seen the end of one or two of your past spars. Your eyes shine with such vigor and determination, and you overcome your opponent swiftly and decisively. The spark in your eye I hoped to see in our battle never really ignited properly. I don't mean to criticize...but it left me a bit wanting."

Lin didn't answer. She at least...respected that he was willing to criticize her. Criticism, when delivered in a constructive manner, was the best way for one to learn from their mistakes and improve. He was not insulting her, but neither was he completely shying away from telling her that she had under-performed.

"Was that the entirety of your motivation to accept my challenge?" Del asked suddenly, tilting his head to the side. "You trained so hard against previous opponents, male and female alike, merely to gather enough strength so that you'd never have to humor suitors you're not interested in?"

Lin scowled. "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid."

"I assure you that I mean no offense, Lin, but...that is the single most useless motivation I've ever heard of," Del sighed. Even when he was speaking, his words were chosen with great care, as if he knew he was treading across an active minefield.

Lin's expression soured. "Explain," she said crisply.

The Weavile sighed again and shook his head. "I've always thought there was some deep flame within your heart, spurring on your constant progress and sense of confidence. Something meaningful that would ignite your spirit during battle, and fan that flame onward to greater heights. However, your current drive is so short-sighted, it honestly makes my stomach turn."

"You're just discarding everything constructive about your criticisms now, aren't you?" Lin asked blandly. Part of her was already seething with indignation at Del's words, but another part of her was taken aback, genuinely interested in whether Del had some words of wisdom. He HAD managed to beat her, after all, so maybe her current drive really was lacking. It also could have something to do with the overall bluntness of his criticism making it easier to discard the notion that he might be trying to hit on her. Flirting usually didn't involve pissing someone off on purpose.

"If it helps you to better yourself, I'll consider it worthwhile," Del said pleasantly, but his expression sobered, a reminder that he was taking the situation seriously. "My understanding of your current drive lends itself to nothing. It serves no greater ambition or higher cause, and while I considered that perhaps you had a specific soulmate in mind that you wanted to pursue wholeheartedly, the fact that you don't only concerns me more. Even a purely selfish desire, such as standing atop all others, revered as the strongest, is a more worthwhile drive than what you currently have."

"How so? Both would require training, and battling with the intention of never losing," Lin argued, folding her arms across her chest and scowling.

"No wanting to lose is understandable, and not the issue," Del explained carefully. "Your REASON for not wanting to lose is the problem. It is pathetically short-sighted, designed to motivate you against potential suitors, as opposed to an enemy, or genuine threat. It will not inspire you to protect others, or achieve some sort of goal. You have no real purpose. There is no constantly-evolving goal to keep you motivated. At least if your wish was to be the strongest, you'd be equally driven to win against an enemy or a threat, whether the threat be posed to yourself, a loved one, or an innocent."

Lin gaped at Del, her mouth moving wordlessly in a vain attempt to argue against him. In truth, his words had hit her like a sack of bricks, but her instinct was still to argue, no matter how much truth he may have held.

"And what's your drive?" she asked finally, fully aware that her retort sounded childish.

Del smiled, as if he had expected this response. "I am the pack's alpha. To me...it's a role that's more than a mere title. It's worth more than simply being evolved and being in charge. I live to guide the lives of the Sneasel under my charge. I am the level they aspire to reach. My skill and strength show they have a long way to go. They can't be the best until they beat me, so those wishing to be the best must keep training. I hold regular exhibition matches for that purpose. I aim not to demotivate, as many assume, but to remind even the strongest Sneasel that they can still get stronger. Even the fact that I am evolved means they must find a way to overcome the advantages an opponent might have, because not all their opponents will be the same species as them. Some will be faster. Some will hit harder. Some will use range and not let them get close at all. But...it's not just in battle, either. I'm also the authority figure, the one that reminds them they can't just do what they wish without consequences. And by extending our resources and protection to others on the mountain, I show them that, as a pack, we're not exclusive loners. We support those in need, requesting minimal in return. It shows the others living on the mountain that Sneasel and Weavile are not all what stereotypes infer them to be. We can be a noble species. Every day that I train and battle, I do so because I'm a role model to countless others. I do not lord over the pack like I'm a king that must be served. I lead by example, and steer others in the right path."

Lin just stared at Del, her mouth hanging open. She had never suspected this to be the case. Really, she had rarely paid Del any real attention before. She had always just assumed many of the things that Del had just spelled out to NOT be the case. To say that she was floored by his thorough response would be putting it mildly. Unable to combat his statements at all, Lin focused instead on her claws, shifting awkwardly.

"I suppose by now...you must be wondering why I have not taken the Razor Claw back from you," Del said slowly. Lin blinked, instinctively clutching her paw around the pendant, but she forced herself to relax her grip. "I don't plan to retrieve it at all," Del continued, smirking at her reaction.

"Why not?" Lin pressed, fixing the Weavile with a suspicious look. Now she was positive that something about the situation was off, because the Razor Claw was only given to the alpha's opponents so that they could be rewarded in a concrete manner should they happen to be victorious. To allow her to keep the pendant was too much of a charity, and made the battle and subsequent loss against Del almost meaningless. Wait...

"I think you've caught on," Del said, watching Lin's expression. "I want our battle today to be rendered meaningless. Evolution or not, you've been consistently one of the pack's strongest battlers for quite some time. From my observations, the only opponent here that can be considered a worthy challenge for you is me. You weren't be able to overcome the advantages granted to me by my evolution, but there's a limit to how much further you can grow as a Sneasel. Therefore...I'll give you the means to advance further."

The Weavile nodded towards the pendant, and Lin glanced down, uncertainty shadowing her face.

"I...can't accept that," Lin said finally, in a strained voice. "It feels like cheating...like taking the easiest route." Part of her desperately did want to accept the offer, but it was currently wrestling with her other feelings and thoughts on the matter. She wasn't able to overcome Del's evolutionary advantages, so in what way did she deserve to be rewarded despite that?

"I understand," Del said softly, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a single claw. "In any case...you should probably take some time to reflect on your personal drive and ambition. Truth is...I don't think the pack has much to offer you in your current state."

Lin blinked at Del, unsure how to respond to the sudden remark.

Del smiled gently. "You are not driven by any of the same things most of your peers are driven by. You do not seek personal glory, nor do you want to use your strength to acquire any of the things that the pack values. You have seemingly no interest in mates, and despise the social pressure placed on you to admire those who rival your strength. In order to continue to grow, you must find your own purpose, and discover your life's role on your own. As the pack's alpha, I wish to guide you to the best of my ability."

* * *

 _April 5th (Present Day)_

Lin stopped talking, wincing a little and rubbing her throat. The story had felt so much shorter in her head, but not only had she been talking for a while, but her voice was starting to feel slightly hoarse. A likely side effect of rarely speaking much on an everyday basis.

Cecilia, however, was completely engrossed in the story, hanging onto her every word, only interrupting to ask an occasional question or for a clarifying detail. The most amusing interruption, by far, had been her stunned "Wait, you trained Frostbite?" early into the story. It had taken Lin a few seconds to figure out who the Quilava had even been talking about - apparently, Cecilia had decided at some point that 'Frostbite' was a suitable nickname for Lin's Glaceon protege, and had taken to referring to him as such even when said Glaceon was nowhere nearby. What Lin particularly found amusing was the private feeling that Frost probably enjoyed the nickname.

"You okay, Lin?" Cecilia asked, once she realized that the story had halted for a longer amount of time than usual.

"I should probably get some water," Lin admitted, and she slid off the bed, stumbling briefly on the landing. "The story isn't really much longer anyway."

"Okay...then summarize it for me," Cecilia said, hopping off the bed, her flames crackling with enthusiasm.

"Del recommended I leave the mountain, see how others in the world lived their lives, and train against many different opponents and styles. His condition for winning our match, however, was for me to one day return, and rematch him with my full power. He said I could sleep on it, take a few days to mull it over," Lin said, leading the way out of the guest room into the rest of the house. The first thing she noticed upon entering the main room was that Sorin was nowhere to be found. Then again, Cecilia had mentioned that the Altaria had gone out to check on Celes while she had been napping.

"Did I mention this story went WAY off course from what I expected?" Cecilia asked, as Lin made her way into the kitchen. It was a rather cramped space, with only a sink, a few dishes in one of the cabinets, and a refrigerator that was unsurprisingly empty, although this was a relief, because Lin still had unpleasant memories of peering into the refrigerator back at the Old Chateau. If anyone was curious, Lin's sense of smell was spectacular. As was her gag reflex, but the Weavile preferred not to get into that.

"How so?" Lin asked, springing onto the sink's counter and running the faucet, before scooping paws full of the water into her mouth to soothe her dry throat.

"Uh, firstly, I thought you WON the battle, because I mean...you evolved...and you kept mentioning that your evolution was proof of how strong you are."

Lin snorted, nearly spraying a mouthful of water over the Quilava. Cecilia jumped backwards, looking a bit alarmed by the sudden sound of her flames sizzling.

"Technically, it was. Del said I was too strong to remain a Sneasel," Lin responded.

"Uh huh...and what was with you putting weird emphasis on the word 'him' when talking about uh...him, before telling me the whole story? I kind of expected some...like, super dramatic crazy stuff happening, like...you killed him by accident or something. And that'd be why sparring with Noblesse freaked you out, because last time you got pushed into a corner by a male that had the hots for you, you went all psychotic or something."

"Don't say things like that in such a cheerful tone, Cece," Lin scolded. "I was a Sneasel when I faced Del. I was a Weavile when I faced Noblesse. You may not realize how much of a difference that makes, but trust me...a Weavile's instincts are SO much more dangerous."

"...what are you guys even talking about?" Kaito demanded, peering into the room from the doorway.

"I'm not getting into this again," Lin said flatly, waving the Togetic off, before pausing. "Hold up, Kaito. We need to discuss a few things with your research and the stuff that's going on, because we're still in the dark about some things."

"Good timing, because I found what I was looking for," Kaito said, rubbing his paws together with some enthusiasm. "Was just coming to go find you guys myself."

"Shouldn't Sorin be back by now?" Cecilia wondered, as if she had just realized that the cloud dragon had not returned yet. Kaito gave a shrug.

"He'll...probably be a while. But it'll give me the chance to share with...is that them now?" he wondered, turning towards the front door, where it seemed that the frame had rattled, like someone tapping against it. The Togetic was just starting to move towards the door to investigate, when the knob turned and the door opened from the other side.

"Um...oh good, this is the right house," Iris' voice said, sounding incredibly relieved. Everyone just turned to stare at the Kirlia blankly.

"Iris? What are you even doing here?" Kaito wondered blankly. Both Lin and Cecilia followed after the fairy Pokemon, giving the Kirlia a curious look. "Where's Force?" Kaito added, almost as an afterthought.

"That's...kind of why I'm here, actually," Iris said, running a paw through her hair nervously. Lin couldn't help but notice that the psychic's hair and garment were both shimmering slightly, clearly the product of a very recent wash, if the slight dampness was anything to go by. The Kirlia glanced sideways, towards something that was just out of their line of sight. Then she quickly made her way inside, opening the door a little wider so that her companion could walk through more easily.

A vaguely familiar bipedal canine walked through the door, but almost everything about him was different. Red eyes still peered behind a mask of black fur, and the majority of its body was covered in blue or black fur. However, he stood at nearly twice his original height, the bone-like growths on the back of his paws had grown into small spikes, with another adorning the center of his broader, more muscled chest, which was covered in light colored fur.

Everyone just gawked for several moments, and the Lucario grinned awkwardly, simultaneously basking in, and embarrassed by, the attention.

"Hey," Force said, and even his voice sounded deeper, and more masculine, while still being similar enough to his unevolved form's voice to be recognizable.

Cecilia was the first to recover from the shock. "Oh wow, Force, you are so HOT," she breathed, practically drooling.

Retrospectively, it was probably not the best idea to let her talk first.


	78. Survivor Report

The house that Kaito and the others were staying at felt so small and strange after spending so much time at the Old Chateau this past week. It was a much simpler dwelling than many of the others that Force had seen in the past, and had yet to be exposed to the ravages of passing time. Whereas the Chateau had dark, faded colors and thick layers of dust, this house was built almost entirely of wood and had been kept in good condition, despite the absence of a human caretaker.

The brighter colors and well-kept state of things gave the entire atmosphere a more vibrant, welcoming vibe. Space was far more limited than the wide, empty rooms and corridors making up the Sinnoh mansion, but the amount of furniture present, and its placement in the room, made good use of the available space. It was actually kind of cozy.

Then again, Force had not yet adjusted to the height difference in his evolved form, and it was a little disorienting to see furniture and familiar faces at a completely different vantage point than normal. For that matter, it was REALLY unnerving to be taller than Lin, when the Weavile used to be much taller than he was as a Riolu. Iris was a similar issue, in that she used to be just slightly taller than Force, but now was much smaller compared to him.

It probably didn't help that the Lucario still felt completely exhausted, and he had the trace of a pounding headache. The nap that he and Iris had taken after his evolution had been nice, but not nearly enough to fully re-energize him. Was this what everyone experienced when they underwent evolution?

The group's reaction to seeing him was about what he might have expected. Even Cecilia's commentary, which some might view as inappropriate, didn't even faze him or Iris. On the contrary, Iris seemed rather amused, and Force only grinned awkwardly, as if the Quilava practically drooling over his new form was no different from the previous round of stunned staring.

Cecilia was the type to share her honest thoughts without any shame or hesitation, even if others might take it to be inappropriate. It was one of the reasons why he and Iris liked her so much. Since Iris could pick up on the emotional states of those around them, she had once explained that when people attempted to hide their feelings or intentions, their emotional state became more guarded and evasive, which tended to make Iris uncomfortable and on-edge around them.

Admittedly, this explanation was given because, early into his relationship with Iris, Force had gotten concerned that Cecilia's tendency to tease him might be misinterpreted by the Kirlia, particularly because he spent a lot of time with Cecilia when Iris wasn't around. From what he had observed from his peers and even complete strangers on the road, too much attention from another female usually made the current lover jealous or suspicious.

When the Riolu had brought up his concerns to Iris, the Kirlia had smiled and explained that her empathic abilities would definitely pick up on the vibes long before it became an actual issue. She added that even if Cecilia was harboring a secret crush on Force, the Kirlia's presence near him would probably cause Cecilia's emotional state to become anxious or irritable, or vice versa if Force was developing a crush on the Quilava.

As time went on and they all got to know one another better, it became increasingly clear that Cecilia had no desire or intention of encroaching on their relationship, and actually seemed delighted by the knowledge that things were working out for them. It simply wasn't in her nature to knowingly interfere or sabotage the happiness of others, and they could tell that if she ever got wind of the idea that her playful teasing and similar behavior was making them more uncomfortable than it was intended to provoke, she would stop.

In a way, it reminded him of the brief conversation he had held with Shadow back in the Eterna Forest, regarding Cecilia's intentions moving forward from the ordeal with Diablos. According to Shadow, Cecilia had said she would stand by her friends, no matter what. The majority of the group understood her feelings about them. To her, they were more than companions. They were irreplaceable friends, with whom she couldn't bear to part.

A cold shiver ran down Force's spine at the thought, for his mind immediately recalled what Diablos had said to them just the previous night. He had mused that Cecilia was emotionally volatile and clingy, and struggled to bond with others, but for those she had bonded with, she would do anything to preserve. This had not been new information, and that's what worried him the most about this visit.

Iris had explained the situation to the best of her knowledge, providing key information to fill in the gap in Force's memory, and the Lucario had in turn told her of what had happened when they had gotten separated, up to the battle against the Sigilyph.

They had both agreed that informing Kaito and the others about the incident was the best course of action, but the surprising thing was that Plasma had descended from the attic to tell Iris that even Diablos felt that they should not delay in telling Kaito everything that had happened. Force could only assume that Diablos knew there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that the incident wouldn't be reported, and that by making an effort to disclose what had happened, the Spiritomb hoped to dispel the immediate assumption that he had been doing something shady again.

"This...isn't the only reason you came by, right?" Kaito ventured, after enough time had passed that everyone present had a time to digest the revelation that Force had evolved.

"Sadly, no," Force agreed, glancing over at Iris with a slightly awkward smile. "It's kind of a...big issue."

The Kirlia may have managed to tell him the situation, but he knew she wouldn't be nearly as comfortable reliving such an emotional experience with a larger group, even if they were close acquaintances. Iris had suffered far more emotional pain than Force, and he was the one who had nearly died.

It was strange to think about, really. Force couldn't be sure if it was a side-effect of his evolution, or the fact he was still physically and mentally exhausted, but for whatever reason, he didn't feel nearly as upset about his brush with death. Iris, however, had been forced to experience all the emotional highs and lows, and was still very shaken by the event.

"Could we maybe sit down or something before we get into it?" Force asked, massaging his forehead with one paw. His head was still pounding, and it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. "I'm too tired to stand in the doorway."

It was as though a light bulb had been clicked on in the rest of the group's mind, because without any protest, they moved as one to the living room area. The setup wasn't too much different here than back in the Chateau, with a single couch, a small table, and an armchair. The main difference was the room was connected to the entrance way, with no doors or corridor separating them, and the living space was much smaller than the wide spaces of the Chateau rooms.

Force allowed himself to sort of flop limply into the armchair, wincing a little bit when he realized the cushioning in the backrest was more sparce than the luxurious chairs at the Chateau, but it wasn't necessarily an uncomfortable chair. With only a moment's hesitation, Iris climbed onto the chair with him, and reclined against his chest.

Lin and Cecilia opted to seat themselves down on the couch, with the Quilava taking care to extinguish her flames before doing so. Kaito sat on the couch's backrest, his feet dangling down near Lin's head, although he adjusted his location slightly when the Weavile cast him an annoyed glance.

Once all eyes were upon Force, he hesitated, not sure exactly how to start things off. There were so many little things that built up to the bigger picture, and starting off at the wrong point would require that they pause to clarify certain details before they could continue with everyone on the same page.

"How long ago did you evolve, Force?" Lin inquired seriously, and the Lucario blinked, suddenly aware that the Weavile was watching him closely, her eyes slightly narrowed as she examined his facial features and reactions.

"Uh...a couple hours," Force answered, stifling a yawn with his paw, and shaking himself to try and dispel the lightness in his head. Iris' presence was doing a little bit in keeping him alert, but it was still an uphill battle to stay awake.

"I thought as much," Lin murmured, more to herself than to Force, and she folded her arms idly across her lap, watching him passively. The Lucario took a deep breath, deciding that he was best off just getting straight to the point and work the explanation out from there.

"We ran into Shadow in the Eterna Forest."

There was a moment of stunned silence as the significance of the statement gradually sank in. Cecilia flinched, her blue eyes widening in concern. Lin blinked in surprise, whereas Kaito appeared to take several seconds before it dawned on him why this was potentially problematic.

"When?" Cecilia blurted out.

"Um...this morning," Iris supplied. "Um...not too far from the Chateau."

Lin glanced at Cecilia with a hint of suspicion, prompting the Quilava to flare up her flames indignantly. "I didn't tell him anything about the Chateau!" she insisted.

"Whoa, whoa, it was probably a coincidence," Force said, raising his paws placatingly. Iris had tensed up when Cecilia had reacted, and the Lucario didn't want the subject to get derailed with suspicion. When he had spoken with Shadow in the forest, the Espeon had given no indication that they had been investigating or intending to visit the Chateau, or that he knew the building to be their base of operations.

"A coincidence," Kaito repeatedly slowly, tapping his chin. All eyes turned to him for a moment, expecting him to continue his line of thought. The Togetic's eyes were vaguely unfocused in thought, before he nodded to Force, "Continue."

The Lucario hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Iris and I were walking at the time, uh, with Plasma. He's uh, a Rotom or something that lives in that TV set in the attic near Diablos. Wait, didn't you bring Plasma with us?" Force asked, breaking off and giving Iris an inquisitive look.

"Yeah, um...I think he got distracted by the city, but he'll probably drop in later," Iris said, glancing around the room as if unconvinced that the electric ghost hadn't followed them inside. "He saw which house we're in, I know that much..."

"A Rotom?" Lin repeated, furrowing her brow. Kaito's eyes lit up.

"Knew there was something weird about that set," he mused, but like before, he broke off his own line of thought and nodded at Force to continue.

"Right, uh...Diablos hadn't figured anything out about the stone we retrieved, but suggested that it might resonate with me instead, and requested that I carry it or something to see if anything happens. Plasma came with us so that he could neutralize the energy or something if needed," Force explained, stifling a yawn with his paw. It was actually fairly difficult for him to recall all the little details and justifications that had been given, even though he had been told them only a few hours ago.

"Ooh, I almost forgot - I actually figured out what the stone was and - " Kaito began, but Lin cut him off by snapping her claws.

"Not now, Kaito. We'll never get to the end of this if we change the subject. You have a lot of information to share with us as it is, don't forget," the Weavile said crisply. Kaito rolled his eyes, but he seemed vaguely amused at being told NOT to explain himself for a change.

"You know what it is?" Iris asked incredulously, ignoring the glare Lin sent her way. "Because we still don't. But that Absol, uh...Astrid? Yeah, she knew something."

"Astrid?" Cecilia repeated, furrowing her brow, as if trying to remember something from the distant past. After a few moments, she shook her head. "No idea who that is."

"She was one of the Pokemon with Shadow," Force explained. "Her, Shadow, that Glaceon Lin fought at the Ruins, and...that young Leafeon," he finished, giving Iris an apprehensive look, knowing the mere mention of the young Pokemon would agitate her. Surprisingly, Iris kept herself composed, save for a slight twitch.

"So Frostbite and Leaf, Shadow and this Astrid," Cecilia mused.

"Here's where it gets weird," Force said seriously. "We all got attacked by something, and got separated from each other. I ended up with Shadow...we actually got along, kind of, despite the whole...tension between us."

No one really said anything, but it was clear that they knew what the Lucario meant by that. Force took another deep breath, steeling his nerves to continue with the next little reveal that was on the way.

"We talked a bit while trying to find our way out...and I told him about how our bodies react negatively to one another's presence. It's because we had the same soul fragment inside us. When we're close...they resonate, but I didn't realize it until we were in the same place again, and saw that he reacted at the same moment I did. Diablos can sense where the holders are. That's...how he knew when Shadow and I were in range back at the Ruins."

"Yours should have been gone," Lin interjected sharply.

Force laughed humorlessly and shook his head. "Diablos told me and Iris last night - there's a third piece. A tiny, tiny sliver of a piece left in me...because you broke it, Lin."

"What?" the Weavile just stared at the aura Pokemon uncomprehendingly.

"When he was taking the fragment out of me, you broke it," Force repeated and he gave a slight shrug. "Shadow said you hit my paw with an Ice Shard."

"Oh...I did do that," Lin mused, scratching her chin idly.

"Soon after we talked about this, we got attacked by the source. It was...a Sigilyph or something?" the Lucario shrugged again. "Shadow said Cecilia beat it at the Ruins, and it did have a burned body."

"Seriously, it was the same one?" Cecilia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "How did it even survive that? I Flash-Fire Inferno'd the thing."

"It was after the stone from the Ruins," Force said seriously, and then paused. "By the way, Shadow calls you 'Cece'. It's actually kind of creepy."

"How is that creepy? Close friends call me Cece," the Quilava said blankly. "YOU could even call me Cece."

"I don't...want to," Force stammered, his cheeks flushing slightly. He was never really fond of using nicknames or the sort, no matter who it was for. It usually implied a sort of close, personal connection with the person, assuming the nickname wasn't intended to mock them instead. "Creepy probably wasn't even the right word; I just thought it was weird."

Lin cleared her throat, stopping Cecilia from making a rebuttal. "Could we stay on the current subject, please?" she asked, betraying a hint of impatience in her tone.

"Sorry," Cecilia said, wincing. "So um...the Sigilyph went after the stone? Which...you had with you? Were you carrying it in your paw, or was it attached to something?"

"Plasma had fastened it to a bracer or something," Force said, relieved at how quickly they had returned to his previous line of thought. It saved him the trouble of trying to remember where he had left off. "I figured out it was after that because it targeted me more than Shadow. We had to work together to hold it off, and even that didn't go that well."

"Astrid finished it off," Iris explained, when Cecilia looked like she was about to ask for more details.

"Brutally finished it off," Force countered through gritted teeth. Even though the event was long past, it was the last thing he could remember on his own. Everything that had transpired afterwards was little more than a blank gap of time, as if he had been asleep during the whole thing. "Also, the stone I had been carrying was causing me pain at that point. Earlier, that Absol said I shouldn't be carrying it, because it could overwhelm me, or something. That I wasn't strong enough to use it."

"If it was causing you pain, I'd assume not," Lin said seriously.

"I wonder..." Kaito murmured, his eyes lighting up again. "Did she explain what it was? Or why you shouldn't be handling it?"

"No," Force muttered bitterly, but he blinked when Iris lifted her head off his chest.

"She said it was unstable, and not meant to be used by a Riolu," Iris said softly, but clearly. Force blinked. Now that she mentioned it, he did vaguely recall those words being said, but his head had been so wracked by pain it had escaped his memory. "That it was tied to Force's mental and emotional state, and made worse because he was upset at the time."

"Specifically, that it's not to be used by a Riolu?" Kaito asked, a small smirk crossing his face. "Not that his species was incompatible? She specifically said a Riolu?"

"Um...yeah, I think so. Why?" Iris wondered, but Kaito waved it off.

"When you're finished, I'll explain," he said seriously.

"That's all I really remember," Force said, giving Iris a meaningful look. The Kirlia winced, but adjusted her sitting position so that she was facing the rest of the group more directly. The others exchanged puzzled looks at the wording of Force's last statement, but seemed to know better than to question it.

"Force...forgot to mention that he figured out the Sigilyph had the third soul piece in it," Iris said quietly. Force nodded; he knew he had forgotten to mention something, and Iris only really knew that detail because it was one of the things he had explained to her before they had come here. "Astrid's attack on the Sigilyph...pretty much killed it. But at that moment, I felt the most terrifying chill run down my spine, and Force started...convulsing, like he was having a fit of madness or hysteria."

The Kirlia's statement was met with an ominous silence. No one dared speak, so entranced by the emphatic Pokemon's words.

"Astrid seemed to think the stone was overwhelming him, and tried to sever the bracelet," Iris continued, staring down at her paws, but her words were still perfectly audible. "But he...he caught the blade with ease, and forced her away from him. And then I saw his eyes. Terrifying yellow eyes that just...glowed eerily."

Cecilia cursed loudly, causing Kaito and Lin to both stare over at her in alarm. The Quilava's flames had flared up intensely, and her blue eyes had narrowed to furious slits. Iris seemed to cringe away from the Quilava, despite being furthest away from her.

"Calm down, that's not even the worst part of the story, if you can believe that," Force said blandly. It was genuinely hard to imagine that Cecilia would believe that the story could take a turn for the worst, but at the same time, it was probably a huge red flag for Lin, as the Weavile's expression became grim. If the Lucario considered being possessed by Diablos for a THIRD time to not be the worst part of the story that was unfolding, that was not a good sign.

"I told Diablos to leave Force's body, but he declined in that infuriatingly polite tone, claiming that it was necessary to keep Force from being overwhelmed," Iris said, practically seething as she recalled the events. Force shivered slightly at her tone. It was so...venomous, as if the Kirlia was not just remembering something distasteful, but actively FEELING it again, even after the fact. "He went on to say that he was tired of having a fractured soul, and that he'd rejoin the pieces before removing it entirely."

"Makes sense, honestly," Kaito said, but he was wearing a grim expression, the same as Lin and Cecilia.

"He attempted to do so to Shadow, I think, but Astrid attacked him, and Shadow joined in, but...he countered them so easily. He had absolute control over Force's aura...no offense."

"None taken," the Lucario reassured her.

"When I insisted again he stop, Diablos became frustrated...sincerely frustrated. He was not taunting or speaking in that calm, deceptive manner. He was intent on reclaiming the fractured piece inside Shadow, so that we wouldn't go through that ordeal of needing to be in range again," Iris continued, her voice calmer, but still so soft and quiet. "He said he couldn't risk Force's life by withdrawing control while under attack, and that the excess power overwhelming Force was something he can handle. He urged me to trust him, that he'd ensure Force would survive."

The Lucario blinked, but said nothing. Even though Iris had told him about this exchange, she hadn't mentioned that the Spiritomb's tone and mannerisms had shifted in such a way that it seemed legitimately sincere. Had Diablos genuinely been concerned about his health and survival? If the Spiritomb was spiteful, he could easily have switched control promptly on Iris' demand, and been able to say 'I told you so' after Force was cut down. Either the soul was too valuable to lose, or Diablos had genuinely wanted to preserve Force. Both options seemed likely, for Force recalled that Diablos had once said that his soul fragments were irreplaceable.

"Shadow...brought up that I shouldn't trust Diablos' word, because he used Force in the past to murder his parents," Iris said, her voice sounding pained, and Cecilia cringed, although this was nothing compared to what Force felt at those words. It was like having a sharpened icicle rammed into his gut - a mixture of coldness and stabbing pain. The reminder of what his body had been forced to do without his knowledge...the pain it dealt to innocent lives...it was terrible, no matter how Diablos justified it.

No one spoke, although Iris seemed to hesitate, as if she expected someone to interject a comment. Force draped his paws around the Kirlia in a soothing embrace, letting her presence soothe him, and his touch calm her nerves in turn.

"This...set Astrid off," Iris said finally. "She must have known one of Shadow's parents, because she took it personally, and Diablos even abandoned his agenda, telling me to Teleport us both away, because it was escalating too quickly. But Astrid used Mean Look, and Diablos had to fight them."

Now it was Kaito's turn to utter a curse under his breath, and Cecilia seemed more anxious than ever before. Lin was the only one who appeared calm, but Force could see that she was definitely on-edge now, unsure of what direction the tale was taking. Even though Force knew how things went already, his own gut churned in anxiety. Maybe knowing how it went already made it worse, because it involved him, without it really being "him".

Iris took another breath before continuing. "Just like before...Diablos countered everything they did with ease, and taunted their efforts. Shadow managed to score some scratches and bites with...savage enthusiasm...before being knocked aside and taunted as well. He even seemed on the verge of throttling Astrid to death before I begged him to stop. He released her, but knocked her unconscious, to disable the Mean Look."

Force squirmed uncomfortably. Iris had NOT mentioned that Diablos had been strangling the Absol and needed to be called off. Maybe the Kirlia had forgotten the detail until now, or maybe it was to spare him the discomfort of realizing just how close his body had come to taking another life. It chilled him to his very soul.

Iris shuddered, as if she had been dropped into a bucket of ice water. "Diablos then focused on Shadow, and withdrew the fractured soul back into Force's body, making it, I guess, completely whole again. Force's aura flames became pure black, and his eyes more eerie. He took a moment to talk to Shadow, but I didn't hear what was said. And that's when something hit his paw."

"Something?" Kaito repeated blankly.

"A leaf, I think. A Razor Leaf, probably," Iris said, shrugging.

"Haha!" Cecilia laughed, the sound so abrupt and triumphant, yet amused, that nearly everyone flinched. "Leaf hit Diablos with a Razor Leaf?" she asked incredulously.

"I think so. He seemed to have just arrived, but he looked so tired and grumpy, it was really weird..." Iris said, fidgeting nervously.

"Still, it's hilarious, because Leaf is like...super young, adorable as hell, and terrified of my fire ever since he burned himself by touching the flames," Cecilia said. This remark earned her confused looks from everyone present. "It was an accident! It was when I first met Leaf and Frostbite. But then what happened?"

"Um...Diablos taunted Leaf over picking a fight in his condition, but agreed. He then took off the bracelet and gave it to me," Iris said. "He said he'd expend the excess energy in this fight, and that I should find Plasma, take him back the Chateau, and then return to pick him up. He promised he wouldn't hurt them much, that the spar was going to be casual stakes."

Force blinked, sudden realization striking his mind like a lightning bolt. The earlier part of the story had mentioned that the stone's power had been overwhelming him, and after Diablos had taken hold, he had managed to use incredible amounts of aura energy, and predict and counter all his opponents with ease. Yet somehow he had never realized during Iris' first iteration of the story that Diablos had removed the bracer before fighting the Leafeon.

"Wait, wait...you left Force alone with Diablos in control?" Cecilia demanded incredulously.

"It wasn't for long. And you know my bond with Force can sense if something terrible was happening," Iris insisted, but her eyes were glistening, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I knew he wouldn't go too far in that fight, because if I returned to them dead..."

"Fair enough, it's...kind of a dumb thing to do, but clearly, everything worked out okay," Kaito said, clearly in an effort to placate Cecilia's indignant response than Iris. Force felt his stomach muscles tighten, and if he didn't know better, he could almost feel a burning cut across his chest.

"I got back a few minutes later. That Glaceon had also arrived, but was hanging back. There was a Sunny Day thing active, and the Leafeon seemed to have recharged. The moment I arrived, I asked if we could go, and Diablos agreed promptly, and came closer. He said if I needed a moment to prepare my Teleport, it was fine, so I...I took a few moments," Iris continued, her voice starting to quiver. "The Leafeon tried to get close again, but Diablos threatened him, telling him that he wouldn't let him attack me, although he doubted the Leafeon would consider that. Something about not having the bloodlust to attack with intent to harm."

"Yeah, I can't picture him doing that, either," Cecilia agreed. Lin's body suddenly tensed, as if she realized exactly where the story was leading, even though Kaito and Cecilia did not.

"I-I signaled Diablos...that I w-was ready to T-teleport," Iris said, unable to keep her voice from cracking now that she had reached this moment of the retelling. "And h-he glanced my way...and that was when...when..."

"What? What happened?" Cecilia asked, starting to realize that the story was about to take a sudden swerve, but having no idea where it was going to go. Iris shook fiercely, but was unable to voice her thoughts any further. Force stroked the Kirlia's hair, and straightened up in the chair, wordlessly designating himself as the one who'd complete the story. Iris had told him the details, and some of them had been physical experiences, or easy to assume due to the aftermath.

"Searing pain erupted across my chest," he said seriously. "Blood spilled copiously from the wound, staining my fur and running down my body. It happened so fast that neither Iris nor Diablos saw it coming. Iris didn't sense any murderous intent, no sudden surge of emotion like anger or aggression. Nothing that would have allowed her to sense the danger before it happened. He was completely casual about it as well, all but gloating over the near-fatal wound he had inflicted. A young kit-age Leafeon...had pretty much killed someone, and felt nothing about it. I know that, because Iris didn't sense a shift in his emotions, either before, or after, the strike."

"B-but...you evolved," Cecilia stammered, confused as all hell. If not for the fact Force was sitting in front of them, alive, she undoubtedly would have believed him to have died.

The Lucario nodded grimly. "I evolved on my deathbed, because of Iris."

"...your bond," Lin said softly, and although Force felt he had imagined it, the Weavile's eyes had seemed to glisten. Feeling embarrassed, the Lucario averted his gaze to allow Lin to tend to her tear duct malfunction on her own.

"So...that's what the issue was?" Cecilia asked, her voice shaking slightly. "That's why you came by to talk to us? To tell us...that you nearly died today? That you evolved just in time to survive?"

Force glanced at Iris, and the Kirlia sniffled, wrapping her arms around the Lucario and stifling her sobs into his chest fur. He returned her embrace fondly, stroking her back soothingly before refocusing on Cecilia.

"Um...yeah, that's the main reason," he told her. "We felt it best to tell you as soon as possible."

"Don't get me wrong, we appreciate that," Kaito said, glancing over at Cecilia warily, but keeping the majority of his attention on Force and Iris. "And it's a tremendous relief to know you're alive and well, but...you really sprung this on us."

"Is that your way of saying we should all take some time to collect ourselves before you explain all the other shit you owe us details about?" Force deadpanned.

"Yes, that was...more or less what I was going to suggest," Kaito said seriously. Lin gave a brief nod, rising from the couch and touching her paw to Cecilia's shoulder, wordlessly indicating for the Quilava to walk with her. The two made their way to the front door and stepped outside, closing the door behind them with a gentle clicking sound. "As for you...I'd say take a nap. You both look exhausted," the Togetic said.

Force merely nodded in agreement, and Kaito rose back into the air, making his way towards the door, as if going after Lin and Cecilia.

"Wait, where are you going?" Force asked blankly. Kaito chuckled softly.

"I'm going to check up on Sorin. You'll have the house to yourselves in the mean time, so really do try to get some rest," he said, and without another word, he left the house, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.


	79. Composed Reflection

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Kaito let out a heavy sigh. It was the sort of deep, cleansing exhalation that felt like it was expelling the long-accumulated emotional grim from the depths of his heart. The Togetic inhaled, just as deeply, but much more slowly, allowing the fresh Johto air to flow into his lungs and calm his anxious spirit.

Try as he might to keep a cool head and give the impression to the others that he had everything under control, the recent situations were making it clear to him that, at best, he was deluding himself. At this rate, he would succumb to the stress and only be able to watch as everything crumbled around him.

The life and bustle of Ecruteak City had by now been restored in the aftermath of the earlier rain storm, and many of the humans and Pokemon had emerged from their shelters and resumed their activities, as if nothing had even happened to disrupt it. In spite of the churning sensation within his gut, Kaito smiled faintly.

The ability of the world to resume functioning and rebuilding so soon after any sort of catastrophe or disaster was...admirable, to say the least. Plants would eventually sprout and blossom, the wind would continue to blow, and the cycles of nature would be set back into motion.

Throughout history, the world had always functioned like this. Death and destruction was often necessary to continue the cycle of creation and renewal, not as the conclusion of an era, so much as a natural step of the ever-moving cycle. If every person in the world could find it within themselves to respect and understand the nature of this cycle, there would probably be a lot less strife to contend with.

Sinnoh was a region that was always teeming with conflict. Even in recent memory, the region had undergone a large number of conflicts and war, dragging humans and Pokemon alike into a struggle for territory, or control, or some other, unknown machination that lay buried under the surface. Many individuals over the years had lost their lives, or the lives of loved ones. Many had seen the world change in little ways, a ripple effect that extended far beyond the simple pool of their lives.

To the casual observer, such conflict often seemed so pointless, and rooted in some selfish desire. Yet in Kaito's experience, few things in the world were genuinely that pointless, but the cause, or reasons, or even the effects, were simply unseen by the majority. The number of lives that were changed, the number of hearts that were touched, and the way the rest of the world would grow and develop many years down the road, had no way of being observed or noticed, until more time had passed.

Perhaps it was the Togetic's fascination with history, and the ancient civilizations that had faded away. Their writings, their buildings, and their history lay forgotten, buried, or untranslated, but from everything that Kaito had ever seen and observed, the significance of those eras was not meaningless. Traditions may have evolved, as had society expectations and roles, but the world had not ended with the elimination of the past cultures. Conflicts back then may have claimed lives and homes just like modern wars and conflicts claimed them in the present, but the world had not ended. It would not end, so long as people, Pokemon, and nature, existed to rebuild what had been lost.

With one final sigh, and a shake of his head, Kaito made his way towards the Tin Tower. Sorin had made it clear before departing earlier that he not only wanted to check up on Celes, but also see if he could find out how Ember was faring in the wake of her encounter with Inferna. Adrian had been en route to the ruined tower, probably for a similar reason to why he had visited the Ruins of Alph the previous week, but Kaito had no idea how long the human was planning to linger, so there was the chance that Sorin had gone elsewhere in the past hour or so.

For that matter, how long Sorin intended to remain in Ecruteak was also a mystery. If he was dedicated to assisting his Flareon companion with the search for her sibling, then they very well could move on soon. However, it was crucial to Kaito that he at least try to involve him in the upcoming conversation. Of the group, Sorin was the only one who knew nothing about Diablos, or their intentions moving forward. It was only fitting that Kaito include him in the conversation that would fill in the many blanks and uncertainty surrounding the recent months.

In truth, Kaito leaving Sorin more or less in the dark about Diablos was partially deliberate. Of the group, Sorin was the one he knew would be the most skeptical and hesitant to go along with the idea of involving a potentially malevolent spirit. The Altaria had much simpler ambitions and hopes than the others, but he was a loyal friend, and one that Kaito had kept in touch with for many years.

Unfortunately, Sorin was the type that lived his life, secretly burdened by his past, and unable to truly let go of his regrets. In the past two years alone, Sorin had repeatedly flip-flopped on his stance of whether he should try to stay connected with his daughter, or if he should let her be. It probably wasn't much of a stretch to assume a similar mindset was involved for why he was going so far out of his way to help another Pokemon who had been separated from an immediate family member, by choice or not. Compassion was one of Sorin's finest traits, but it often left him at the mercy of situations where there wasn't one clear path to take.

Sorin was ultimately a passive soul. He cared a great deal, and was willing to carry his fears and burdens without inconveniencing those around him, but surely even he had his limits. He lived independently, but preferred to be led, rather than take charge, and gravitated towards others that were able to take on the burden of leadership.

Kaito never considered himself to be much of a leader. He lacked the confidence and the charisma to inspire and lead others, or even to rally them to join his cause and share his vision. Kuro had been the first to really share his ambition, and they worked together cohesively for some time before beginning to disagree over methods and goals, and eventually the two friends had gone their separate ways to pursue their separate paths.

If the more recent complaints of the group was any indication, they were in agreement that Kaito lacked true leadership skills, yet none of them could take the role from him, because they didn't really know what his vision was. To make matters worse, it occurred to Kaito that this was almost precisely the problem that forced a wedge between himself and Kuro. They had both shared a vision originally, but then grew further and further apart, until they were all but refusing to communicate or cooperate with each other.

Then again, that was the advantage of the world operating in cycles. It was almost society's nature to deal with an imperfect status quo until enough people got fed up with the system that they decided things had to change, and rallied others to help them change it. Even if the approach ultimately failed, it was often a wake-up call to the rest of society, or even just society's leaders, that something had to be done to address the matter.

So in that sense, perhaps this was Kaito's opportunity to repair these matters. The group wanted him to share more information. They weren't starting a revolt or abandoning him, but they were being very direct about their concerns, and giving him the chance to address them. None of them were happy about the situation with Force, but no one yet had designated blame to either Kaito or even to Diablos, even though they had raised concerns earlier in the week about the Spiritomb.

As Kaito drew nearer to the charred remains of the Tin Tower, he soon caught sight of the orange and cream fur of Sorin's Flareon companion, and from there, he next located the Altaria's bright blue body and puffy white cloud wings. The two seemed to be in the middle of a discussion, and Kaito noticed that there was no trace of either of the two humans that he had seen during the aftermath of Lin's spar with Noblesse, all but confirming his suspicion that they might have gone on their way at some point in the intervening time.

Celes broke off her sentence awkwardly when she spotted Kaito approaching, and Sorin swiftly followed her gaze to the Togetic, before cocking his head slightly in confusion.

"What's wrong? You look really grim," Sorin said, studying the fairy Pokemon's expression.

"Iris and Force dropped by," Kaito answered solemnly. It took the dragon Pokemon a moment to recognize the names, and he frowned, looking even more confused than before. Although conscious of the fact that Celes was an uninvolved party who really had no business knowing any of the personal details of recent events, Kaito decided that explaining things to Sorin too vaguely would just bog things down unnecessarily. "To put it bluntly, Force narrowly survived an incident back in Sinnoh."

"Force is the...Riolu, right?" Sorin clarified, "Iris is his...uh...they are mates, right? Is he hurt? What happened?"

"The details are more complicated," Kaito answered, shaking his head. "As for his condition, he is physically fine. Apparently, being at death's door was enough to trigger his evolution in time to survive."

Silence followed this statement, as both Celes and Sorin took a moment to digest his words. Even Kaito had to admit that, on the surface, the entire situation sounded almost too good to be true. Evolving due to one's bonds with another, at such a crucial moment, sounded like something out of a story book. That was reason enough for Sorin or Celes to react with some skepticism, but Kaito didn't doubt the story for an instant. Force and Iris were incredibly close to one another, and their mutual fondness and affection for one another seemed to grow practically on a daily basis, as they each gradually overcame their fears of rejection and sense of inadequacy. If what they said was true, the situation had pushed them to their emotional limits, if Iris' barely contained anger when she recalled the event was any indication.

Kaito shook himself from those thoughts, reminding himself to stay focused on the individuals in front of him. Sorin had finally nodded, acknowledging that he understood the severity of the situation, at least from the information he had been provided.

"I've heard of evolution repairing the body during the process, although I've never seen an instance of it bringing someone back from the brink of death," the Altaria said, choosing his words with utmost care.

"It's not exactly a frequent occurrence," Kaito noted. "It would require one to be on the brink of death when they fulfill the conditions to evolve. Evolutionary stones seems like the only reliable way to test the phenomenon, and I doubt many would be willing to act as a test subject, nor would the situation be common in an uncontrolled scenario."

"It'd also depend on the type of injury," Celes piped up, and she flinched slightly when Kaito and Sorin both glanced her way, surprised by the Flareon's sudden input. "I mean like...scrapes, cuts, bruises and such disappear, but not birthmarks, and I'm not sure about scars," she continued, speaking a little faster, while puffing herself up defiantly, as if she expected them to contradict her.

"So evolution goes more by your genetic blueprint, as opposed to a default 'healthy' status," Kaito mused, tapping his chin. That would make sense, really. Most Pokemon retained their basic identifying features when they evolved, such as eye color and birthmarks, and if they possessed more unusual scale or fur colorations from birth, the trait usually carried over to their evolved form, either as a proper parallel, or slightly warped alongside some of the other genetic tweakings that evolution produced.

Although Kaito had rarely paid much attention to that particular field of study, Pokemon evolution was one of the more fascinating aspects of Pokemon biology, and Johto had at least one well-known scientist that studied and researched the details surrounding the many variations of evolution. Pokemon themselves would only have a cursory grasp of the subject, learned from their parents or peers, because the majority of Pokemon in the world could only experience evolution once or twice in a lifetime, if they could at all, and this became more complicated due to some species having branching evolutions, with the Eevee line being the most prominent examples. How different species reacted to evolution varied so greatly in a basic sense, that it was even trickier to pin down details about how evolution would affect one's current health.

Once again, Kaito shook himself to prevent his thought process from getting too badly derailed.

"In any case, Sorin, there's a lot of information that I probably will have to go over with everyone. I don't know what your current plans are, but if you have any concerns you want to discuss with me, or if you want to be a part of the explanations, you're more than welcome to," Kaito said, fumbling a little over his words, but at least they came out mostly coherently.

Sorin and Celes exchanged brief glances before the Flareon heaved the smallest of sighs and averted her gaze. The Altaria shrugged his wings.

"I probably should," he said seriously. "Celes wants to follow the small lead about Kuro maybe knowing something, so...I guess I want to know more about where he factors into things before we go looking for him," he explained, although the last half of the comment seemed to be directed more at the Flareon than at Kaito.

"...fair enough," Kaito conceded, but he furrowed his brow. He wasn't really all that surprised that Sorin brought Kuro up again. The Zoroark appeared to be a key factor in a number of happenings in Johto, and it was only fair for Kaito to address the matter of what Kuro was aiming to accomplish. "If you're finished with your business out here, I could escort you back to the house."

When no objections followed, Kaito turned and headed back the way he came, glancing over his shoulder only to confirm that the other two had obliged to follow him. No one bothered to talk much on the way, although it wasn't a particularly far distance.

Kaito wasn't sure how long it would take for Lin and Cecilia to return, although he suspected that the Weavile would push for them to come back in a timely fashion to ensure that they didn't miss any possible discussions. In the meantime, the Togetic needed to gather his thoughts together to make the explanation as smooth as possible.

Once back inside the small house, Kaito was quick to notice that Force had dozed off in the armchair, right where he had left him, and Iris had moved to the couch to avoid disturbing the sleeping Lucario with her movements. She looked up apprehensively when Kaito entered, and made careful gestures to signal for them to keep their volume down.

Sorin gave the Kirlia a polite nod and smile when he entered, whereas Celes only glanced at the Kirlia, and earned a blank look from Iris in return.

"Um...hello," Iris said, once the initial confusion wore off. She slid off of the couch and walked closer to the Flareon, but not so close that she was in Celes' personal space. "I'm Iris," she finished, offering a shy smile.

"Celes," the Flareon replied dully.

"Nice to meet you," Iris said, supplying a more confident smile, but she evidently picked up on Celes' discomfort, because she started to back away again.

"On the bright side, you've met everyone now except Force," Kaito remarked, gesturing to the Lucario. The Flareon's gaze flicked towards the sleeping Lucario momentarily before refocusing on Iris.

"I'm...glad to know he's doing okay," Celes mumbled, averting her gaze in embarrassment. Iris blinked, and she smiled brightly, her eyes glistening.

"O-oh...thanks," she stammered. Sorin nodded, agreeing with the Flareon's sentiment. Mercifully, the front door opened at that moment, and Cecilia and Lin came inside. At a glance the Quilava in particular looked much more composed than when they had left, whereas Lin was as inexpressive as usual, the ends of her blue scarf trailing behind her.

"We're back," Cecilia announced, although she seemed surprised to see that Sorin and Celes were also present. "Oh, hey. Everything go okay?" she wondered, addressing her words to the Altaria.

"I guess," Sorin answered, shrugging his wings.

"So...everyone's gathered here," Lin noted, her eyes scanning the room. "That's a first, if I'm not mistaken," she added, glancing at Kaito for confirmation.

"At least a first since you've joined us," Kaito replied, but he held up his paw before anyone else could comment. "If you'll just give me a few more minutes, and get yourselves settled in the meantime, I'll be ready to go over a lot of your concerns and questions."

This was met with overall agreement, and Kaito made his way into the reading room, vaguely aware of the sounds of movement from the other room as he scanned the cluttered collection of books that he had left open on the table. It'd do little good for him to bring too many reference materials into the other room, especially when talking to so many Pokemon at once, but maybe so long as he knew what materials to direct them to if they asked specific questions about something...hmm...

Several minutes later, Kaito returned from the side room, to find that the others had all gotten themselves settled in some sense or another. Iris had once again joined Force on the armchair, and the Lucario was awake, although he definitely still seemed rather tired. Sorin had settled down on a vacant stretch of floor, preening his cloud-like wings, and Lin and Cecilia had returned to their earlier places on the couch.

"All right, I suppose I'm ready if you guys are," Kaito said, making his way over to the living room area. He gazed around the room quickly, determining where everyone was positioned in relation to one another, which would make it easier for him to direct his focus when speaking. It actually took him a few moments to spot Celes, as the Flareon had settled down on the floor, like Sorin had, but positioned right next to the side of the couch, putting her almost completely out of sight of the others gathered, while still close enough to listen and be heard if she chose to speak.

Kaito stared at the Flareon blankly for a few moments before shaking his head and deciding not to comment. It made sense for the Flareon to not want too much attention on her, as the 'outsider' to the group, and while he would have preferred an uninvolved party to be absent entirely, there really wasn't an easy way to go about suggesting that, especially since Sorin was also oblivious to their Sinnoh activities. Her placement in the room also meant that she could probably get up and leave the room without drawing any attention to the departure, which was probably part of the reason she chose that spot - in case she lost interest or just felt too uncomfortable lingering.

Kaito cleared his throat. "All right, I realize there's probably a ton of things that I need to better explain or clarify, but with that in mind...I have no idea where to start. So maybe one of you guys could give me a starting point, and we can move on from there?"

As expected, this statement was met with a chorus of responses, and the Togetic winced, struggling to decipher the mish-mash of different words, voices, and volumes, to the point that he waved his paw to silence them.

"Okay, I didn't catch most of those, so let's try it again, but more...one at a time. Odds are, there's going to be some overlap with the information, or even worse, I'll have to explain some massive unrelated thing," Kaito sighed.

"Ooh! Pick me!"

Kaito blinked in confusion, and both Cecilia and Lin looked up, startled. The voice had been completely unfamiliar, and spoken with such bizarre enthusiasm that he almost had mistaken it for the Quilava, if only the voice had been more feminine sounding.

"Uh...who said that?" Kaito asked, feeling a little stupid asking the question.

"Hi! Over here!" the voice chirped, and a small orange creature emerged from the nearby table lamp, producing a faint buzzing sound as it appeared. Its body was outlined by a pale blue, electrical glow, and it had two lightning bolt appendages protruding from the bottom of its lightbulb-shaped body.

"Oh, there you are, Plasma," Iris said, smiling slightly at the Rotom, whereas everyone else, apart from Force, regarded the newcomer with a blank expression.

"Hey! I'm supposed to introduce myself!" Plasma complained, but he pivoted in place, waving at everyone present with one of the lightning bolt appendages.

"And...you have...a concern or question for me?" Kaito asked, bewildered. He had never met the electric ghost in his life before, and if not for the fact Iris and Force had referenced his existence, the sudden interjection would have been considered obnoxiously intrusive.

"Not really a question from 'me', honestly," Plasma admitted, sounding a little sheepish, before immediately perking up. "Uh...so I've got this cool pet in the attic of my house, but the vet bills are gonna be through the roof, possibly literally, unless I know whether it's got any pre-existing conditions. Do you happen to know its medical history? Like has it gotten all its shots? Did it use to be a stray?"

There was a prolonged silence, and Kaito's eyes darted back and forth as he struggled to understand what the peculiar ghost was asking of him. From the brief glances he could steal towards the others, no one else seemed to grasp the question, either.

"I'm...sorry? I don't follow. At all," Kaito managed weakly.

"I want to know the medical history of the pet in my attic. You know, the one that looks like a possessed pet rock on steroids," Plasma insisted, and this time, the light flashed on in Kaito's mind.

"Oh...Diablos, right? Um...I don't think I would know his er...medical history," Kaito said.

"I think almost all of us need to be illuminated in some sense regarding Diablos," Lin stated bluntly. "Personally, I've been wondering what our next step might be, as our previous leads turned up very little."

"And I want to know why you got a group together in the first place," Cecilia agreed. "Or at least, what it has to do with the whole unsealing business."

"I'm curious mostly about the stone we retrieved that messes with me," Force said, stifling a yawn.

"I...don't even know what you guys are talking about," Sorin added, shrugging his wings uncertainly. "I just want to know more about Kuro."

"The Zoroark?" Iris asked, cocking her head at Sorin. At his nod, the Kirlia's eyes flicked back towards Kaito. "How do you know so many people? You never DID explain my questions about that back at the Ruins..."

Kaito brought his paw to his face and sighed. He had totally seen this sort of thing coming, but it didn't make it any more pleasant to be bombarded with questions all at once.

"Okay, I'll try to cover all those things, but give me a chance to before asking anything else, all right?" he asked, looking around at the others. When everyone more or less nodded in agreement, the Togetic sighed. "Just give me a second to decide where to start..."

"Hey! I asked first!" Plasma complained.

"I don't even know what you mean by 'his medical history'," Kaito retorted, becoming mildly annoyed. Plasma paused, his expression distant for a moment before his eyes lit up.

"Oh! I meant his ACTUAL history! Like what you know of his abilities, his seals, how you even know he existed in the first place so that you could try to unseal him...stuff like that!"

Kaito froze for a moment, a sudden chill running down his spine, and to make the sensation worse, all eyes were upon him. After what felt like several minutes, but in reality could not have been more than a few seconds, the fairy Pokemon nodded.

"Okay...I suppose I can start by explaining that..."


	80. QA Session

Kaito took a deep breath, taking another moment or two to organize his thoughts better. Public speaking was another area that he wouldn't exactly consider his strong suit. Although he carried himself with relative confidence and was well informed about most subjects he cared to talk about, he was not very good at articulating his thoughts in a clear and concise manner.

On the surface, this didn't seem like such a difficult task. All he really had to do was elaborate on some of the details he had neglected to fully explain previously, and answer any questions the group may have. However, part of the reason he felt awkward was the knowledge that Sorin still didn't know anything about Diablos, and many of the group's concerns revolved around the Spiritomb and recent related events. It would be nearly impossible to answer their questions without first taking some time to get the Altaria up to speed, and that was going to be the tricky part.

Kaito sighed to himself. There really wasn't a way around it, though. Sorin would have to know what was going on eventually, and Kaito had never really intended to leave him completely in the dark about their Sinnoh activities. Now was the absolute ideal time to explain things to Sorin, but there was always that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the Altaria would probably not approve.

On the plus side, he had known Sorin for many years, and they had confided in one another many of the most personal details of their lives. If there was anyone that Kaito could trust to approach the matter with an open mind, it would be Sorin. The cloud dragon was not so quick to judge, nor to condemn others for their actions. He had his limits, as did everyone, but he would at least take the time to try to understand the opposing viewpoint, even if he disagreed.

Shaking himself from these lingering thoughts, Kaito gazed around the room again and cleared his throat.

"Before I get ahead of myself and address the finer details you're requesting, I think it best to fill Sorin in on a few things," he stated, studying each of their expressions for any sign of an objection. The most negative response was from Plasma, whose expression displayed a flicker of frustration, but everyone else gave either a shrug, a nod, or no reaction at all. Sorin, by contrast, straightened up a little and gave the Togetic a curious look.

"What's up?" he wondered.

"I'm going to just come out and say it bluntly, to save me the struggle of trying to find a better way to phrase things," Kaito sighed. "For the past several years, I've been researching Sinnoh history and mythology in the hopes of understanding the means in which one can contain the excessive darkness within a person's heart. During this past year or so, I've focused on unraveling the tales of a Spiritomb known as Diablos, who is said to have been created for this exact purpose centuries ago. As of last December...we've gone beyond chasing an old myth. We've located and reassembled the fractured piece of his Keystone, and broke the initial seal upon him."

The Altaria looked appropriately surprised, although at the same time, his eyes lit up with understanding. From the looks of it, Sorin had definitely noticed the name 'Diablos' tossed about in the earlier conversation, and had been waiting for more context in order to determine who, or what, they might have been talking about.

"Unfortunately, the full extent of Diablos' abilities seem to still be sealed," Kaito continued quickly, wanting to get to the heart of the discussion before letting Sorin make comments or ask questions. "Which is...a little unexpected. We've since been searching for anything that might lead us to information or progress on those seals. It's why we went to the Ruins of Alph last week, because you told me the odd activity coincided with the date we unsealed Diablos."

"I see...hmm..." Sorin murmured, and Kaito could practically see the wheels turning in the Altaria's mind. "But you got nothing out of that venture, right?"

Kaito nodded solemnly. "Kuro beat us to whatever was hidden within the Ruins. However, at the same time that Iris and I were checking out the Ruins of Alph, the other three were examining the Solaceon Ruins in Sinnoh. Like us, they found a hidden chamber, but unlike us, they successfully retrieved the object stored within."

"Oh?" Sorin cocked his head curiously.

"Yeah...but we had no idea what it was, and that's why I came back to this house, to check my resources, because it looked familiar. Thanks largely to Lin's sparring match with Noblesse, I have figured out what it is, and what it does," Kaito said, smiling faintly. "And I have a pretty good idea about the one Kuro grabbed, too. I'll get to that in due time, though. Now that you're more or less up to speed, I'm going to first focus on the other questions."

Sorin nodded, and Kaito turned back towards the rest of the group. It was actually a bit of a relief that Sorin didn't focus too intently on Kaito's decision to seek out and unseal a Spiritomb, although Kaito suspected that any concerns on that front would eventually be brought up to him.

"I apologize for the delay," Kaito said, gazing around at the others. "What was it that you wanted covered first? Oh right, what I know about Diablos' history?" he asked, looking over at Plasma. The Rotom visibly brightened at being addressed.

"Yup! He says he can't remember anything himself, and it's super hard to ask him stuff if he's only been around for so long."

Kaito nodded, mulling over the request for a few moments. Diablos had noted more than once that he had little to no recollection of his past, which in turn played a role in having no idea how to undo his seals. A shame, as they couldn't make much progress if Diablos' power was still so restricted. However, that meant it was still an area that had to be handled with care. If recent events were any indication, Diablos had several very potent abilities at his disposal, even with the majority of his power sealed, and to unlock them haphazardly, without a full understanding on what the consequences might be, would be a foolhardy venture.

"To start things off, it's important to understand what exactly a Spiritomb is," Kaito said, his voice even and confident, like a student who had memorized the textbook. "The concept of a Spiritomb has been referenced in myths and legends for almost as long as there have been written records. I came across one such reference many years ago, in a book of historical myths. You know...stories of strong, virtuous heroes facing off against great evils."

Even as he spoke, Kaito felt his face growing warm and flushed. Such stories were almost certainly fictional, or at least filled to the brim with creative liberties to the point that such tales would never pass for a credible reference. They were fascinating tales that had been crucial to him eventually developing his passion for the subject, and while everyone had to start somewhere, it was embarrassing to admit that his early tastes had been so childish.

"I liked those sort of things, too," Iris chimed in, her cheeks burning a little. Force chuckled and patted the Kirlia's shoulder reassuringly, but Kaito spared the psychic a small smile. Whether or not Iris was being truthful didn't really matter, but at any rate, she had definitely picked up on his embarrassment, and he appreciated her effort to diminish it.

"Glad I wasn't the only one," Kaito said pleasantly. "In one such tale, after the hero triumphed over his foe, the enemy's wicked soul was sealed within a special prison, where many others of its kind had been banished before. I was intrigued by the notion that impure souls could be contained in some fashion, and went about looking for more information on the subject."

Kaito paused to organize his thoughts again. There had been a lot of time and effort put into his original research project, but back then, he hadn't known exactly what he was looking for. The book of myths hadn't referenced the soul prison by name, and the Johto region was not quite as huge on Pokemon mythology as Sinnoh was. It was that realization that had prompted him to travel to Sinnoh, once he felt strong enough to make such a long journey, to the famous library in the western port city. There, he had discovered a treasure trove of resources surrounding the many myths of the region, and other incredibly fascinating subjects.

Back in those days, Kaito had quickly become disillusioned by how bleak the rest of the world had seemed. The ability to sense the purity and kindness in a person's heart, and a desire to spread that joy and happiness to others seemed like a wonderful ability for any Pokemon to have, but few seemed to realized how much a Togetic depended on such feelings. In the absence of a proper source of happiness and kindness, the fairy Pokemon could quickly become dispirited and moody. Reading the stories involving noble heroes setting out to right the wrongs that evil inflicted upon the land was more than just an escape from reality - it was a way for Kaito to believe that, even if those around him weren't quite as noble or ambitious, such people did exist.

"It was in Sinnoh that I really started to uncover more of the lore and history of a Spiritomb. Sinnoh is a wonderful region, overflowing with history and their mythology all woven together into an incredible tapestry that continues to grow and expand. The people and Pokemon of Sinnoh preserve the sites of past civilizations, and do everything they can to protect the relics of the past, to build a greater understanding of what came before them," Kaito murmured, his voice quickly becoming layered with enthusiasm and delight.

The Togetic took another deep breath, and his wings fluttered with greater energy. It was almost as if he had been holding onto this information for an eternity, and was only now being allowed to express it. A strange, yet powerfully liberating sensation, to have others listening with interest to the fruits of his research. However, he couldn't let that feeling distract him from the other vital points he had to touch upon.

"According to historical legend...a Spiritomb is a collection of malevolent souls that have been imprisoned together within a special stone prison, known as an Odd Keystone," Kaito explained, speaking clearly and raising his voice so that everyone could understand him. "The legend goes that Arceus herself was responsible for the original banishment of such souls, while other sources have suggested it was Giratina. The former has always seemed more likely to me, with Giratina possibly being tasked with overseeing the resulting Spiritomb."

Kaito took another deep breath, this time more because he was speaking so quickly and with such enthusiasm that he found himself running out of air if he didn't stop to take a breath. Although it was tempting to share his own interpretations of those myths and legends, it really didn't seem like it would benefit the group, and would risk him getting sidetracked without actually addressing any of their questions.

"Bear in mind, that that legend is more of an origin story for Spiritomb," Kaito continued with a small smirk. "It's rather unlikely that Arceus or another legendary Pokemon has persisted in the practice of sealing malevolent souls, particularly not in the large quantities said to be amassed within a Spiritomb's core. Most Spiritomb were probably created in exorcism rituals over the centuries, and the souls that make up its form are a mixture of human and Pokemon, or ghosts and the once-living. However, one thing that needs to be noted is that the practice of inscribing runic seals on the Keystones died out several centuries ago."

"Wait, what?" Lin jerked her head up, regarding Kaito with a mixture of interest and alarm. "So am I correct in thinking that most Spiritomb do NOT have those runes carved into the base?"

Kaito nodded, relishing that he had managed to get Lin's full attention in regards to one of his research subjects.

"That is correct. There were very few intact relics that depicted the process to create a Spiritomb. It was considered the type of ritual reserved for high-ranking religious figures and channelers, to deal with outbreaks of malicious, supernatural entities and spirits," Kaito explained. "It was a closely guarded secret known only to a select few, and the language on which the runic symbols was built on eventually died out from the public awareness with the passing of time. With so few practitioners, and almost no way for them to take on apprentices, or even for a layperson to translate the runes in a pinch, the practice of sealing them in that fashion died, and whatever records of the process were either destroyed or lost centuries ago."

"Then what was the purpose of the runic symbols originally, if they can be removed from the process like that?" Lin pressed, her forehead furrowing in puzzlement. Judging by the matching expressions on Cecilia and Force's faces, neither of them had ever seen another Spiritomb apart from Diablos. Actually, it was doubtful that any of the Pokemon present had encountered another Spiritomb, but those three were the ones that showed the most obvious reactions.

"See...that's an area I'm not entirely sure about," Kaito admitted. "Again, I must emphasize how carefully guarded this information was, and how that guardedness led to the eventual extinction of the knowledge. The last known practitioner used to live in what is now Hearthome City, but she died almost three centuries ago."

"You might not be positive, but do you have any idea, even if it's just a hunch?" Cecilia wondered.

Kaito chuckled quietly. "Traditionally, I'd assume the runes are a sealing spell of some sort, to prevent the malevolent spirits from breaking free from their prison, but after the practice died out, most Spiritomb are sealed simply by fracturing the Keystone, which prevents the Spiritomb from taking form while the stone is broken. However, reassembling the stone allows it to reform, and the spirits are still bound to the stone, even without a runic seal. With that in mind...it's probably not a binding spell. Could be some form of power inhibitor. I don't know the language, so I wouldn't be able to translate it."

"Ooh, I have a question!" Plasma interjected, waving his lightning bolt appendage wildly. Kaito blinked, but then nodded. "Would the runes be carved into the Keystone before, or after, a Spiritomb is sealed inside it?"

Kaito opened his mouth to answer, but his mind produced a blank. "I...don't actually know," he admitted, after an awkward pause. "If I had to guess, I'd say 'before'. You logically prepare the prison before trying to keep something in it."

"Another question!" Plasma chirped. "If a Spiritomb is a whole collection of different souls, how does it function? Like, is it the combination of the souls that gives it its identity, or is one soul dominant? Is it a hive mind? Is it aware of what the individual souls were before they became confined?"

Kaito blinked, and he noticed from the corner of his eye that he wasn't the only one giving Plasma a weird look. It wasn't that these were bad questions. In fact, they were extremely good questions, and reasonable things to wonder about, but coming from the strange Rotom, it wasn't clear to them why Plasma was asking such specific details about Spiritomb.

"Uh...not being a Spiritomb myself, I honestly couldn't say," Kaito admitted. "I've heard tales of it being sort of like a hive mind, with a dominant 'queen' soul and the others are like the drones, but the other things you mentioned all sound possible, like the combination producing the identity, so that each soul is like a tiny piece of the greater one. That's actually something I'd probably recommend asking Diablos himself about."

"He does seem to operate like a combined identity," Force noted. "He refers to individual souls as 'fragments', so they might be pieces making up one whole."

Kaito nodded thoughtfully. Even among members of the same species, Pokemon tended to have a massive amount of variation present in their biology and capabilities, so Kaito had rarely been concerned about how individual Spiritombs might function. It was one of those details that usually could be worked out after interacting with the individual in question, and was difficult to glean all the information from non-specific sources.

"Hold any further questions for a moment," Kaito said, raising his paw and looking around the room quickly. "These are wonderful questions, but I really want to wrap this up so we can move on. I've said before that Diablos was created for the purpose of confining the darkness of a person's heart. As you might have realized by now...this is not consistent with the average Spiritomb's origin."

Silence followed this announcement, and the rest of the group exchanged brief, uneasy glances with one another. Kaito noticed that even Celes was paying attention, from her peculiar placement directly beside the couch.

"It's noteworthy that information regarding Diablos is incredibly scarce. The few sources I could find tend to treat the entire subject as little more than an urban legend or myth, but I've found that myths and legends usually have some basis in fact, and the story on its own is rather intriguing," Kaito said softly. "Some of the story is apparently lifted from the writings of a well-known Pokemon trainer of the time period, but even that is not a perfect reassurance that the information has not been embellished, and the original writings were from over two centuries ago, so...yeah."

The Togetic paused, more to gather his thoughts again than expecting anyone to reply, although it really wouldn't have surprised him if someone did end up questioning why he trusted potentially embellished stories from centuries ago as reliable sources of information. Then again, he DID just mention that he believed myths drew some elements from fact.

"You see, the trainer was an aspiring author, always traveling to new places and documenting his findings. He hailed from Sinnoh, and was particularly drawn to long-forgotten or abandoned areas, memorial sites, graveyards, and so on. Anywhere that could be considered interesting, but others might prefer to avoid."

"So...pretty much the human version of you," Iris giggled. Force smirked appreciatively, whereas Kaito merely rolled his eyes.

"It was on one such journey that he came across a Ruins site that he had never seen before, and was not recorded on any map. As he ventured into the Ruins, he discovered a number of stone carvings, much more impressive, detailed, and ornate than most other sites he had visited before. However, he also wrote about a suspicious set of stone markers, with different material compositions than the Ruins around him," Kaito said, unable to resist speaking in a soft, mysterious whisper, like a storyteller around a campfire.

To his amusement, everyone else seemed almost completely transfixed by his words, listening without making a sound. Even Cecilia's flames seemed completely quiet, with the only sound in the room being the faint humming sound coming from the electric membrane surrounding the Rotom's body.

"When he examined the markers, he found that they were depictions of different forms of confinement, usually indicating a spirit of some sort imprisoned within the objects, and written in text he could not decipher. He also wrote of strange, partially fractured stone molds scattered around the chamber, like a potter gradually learning the skill, but discarding innumerable failed efforts."

Kaito let the words hang in the air for a moment, long enough to cause Iris to fidget with anxiety, and for Lin to frown thoughtfully. He wasn't really trying to draw out the suspense, but rather to have them think about the implications of what that might mean.

"Here's where the pieces start coming together now," Kaito continued, dropping the storyteller tone in favor of his normal speaking voice. "Diablos' Keystone may be a more unique construction, an experimental model, if you can imagine. There is another artifact, that allegedly was taken from that condemned chamber of Mt. Coronet, several years ago, that I managed to track down and have translated. It was a...sloppy translation, I'll admit."

"Right, I remember," Force grumbled. "Somehow mistranslated 'possesses people so they kill innocents' into 'is totally a nice guy'."

Lin snorted loudly before clamping her paw over her mouth to stifle the sound, mortified. Everyone spared the Weavile a momentary look (or glare, in the case of Cecilia and Force) before returning their gaze to Kaito, who rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yes, a...small error. Based on the translation-"

"Behold, the poster child for accuracy," Force grumbled.

"...does not absorb souls in its entirety, but rather, siphons the darkness within one's heart," Kaito continued, paying no attention to Force's interruption. "The darkness then becomes one with him."

"And vice versa," Force insisted, crossing his arms. "That tiny piece left in me because Lin broke it, he said it couldn't be removed because it was nourished by my inner darkness, and was more mine than his. So, I guess it became one with me."

"Wait, do you still have the whole soul?" Kaito wondered, sudden curiosity overtaking him. "Iris said Diablos united the pieces within you, right? What happened to that?"

Force blinked, uncrossing his arms and glancing down at his chest, as if expecting to see some obvious indication of one of Diablos' souls still within him. He murmured something to Iris, and the Kirlia moved out of the chair, watching him warily. The Lucario took a deep breath and brought his paw closer to his chest, before intensely powerful blue aura flames erupted from his paw, leaping up so forcefully that the Lucario yelped in surprise and pulled his paw away, even as the flames extinguished.

"...holy shit, that was powerful," he panted.

"You're evolved. Your aura abilities should be drastically stronger...but you'd have none of the control," Lin mused. "Hm...they're even stronger than the time you blasted a hole in that tree."

"When was that?" Cecilia wondered, but Lin waved the question away impatiently.

Force took another breath, focusing more intently on his paw before restoring the aura glow to his paw. As he brought it closer to his chest, the light intensified, and Force narrowed his eyes. After several long, awkward seconds, the aura disappeared, and he just stared at his paw blankly.

"It's...gone," he said, his voice hollow with disbelief. "Completely. Not even a trace left of it."

"Diablos said it got destroyed!" Plasma chirped, and Iris' pink eyes widened.

"That's right," she marveled. "After Force got hit, that glowing soul emerged and shattered...fizzling away like embers."

"Hold up a second," Sorin interjected, and Kaito looked over at the Altaria, who was frowning to himself. "So in that book or whatever, the guy from Sinnoh found these suspicious ruins that no one knew about, and no maps covered the area...but you found corresponding information from something originally found in Mt. Coronet? What on earth was it doing there? It makes no sense."

"Ha, that same inconsistency is how I figured out the broken Keystone piece was in that chamber," Kaito chuckled quietly. "For that matter, why was Diablos' Keystone broken in the first place, if it had the runes written on it?"

"Yeah?" Cecilia prompted, clearly unwilling to let Kaito delay in answering the question.

The Togetic sighed. "The Ruins the story mentions? It's the site where Diablos' Keystone was made. The Sinjoh Ruins."

There was absolute silence following this statement. For that matter, the silence went on for far longer than Kaito expected. He blinked and glanced around expectantly, his expression falling when he saw nothing but blank looks staring back at him.

"Okay, that would have been infinitely more dramatic...if any of us had the slightest idea what that meant," Lin noted dryly. "How would you even know where the Keystone was made?"

Kaito sighed again, pressing his paw against his face. "It's a section of Ruins said to be a connecting point between Johto and Sinnoh, and closely tied to both Arceus and Unown. More importantly, there is said to be a mysterious power contained within the central chamber, with some believing it is the power to shape or reform the world."

"That's not something anyone should be messing around with," Sorin commented grimly.

Kaito nodded solemnly. "Agreed. But that's what Kuro plans to use it for."


	81. Unveiling Answers

At Kaito's insistence, the group agreed to take a short break for lunch before resuming the discussion. There was only so much exposition that Kaito was comfortable relaying in one sitting, and he needed some time to reorganize his thoughts without the pressure that came with being in the spotlight.

Sitting alone in the reading room, Kaito flipped through the pages of a book idly, not really concentrating on the printed words and instead replaying the earlier discussion over in his mind. For something that really shouldn't have been difficult, it was astonishing how badly he had been proven wrong. Even with his efforts to keep the information direct and to the point, he doubted he had been particularly successful, and that was why he had called for a break when he had.

The first topic to focus on had been about Diablos' history, but all he had really revealed was the basic nature of Spiritomb in general, and a possibly embellished tale of a man's eerie visit to the Sinjoh Ruins roughly two hundred years ago. Nothing really provided concrete evidence of Diablos' history or his capabilities. So what exactly was he forgetting, or failing, to tell them about?

The answer came to him immediately, but in the process, it caused him a jolt of pain within his chest. It all came down to Kuro. He hadn't told them beforehand about Kuro's involvement, and so it made his written sources look like ignorant leaps of logic or assumptions, as if he was so gullible to believe every fairy tale that so much as hinted about a conclusion he was already hoping to have confirmed.

The Togetic reclined against his chair and heaved a sigh so heavy that it felt like gravity was increasing upon him. Even now, years later, it was difficult to talk about the Zoroark to his peers. It was emotionally draining to dredge up the memories of the feud that eventually broke them apart, or even to relive the happier experiences of working and studying alongside one another, with mutual ambitions about how to repair the bleakness they both saw in the world.

Kaito was not a psychiatrist. There was no way he could ever hope to analyze and dissect his feelings and actions to self-diagnose the reasons behind his reluctance to share his history with the others. Sorin didn't even know much on the subject, yet they were normally very open with one another. Or maybe that was just Kaito telling himself they were, when in reality it was only Sorin that was being open. The Altaria had shared with him all the details regarding his initial encounter with Inferna, and where that incident spiraled off to, and all the stress and emotional difficulties he endured over the years. Sorin didn't wear his heart on his sleeve, so to speak, but he wasn't one to completely shy away from the reality, either.

To make matters worse, Kaito knew it was inevitable that he would need to touch upon his history with the enigmatic Zoroark, because so many details were aligned with this information. The prospect of admitting that Kuro had played such a large role in Kaito's decision to seek out Diablos was incredibly painful.

A light tapping from the doorway of the room jolted Kaito from his thoughts and he looked up. Iris was standing awkwardly just within the room, her eyes bright with concern. More surprising was that Force did not seem to be accompanying her at the moment, although Kaito assumed the Lucario was still too fatigued from his recent evolution to move around very much.

"You okay, Kaito?" Iris asked. The Togetic blinked, but then nodded silently. The Kirlia bit her lip uncertainly, before gesturing towards the opposite armchair in the room. "Um...may I?"

"Suit yourself," Kaito replied dully. Iris smiled weakly before making her way over to the chair and sitting down. Kaito cast the Kirlia a puzzled look, but shrugged. Iris was relatively shy, but could reliably overcome this issue when she had something pressing to talk about. There was no other reason he could think of for her to join him in this room, as opposed to sticking close to Force or one of the others.

Iris remained quiet for a little while, merely looking around the room, but her eyes darted towards Kaito whenever she thought he wouldn't notice. A nearly impossible feat, considering how her presence had already broken his train of thought, and how obvious it was to him that she wanted something.

"Um...have you eaten anything?" Iris ventured finally, once it was apparent that Kaito was already onto her. The Togetic nodded and gestured to the half-eaten sandwich set on a nearby plate. "That's all?" Iris asked, frowning uncertainly. "I just...worry that you sometimes get so into whatever you're doing that you neglect to eat..."

Kaito smiled briefly. In an effort to ease her worries, he picked up the sandwich and took another bite, continuing in this fashion until he had finished the remainder of his lunch. Once his mouth was empty, he smiled again. "I appreciate your concern, Iris, but I'm fine. I usually keep something nearby so that I don't forget to eat."

"That's good, at least," Iris answered. She studied him in silence for a few moments, giving Kaito the opportunity to set the empty plate off to the side.

"Did the others send you to get me to hurry up or something?" Kaito asked blandly. Iris blinked.

"What? O-oh, no, nothing like that," she stammered, fidgeting with her paws for a moment. "B-but I did want to talk to you about something."

"Hm?" Kaito peered over at the Kirlia. Although her nervousness had definitely resurfaced since she entered the room, he had no reason to doubt her sincerity. "Go ahead. What's up?"

Iris hesitated for a moment before relaxing her paws. "Well, um, the others and I were talking a little bit, and we think maybe you were kind of...struggling. We know you were making an effort to tell us what we were asking, but...you seemed like you were having a hard time with it."

Kaito shrugged. There really wasn't much he could say in reply to that. He had definitely been struggling, but admitting as much served no purpose, because he couldn't tell what Iris was getting at. Was this supposed to be a criticism, random commentary, or something else? It seemed odd for Iris to personally approach him if it was a criticism, because surely Cecilia, Lin, or even Force would gladly scold him over his failure to communicate the important details.

Iris could probably sense his uncertainty, because she gave him a brief, reassuring smile, like a private sign that she knew what he was feeling, but that his concerns were unwarranted.

"Um...well, it got me to thinking, and I'm sorry if I'm jumping to conclusions but...do you actually know anything about Diablos' history?"

Kaito's body stiffened, and he mentally cursed himself for reacting in such an obvious way. Iris' expression was non-judgmental, but he could read it in her eyes that his tension had not escaped her notice. Still, she gazed at him patiently, awaiting a verbal answer.

The Togetic sighed, and closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, his eyes were dull, heavy with the sense of defeat. "I barely know anything," he admitted softly, avoiding the Kirlia's gaze.

"...why wouldn't you just say that before?" Iris asked, leaning forward and lowering her voice to a whisper. "Why give us the impression you're sitting on tons of information, when you're really not?"

"I DO have tons of information," Kaito insisted. "Just not about his history. Diablos was never relevant on a larger scale. Barely anyone even knew of his existence to record that information somewhere! Everything I know about him is something I've scraped together from half a dozen different sources, but that was enough for me at the time."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked, an uncertain frown beginning to sour her countenance. "You don't have to go in-depth, but...just tell me what you DO know about him."

Kaito sighed, massaging his forehead with both paws. Iris again sat in silence, waiting patiently for his response.

"Diablos is a ghostly spirit, contained within a cursed prison to restrict his powers," Kaito murmured, speaking barely above a whisper, so that Iris had to lean in closer to hear him. "He has the ability to expose and purge the darkness that stains a person's heart, with the intent of cleansing the world of evil. As his name suggests, he has been viewed as a demon, feared by those whose hearts are exposed by his power."

"Okay, good start," Iris said, nodding along with Kaito's words. "What else?"

"The exact process that gave birth to Diablos' current form is shrouded in mystery, but it is definitely an imitation of the original Spiritomb sealing ritual," Kaito continued tonelessly. "There is reliable evidence to suggest the Keystone was constructed within the Sinjoh Ruins roughly two hundred years ago, and that it was likewise fractured there."

"Reliable evidence? Like what?" Iris asked. Kaito practically cringed, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to proceed.

"The written account I mentioned earlier had more details," he said carefully, but Iris made no attempt to criticize the source. "When he explored deeper into the Ruins, he discovered that the centermost chamber was sealed off by a barrier that nothing could penetrate, and that the atmosphere was eerie and foreboding, as if innumerable eyes were upon him. The greatest indication, however, was an ominous and chilling sensation that gripped his heart and filled his mind with uneasiness, a pressure unlikely anything he had ever felt before. His hands shook fiercely as he attempted to record these feelings in his journal, and he later encountered a strange Pokemon he had never seen before. All he could describe was that it wielded ghostly abilities, and had eerie, green eyes with yellow pupils. Even his journal labeled it a demon, saying that it could appear and disappear at will, transporting instantaneously to another location."

"And that's...reliable?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Do you have another explanation for how the description perfectly fits a certain Spiritomb?" Kaito asked, folding his arms over his chest. "I researched the author, and he definitely DID exist, just over two hundred years ago. He had a number of other works published and preserved before this one, and many of his writings are treated as non-fiction, or historical fiction. It also matches the time frame of other artifacts and sources that reference Diablos."

"So...you just read about a Spiritomb that supposedly has this power, and decided, without question, to try to find him and unseal him?" Iris asked seriously.

"Most of my research was more generic than that. Diablos was the end goal, but not the only possibility I was looking for. I had to go through dozens of dead-end hunches or ideas," Kaito countered. "Diablos' presence leaves a strange signature, you might have noticed. The ominous sense of unease that clutches at your heart, as reported in the story. I was looking for artifacts, relics, and locations that were reported to cause such a sensation, or otherwise seemed to be an omen."

"Okay, that makes a little more sense," Iris admitted. "But wait...Force and the others did find the Keystone piece in Mt. Coronet. Um...what WAS it doing there? And the main piece was in the Chateau attic."

Kaito nodded. "The Old Chateau is a place that has consistently given off the vibe of being haunted. I had little reason to believe it would contain the Keystone or its broken piece, but I investigated it regardless. The condemned chamber, however, was a definite hit on my radar, because it was directly associated with a Sinnoh Ruins site. The Sinjoh Ruins, you see...is connected with Johto and Sinnoh, and the power of Unown and even Arceus. Unown are frequently connected with ancient ruins, and have incredible powers, including, but not limited to teleportation and illusions."

"Okay, sort of with you so far," Iris said slowly.

"It's the connection with Arceus that intrigues me. The written account describes the Sinjoh Ruins as being incredibly ornate, and in good repair, despite its age, to the point where several stone depictions and discarded stone molds felt incredible out of place. It seems to me that in addition to normally being uninhabited, the Ruins are probably routinely cleansed, so as not to dilute the atmosphere of the place," Kaito explained eagerly. "It's very possible that the energy within the Ruins, in connection to the Unown, remove 'junk' from the sacred halls, and that the displaced objects may emerge in another area of the world with similar energy."

"Uh...do Unown actually do that sort of thing?" Iris wondered curiously. "The whole glorified janitor thing?"

"On occasion," Kaito answered with a shrug. "With that possibility in mind, a collector of sorts might have eventually come across the Keystone base, and it eventually ended up abandoned in the Chateau attic, whereas the broken shard remained hidden deep in the underground caverns of the mountain."

Iris squinted at Kaito. "Is there something else involved? Because I still get the feeling you're navigating around something, and you looked really bothered by whatever was on your mind."

Kaito sighed. "The rest...I should probably discuss with everyone, and not just you. It's about Kuro, if you must know."

"Oh," the Kirlia paused, biting her lip. "Um...I'm going to go back and talk to the others a bit, kind of fill them in on what you told me, so that...maybe you'll have an easier time with the rest of the discussion."

Kaito chuckled, shaking his head. "Was that really your intention all along? To nudge me into spilling stuff to you?"

Iris giggled softly. "Kind of. You usually have an easier time explaining things one-on-one, but flounder when dealing with more than that. And if I understand your answers, I can tell Force, who can convey it with the others better than I can."

"How...thoughtful of you," Kaito mused, reclining back in the armchair again. "Carry on, then."

Iris smiled and stood up from the chair, making her way to the door, but she paused at the last moment. "Um...are you sure you've had enough to eat? I can get you something..."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine," the Togetic replied. Iris nodded and left the room, once again leaving Kaito alone with his thoughts. Until now, it had never really crossed his mind that he had an easier time explaining himself to one individual, as opposed to a group. At the same time, it made a great deal of sense. Something for him to keep in mind for the future, in case he ever needed to divulge a lot of information at once. Even more interesting was that Iris evidently knew this about him, and had either volunteered or been selected by the others to approach him for this purpose.

Something to think about.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Kaito emerged from the reading room, only to find the rest of the group already waiting for him. He groaned internally, making his way across the room, taking note that almost everyone had changed seating arrangements. Sorin had settled on the couch, and possibly had insisted on Celes doing the same, because her fur was slightly bristled as if she had fought against this arrangement with every fiber of her being, and she looked more flighty than usual.

Lin had taken over Force's armchair, while the Lucario was sitting in Celes' previous spot, his back pressed against the side of the couch. Cecilia was comfortably sprawled out on the floor where Sorin had been in the previous conversation, and Iris was seated next to Celes, clearly making an effort to get the Flareon to relax. Plasma seemed to be absent entirely, although Kaito wasn't sure how much stock to place on that one.

"Okay, I'm back," Kaito announced. He glanced towards Iris. "Have you filled them in?"

"Yup!" the Kirlia replied brightly.

"Good, that'll make this easier," Kaito sighed, moving to take his place on the far side of the living area, so that the others essentially formed a semi-circle around him, with the wall at his back.

He gazed around the room briefly, uncomfortably aware that he had almost everyone's undivided attention. The break must have done them a lot of good, because even Force seemed more alert, and the earlier vibe of restlessness on Cecilia's end had disappeared.

"Um...you wanted to talk about Kuro next, right?" Iris prompted awkwardly, and Kaito nodded solemnly, although he flashed the Kirlia a grateful smile. The prompting alone would make it much easier to start things off.

"All right. For those who don't know of him, Kuro is an old friend of mine. He's a Zoroark with an overactive flair for the dramatic, and a master illusionist, adopted and trained by an alphabet of Unown."

"Wait, an 'alphabet' of Unown?" Force echoed, amused. "Is that actually the official term for a group of them?"

"Does it really matter?" Kaito asked wearily.

"Well, now you're just making us curious," Cecilia chimed in from the floor, and Kaito pressed his paw to his face in exasperation. "Even Lin's curious, because she hasn't snapped her claws to make us shut up, yet."

"Fine, it's the official term," Kaito deadpanned. "Even if it's not, it's the term I'm using. Let's move on. All you really need to know about Kuro is that he and I shared a similar ambition - the desire to change what we perceived to be a bleak and uncaring world. We exchanged a number of resources during our friendship, and it is by his doing that I uncovered many of my early leads regarding Diablos."

"W-wait...does Kuro know about Diablos?" Iris asked, her eyes suddenly widening in concern.

"Er...kind of, yeah," Kaito admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "He knows for sure that it's what I was researching, but we split up before it really got off the ground. Why?"

"Because, don't you remember?" Iris asked, biting her lip. "Back at the Ruins, he asked if we found something deep in Mt. Coronet. But how would he have known anything was there?"

Kaito blinked. "Uh...well, he does have the Unown supporting him, and it would fit my theory of how Unown displace 'junk' from sacred sites, but...I don't actually know if Kuro benefits directly from that information. I assumed he was taunting my lack of progress. He had just outmaneuvered me, in his words, after all."

"But he said he was the reason behind the weird Ruins activity. Is it REALLY a coincidence it happened at the same time we unsealed Diablos?" Iris insisted nervously. "If he knew we found the Keystone shard?"

"I don't know, Iris," Kaito answered seriously. "I really don't...and that worries me."

"What is Kuro even after?" Sorin asked, with a firmness to his tone that immediately caused a flutter of anxiety within Kaito's gut. Clearly, the Altaria had not forgotten the Zoroark's association with Inferna.

"Unfortunately, there's only so much about his agenda that I know for a fact," Kaito admitted with a sigh. Although he and the Zoroark had worked with similar ambitions and goals in mind, they argued not only over their ultimate objectives, but also the means by which to achieve them. In the intervening time since they had last cooperated, innumerable things could have changed, or the details altered. "As an aspiring entertainer and illusionist, Kuro conceals the truth behind the curtain of his performance act, while concealing other things with the illusions themselves."

"Give it your best shot, then," Sorin retorted. Kaito nodded and took another deep breath, doing what he could to calm his jumpy nerves. Although Sorin was a close friend, it would be foolish to forget that he was a Dragon-type Pokemon, and instinctively protective of those he cared about, with Ember serving as a prime example of that.

"Kuro's studies have often dwelled on the power contained within emotions," Kaito said carefully. "He has at times claimed that he does not have emotions of his own, and instead immerses himself completely to the role he serves within his performances. I'm not even sure if he's exaggerating that claim...for he barely registers on an emotional level. I do not sense his presence when he is hidden, and neither, apparently, does Iris."

"That's concerning on many levels," Lin noted seriously. "A potential enemy that can disguise himself without detection? Would he likewise be immune to Force's aura?"

"Force doesn't set his 'radar' to pick up everything," Cecilia pointed out. "Usually he only uses his aura to track things he's looking for."

"I'm right here, you know," Force said pleasantly.

"I know you are," Cecilia giggled. "I'm not wrong though, am I?"

"No," the Lucario admitted. Further commentary was interrupted by Lin snapping her claws.

"Oh come on!" Cecilia protested. "We're answering YOUR question!"

Kaito groaned and shook his head. There were definitely times when Cecilia's perkier personality was more of a detriment than the blessing he liked to think of it as, but either way, he didn't want to get sidetracked over something trivial.

"It gets a bit worse, actually," Kaito continued, glancing over at Lin. "Kuro's talents make him very adaptable, and because he conceals his true agenda, it is difficult to read whether he is telling the truth, exaggerating, or outright lying. In spite of this, I do not believe manipulation is his strong suit. He has a fondness for stage performances, and in stage shows, characters rarely outright lie, at least without indicating to the audience that they are doing so."

"I'm not trying to criticize you here, Kaito, but is it REALLY a good idea to dismiss the notion of deception purely on the ideas that inspire someone, or the needs of their job?" Sorin asked, frowning. "I see no reason why an actor would not be willing to lie in their personal life. If anything, I think it'd be EASIER to conceal his tells, because stage magicians and performers, like Noblesse, are often very grandiose and gesture a lot, to distract you from the subtle details that give things away."

"I'll concede that point," Kaito replied. "In that vein, I advise caution. Kuro rarely disguises himself directly, in favor of concealing himself entirely beneath an illusion, but he is very good at mimicry. To him, a disguise is just another character role."

"So...could he hypothetically be disguised as one of us?" Lin asked.

The Togetic paused for a second. "Hypothetically, yes, but I don't think there's much risk of that. We're a bit too closely knit for him to realistically infiltrate our group disguised as one of our own, and he'd have better luck merely concealing his presence and moving about unseen."

"Not something to entirely disregard, either," Sorin noted. "It gives reason to be reasonably wary of outsiders that...no, I mean outsiders OTHER than Celes, thank you."

It took Kaito a moment to realize that it was actually the Flareon herself who had prompted Sorin's sudden backpedaling, as she was giving the Altaria an incredulous glare, whereas everyone else had been accepting Sorin's comment at face value, without so much as batting an eye over the fact they already had an outsider in their midst.

This actually struck Kaito as amusingly ironic, because no one present really even knew Celes that well, and there was that period of time after Lin's spar when Celes was unaccompanied by someone in their group. Then again, Celes and Sorin had been chatting a little when Kaito had come by to retrieve them, so that conversation might have been enough for Sorin to remain confident that Celes was not being impersonated.

"Anyway, when it comes to Kuro's goals...I have good reason to believe it is heavily rooted in the Sinjoh Ruins. The centermost chamber is said to be sealed somehow, and I believe much of Kuro's research and experimentation is to uncover the means by which to dispel that barrier," Kaito said seriously. "When we worked together, we uncovered information about certain seals and doors with the most peculiar unlocking conditions. There is allegedly a hidden Ruins chamber in Hoenn that unlocks only if you stand completely still for two minutes, or if you do other ridiculously arbitrary actions. In some sites, there are hidden chambers only accessible if you expose the area to light, or fire...or ghostly energy."

Lin blinked. "The Mt. Coronet chamber...Diablos' Keystone piece was found when I used Shadow Claw," she said.

"One such example, yes," Kaito agreed, and he smiled faintly. "Such things fascinated us. The idea that, even within discovered Ruins, more secrets could be uncovered, and only haven't because the means to unlock those doors has been too obscure. Secret chambers, hidden doors, undiscovered relics...all still hidden because no realizes it's there."

Kaito allowed for several moments of silence for the others to digest his words. Even without saying so directly, surely many of them were starting to realize why Kaito had insisted they visit so many different sites all over Sinnoh. It wasn't just about following a hunch - it was searching for any indication of something that had not yet been found, and lay hidden.

"Kuro has the advantage of the Unown when it comes to such sites," Kaito continued softly. "They are like a family to him, but families don't share all their secrets, so he doesn't get a free pass to the reward. The odd activity at the Ruins were to lure others to the site, so that they could unlock the hidden door on Kuro's behalf. It was sealed by an emotional lock, according to him...requiring the individual to feel pure anger."

Sorin cursed under his breath, his eyes widening with sudden realization. Celes gave the Altaria a resentful look, seemingly irked by the cloud dragon's choice of phrasing, but she made no comment.

"Wait...are you telling me that Kuro might have literally planned out the events at the Ruins in such a way to manipulate Ember into opening that hidden chamber?" Sorin asked.

"That...might be giving him too much credit," Kaito replied, giving the Altaria a curious look. "What's your thought process here?"

"Well...the activity started on December seventeenth, a...very significant date," Sorin said, becoming momentarily flustered, as if convinced Kaito was about to point out his tactless comment from the previous week, but the Togetic said nothing. "Such activity would draw in scientists and media sources, and if they did find the door and open it, Kuro would get what he was after, and if they didn't, the media coverage might eventually draw Adrian in."

"So far, that's reasonable, if a small stretch due to the number of variables involved," Kaito agreed.

"Well...that IS what happened," Sorin pointed out. "But Adrian didn't find anything either, but you remember what happened next?"

"Um...the, uh, Unown appeared," Iris supplied.

"And...led us to that wall," Kaito conceded, frowning. Was it possible that Kuro had recognized the opportunity, and had persuaded the Unown to lead them towards the hidden room? It seemed like the most fitting explanation.

"And the trigger to setting Ember off was the mention of the date the activity started," Sorin continued, starting to scowl now. "Kuro's been working with Inferna. It makes me almost positive that the activity starting on that date is not a coincidence. He probably didn't count on it taking three months for Adrian to be sent out, though. Ember's just as moody during winter."

"And...Kuro did seem fixated on Ember...inside that chamber," Iris added. Kaito's eyes widened and he quickly made throat-slashing gestures towards Iris, trying desperately to communicate without words that she wasn't supposed to mention that. The Kirlia stopped, looking perplexed, but the damage was already done.

"...what exactly do you mean by him being...fixated...on her?" Sorin asked. His voice was calm and level, but his body had tensed, and Iris twitched, no doubt picking up on the Altaria's emotional shift.

"Um...I mean like, he...congratulated her on it and...um..." the Kirlia's voice faltered, and she cast a pleading look in Kaito's direction. The Togetic cringed.

"It was...more akin to...taunting her and um...ambiguously flirting," Kaito admitted. "She...did not like that."

"Uh huh...so he knew she was in heat, and was pissing her off on purpose. Is that about right?" Sorin asked, the aggressiveness in his body language unambiguous now, although it was clearly not directed at Kaito, nor anyone else physically present in the room.

"He wanted to fight her for some reason," Kaito explained quickly.

"Testing her mettle to report it to Inferna, I wager. And that's how Inferna knew Ember inherited Dragon Dance," Sorin mused. "And then when Ember came across Inferna, he was there to prevent interference. For the love of...how much of this did he plan out ahead of time? What the hell does he want from her?!"

"I'm so lost right now," Iris practically whimpered. "Why is Ember so significant to you guys?"

"Still don't know who Inferna is, either," Lin pointed out, sounding slightly annoyed by the fact.

"Meanwhile, nothing anyone has said for the past five minutes made ANY sense to me," Force said nonchalantly. "Am I really that out of the loop?"

"You really are," Cecilia giggled. "Not even kidding, either."

Kaito groaned, pressing both paws to his face. Finally, he looked over at Sorin, his voice weary. "You want to quickly clear things up for the others, Sorin? It's not my place to share that information."

Sorin rolled his eyes, his expression sour, but he nodded and took a soothing breath before looking past Celes towards Iris. "Just promise not to ask follow-up questions right now, okay? I don't want to talk about it."

"Um...okay," Iris mumbled. Sorin studied the Kirlia silently for a moment, and then sighed.

"Ember's my daughter."

Iris blinked, her expression first taking on the look of mild surprise, before the realizations truly started to dawn on her, and her mouth fell open.

"And Inferna?" Lin prompted impatiently. Kaito rolled his eyes. Of course the revelation would have no effect on Lin whatsoever - she had only met Sorin earlier that day, so the discovery he had a daughter was of little to no consequence.

"That would be Ember's mother," Sorin deadpanned. "She's a Charmeleon, wields a vicious claw-battling style. Abandoned us a week after Ember was born. No more questions!"

The last statement wasn't shouted, but was said in such an uncharacteristically firm tone that even Lin nearly flinched. Unsurprisingly, Cecilia and Celes seemed the least taken aback by the Altaria's tone, confirming in Kaito's eyes, that Sorin really had disclosed the details of his past with the two of them.

Sorin glared around the room, as if expecting to see someone still eager to ask for more details, before refocusing on Kaito. "What does Kuro want from her?" he repeated.

"I wouldn't have known originally, but I think I can guess now," Kaito said seriously. "But before I get into that, I'll have to touch upon what I've found out after Lin's spar with Noblesse. I promise you that this will connect with your questions, and my previous explanation."

"Fine, go for it," Sorin grumbled.

"I mentioned before that, when Iris and I went to the Ruins of Alph, the others went to the Solaceon Ruins in Sinnoh, and managed to retrieve a peculiar stone from within a hidden chamber," Kaito said. "I came back here to find out more, but it wasn't until Lin's sparring match that the connection clicked...and Force's situation this morning confirmed my suspicions."

"Yeah? I'm all ears," Force prompted. Kaito smiled at the trace of impatient interest within the evolved aura Pokemon's voice.

"The stone that you three retrieved is most likely a Lucarionite," Kaito said. Yeah, he didn't expect anyone to comprehend the significance from that statement alone, although Lin seemed less puzzled, probably by virtue of facing Noblesse earlier. "It is a member of a set of rare stones known collectively as Mega Stones, and when wielded by the corresponding Pokemon, they can achieve a temporary form of evolution known as 'Mega Evolution'."

"Mega Evolution...that term does sound vaguely familiar," Sorin mused. Force was still looking confused, but the others all seemed to be trying to remember where they might have heard the term previously. One by one, they each shrugged and refocused on Kaito, allowing him to resume the explanation.

"Mega Evolution is still a subject that is being studied by trainers and scientists around the globe, as another form of how Pokemon can tap into their inherent potential and advance beyond their previous limits," Kaito continued, his tone becoming more enthusiastic as he spoke. "Current research has indicated that in order to fulfill the conditions for Mega Evolution, the Pokemon must have the corresponding Mega Stone, and their trainer must have a special Key Stone. The Key Stone's purpose is allegedly to act as a medium between the Pokemon and its trainer, allowing for the Mega Stone's energy to be used in a controlled fashion."

"Hmm...so it's a safeguard?" Sorin asked.

"To my understanding, yes," Kaito answered. "Mega Stones contain an incredible amount of power within them, and using that energy has a profound effect on the Pokemon's mind and body, in addition to triggering a physical transformation. Without that safeguard, that energy could easily overwhelm the Pokemon. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a strong bond between the trainer and the Pokemon is necessary...which has a logic to it, while probably not being entirely true."

"What do you mean, not entirely true?" Cecilia asked, scrunching her face in confusion. Kaito could tell that some of his explanation was still going above their heads a little, but hopefully things were becoming clearer as he went on.

"As with many types of instructions, procedures, or safety precautions, there is a line between 'absolutely necessary' and 'strongly encouraged'. In the former, something will literally not function if that aspect if lacking, whereas in the latter, it can function, but is more hazardous or less effective," Kaito answered. He was already drifting into hypotheticals now, and he really wished that he had spent more time studying the subject over the years, because his refresher course this morning had caused him to realize just how deep and interesting the subject's potential was. He had only neglected it previously on the basis that he himself could not wield Mega Evolution.

"...did that actually answer my question?" Cecilia asked.

"I don't know enough to give a concrete answer," Kaito admitted. "But...Noblesse achieved Mega Evolution against Lin without his trainer even physically present, which indicates that the criteria is more flexible than my book lets on. It stated that the Key Stone is necessary to activate the stone, but Noblesse did not require it. It said a bond was needed, but the human was not present."

"Perhaps...but then what might the minimum criteria need to be?" Lin asked quietly, but her red eyes flashed with interest. "Noblesse achieved it with only the stone, so that logically is the one true requirement, as he brought it along specially. You said a Key Stone acts as a safeguard...suggesting that it, too, is unneeded, but the energy is much more dangerous without it. As for a bond...what might substitute there?"

Silence followed this statement, as everyone, even Celes, paused to consider the question.

"Focus," Force said, so abruptly that all eyes turned to him. The Lucario blinked, perplexed by the reaction. "It's what Astrid was saying to me, wasn't it? My mental and emotional state was wrong, so I was getting overwhelmed. Plus I apparently shouldn't have been using it at all."

"Hm...that makes a lot of sense, actually," Kaito admitted, and Force smiled weakly. "A bond with a trainer would probably allow you not to worry as much. Putting trust in another to look out for you and have your back, so that you can focus entirely on controlling your power."

"That fits with Noblesse as well," Lin agreed, her eyes glazed over as she recalled the situation. "He took a moment to focus...but even then, the effort seemed to cause him physical pain. But what was he reciting?"

"I don't know. I could barely hear him at all," Kaito answered with a shrug. "Maybe a mantra to help his focus?"

Sorin cleared his throat loudly, and the Togetic flinched. "This is fascinating, but where are we going with this?" the Altaria prompted.

"Sorry," Kaito muttered, taking a moment to remember where he had left off before getting sidetracked by the details. "This really does come full circle, though. Assuming the Ruins of Alph and the Solaceon Ruins are parallels, as we assumed, it suggests to me that what Kuro retrieved from the Ruins of Alph might be a similar artifact to what was found in the Solaceon Ruins. Now, the next bit is guesswork, but I think I'm onto something."

"I'm listening," Sorin said flatly.

"At the Ruins of Alph, when he challenged Ember, Kuro wagered whatever it was he found, but...seeing as no one other than him knew what it was, and Ember probably couldn't care less, he didn't actually cough up when he lost," Kaito explained. "It occurs to me that MAYBE Kuro was aiming for two things. The first was to test her strength, as you said, and the second...was probably to test her emotional state. He was trying to rile her up the whole time, but he didn't really succeed. She beat him too quickly and too easily."

Kaito paused, gathering his thoughts together. In truth, this theory of his had only just come to him over the break, when he was dwelling on Kuro's agenda and how he might proceed in the near future. Based on what Noblesse had said after the spar, he had a pretty good hunch of what to expect, even if he wasn't sure what exactly the Zoroark was aiming for.

"Bear with me on this one...but he next might have helped arrange Ember and Inferna's rematch. Such a personal conflict would be sure to push Ember to her emotional limits...and you even told me it did, but she lost," Kaito said. Sorin nodded, his expression stony. "That sort of conflict fits with Kuro's interests about the power drawn from emotions, but more specifically, drawn from NEGATIVE emotions. Anger, hatred, so on and so forth."

"Right. But why is he focusing on Ember specifically?" Sorin demanded. "There's probably dozens of other people or Pokemon to use as a testing ground for negative emotions. People are filled with bitterness, fear, and other such things. Why Ember?"

Kaito frowned, internally debating whether he actually wanted to make this suggestion, but the look Sorin gave him was more than answer enough - the Altaria wanted ALL the information Kaito might have, even if it bordered on hypothetical guesswork.

"Because, Ember is part-dragon," Kaito said softly. "Dragons have a reputation for growing and maturing slowly, but having an incredible amount of power within them, in addition to a powerful instinctive drive to protect what they value at all costs. Her history and lineage make her emotions significantly more potent, but there's another angle here, too."

"And what's that?" Sorin demanded, visibly losing patience with Kaito's hesitation to just spit out what he was trying to say.

"Inferna herself," Kaito answered solemnly. "I think Kuro gave what he found to Inferna. As for what he found...I think it's a Charizardite."

"A...what?" Sorin sputtered.

"Charizardite. A Mega Stone connected to a Charizard," Kaito said seriously.

"That doesn't make sense, though," Sorin argued. "Neither Ember nor Inferna are Charizard."

"Yet," Kaito corrected. Sorin stared at him. "Force had a Lucarionite before evolving, and he could tap into its energy. It was...incredibly dangerous to do so, because of his unevolved body and unstable emotional state, but that's what worries me about Kuro. He tried to rile up Ember in exchange for an unidentified prize, and when it failed, he helped set up an emotional rematch with another member of the same evolutionary line. Kuro doesn't do things just for giggles, Sorin. He wanted to achieve something, and both times, it revolved around Ember's negative emotions during battle."

"Okay, let's say you're right, for argument's sake, and Kuro did find a Charizardite, and gave it to Inferna, rather than Ember, who would be a better test subject for whether volatile emotions give a power surge," Sorin said seriously. "What's his aim?"

Kaito hesitated, but the answer came to him almost immediately. "Conflict. You've said Inferna is vicious, but calm and cold in battle. If Ember's hatred of Inferna let her get the upper hand, do you think she'd remain calm for long?"

Sorin paused, then shook his head.

"That's the control variable," Kaito said. "Inferna will stay calm so long as Ember can't beat her. But if Ember's negative emotions prove stronger, Inferna's emotions would become unstable, and possibly trigger the Mega Stone's energy. Kuro would know neither of them can handle the full energy, and it's less risky for the older, more powerful Pokemon to experience backlash than the younger, unevolved one."

"...is Kuro a sociopath?" Iris asked, her mouth hanging open as she listened to the exchange.

"Almost sounds like it," Sorin scoffed. "And Noblesse says Kuro's got a crush on Inferna."

"...he actually might," Kaito mused absently. "In any case, Noblesse suggested that Kuro is setting up a sparring match between him and Inferna. Noblesse is capable of Mega Evolution, but his flirty antics would piss Inferna off. The pattern fits - he's testing the effect of negative emotions within a Pokemon that's carrying a Mega Stone."

"Oh great," Sorin deadpanned. "So Kuro upgraded from trying to piss Ember off on purpose to trying to piss Inferna off on purpose. And he's part-Eevee, from what you said earlier, so combined with a hypothetical crush on her...yeah, he's going to die."

Kaito stifled a chuckle. It wasn't even something that was naturally funny, but Sorin's delivery was so blunt that he couldn't help but find it amusing. However, he didn't really want to dwell on the subject of Kuro for much longer. It involved far too much guesswork, and it would be nearly impossible for Kaito to predict the Zoroark's long-term strategy. Their current goals weren't in direct competition with one another, but Kuro seemed to think of it as such. How much time had Kuro spent with research, before pursuing practical application? At the moment, it almost felt like the two of them were making parallel progress - with Kuro marking the Ruins of Alph around the time Kaito unsealed Diablos, and then neither of them making any progress during the winter.

As much as it unnerved him to consider, he couldn't help but wonder whether their objectives were linked in some way. If Diablos truly was created within the Sinjoh Ruins, was it mere coincidence that Kuro wanted to access the heart of those same Ruins, which was sealed in a mysterious fashion, much like Diablos himself?

For that matter...Kaito had suggested to Iris earlier that Unown might have used their powers to displace what they viewed as junk items from the Sinjoh Ruins, and those items may have turned up in related Ruin sites, such as the condemned chamber of Mt. Coronet. Was it possible that the treasures uncovered from the Ruins of Alph and Solaceon Ruins had been displaced in a similar manner?

There was one more issue niggling at the back of Kaito's brain. Force and Iris had told him that one of the guardians from the Solaceon Ruins had ambushed them, far away from the Ruins themselves, in pursuit of the pilfered stone. Was it possible that the Lucarionite was significant in some way beyond simply being valuable? The chamber in the Ruins of Alph had been blank and empty, with no inscriptions carved into the walls, and no guardian protecting the valuables, but that was not the case for the Solaceon Ruins.

"In regards to your question about our next step moving forward," Kaito said, directing his attention to Lin, although speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "I first want to continue to study a few things here, and I believe Force should take ample time to rest and adjust to his evolution and abilities. After that...I think I need to visit the Solaceon Ruins, where you found the Lucarionite originally."

Lin, Force, and Cecilia exchanged looks briefly, before saying, practically as one, "Why?"

"Because the Ruins of Alph was a dead end, its treasure notwithstanding, but we don't have that one. We do have the Lucarionite, and a Lucario, and I'm sure there's a some significance behind the fact that a Sigilyph actually hunted you half-way across the region in an effort to retrieve it," Kaito explained. "I want to examine what's there."

* * *

 **Oh thank Arceus, I'm done with this section of the arc. My goal for these chapters was to flesh out Kaito and Lin's history (as I've felt they were the ones with the most unclear motivations and backstory), and provide the opportunity to seriously nail down a lot of the questions and uncertainties surrounding certain plot aspects.**

 **But even in my eyes, this section of the arc dragged itself out. Not to the point of being "filler", but it stalled a bit, and I'm kicking myself for it.**

 **Not required, of course, but I'd appreciate any feedback you readers can provide, with me hoping for some confirmation that certain information has been adequately explained or if I neglected something major. This will help me keep tabs over details that I'll have to cover in the future, or explain better.**

 **Either way, thanks for trudging through what I feel was the section with the smallest plot progression in the most chapters. I pray that doesn't happen again.**


	82. Lakeside Reunion

Weather wise, it had been a pleasant afternoon. The sky had been cloudy, but there were spans of time when the sun was able to peer through the fluffy curtains of the sky to bathe the ground with light and warmth. Definitely an improvement from the recent rain showers lately.

The air smelled sweet and slightly fresh, and a light breeze rustled the leaves of the overhanging tree branches. Pokemon of various species passed through the area, remaining alert for potential danger as they wandered towards the lake to drink. Even the occasional human trainer could be seen at times, often accompanied by one or two of their team's Pokemon. These Pokemon were noticeably more relaxed than the wild passerby, and visibly delighted by the opportunity to walk outside of their Pokeballs and enjoy the comfortable spring air.

Dark brown eyes observed all these things and more, from beneath the shelter of a small tree. A bushy brown tail swished in a carefree manner, but its owner's body tensed each time another figure came into view, as if the tail operated independently of its master's thoughts.

Today had been rather ordinary, and it was a tough call as to whether this was a positive or a negative. The Eevee had awoken early, a troublesome feat at times, but he had far too much experience with rude awakenings to risk another by sleeping in. There had been a number of close calls with self-proclaimed 'go-getter' Pokemon trainers rising at the crack of dawn and nearly stumbling upon his location, or wild Pokemon becoming antsy about him infringing on their territory.

Blaze's eyes focused upon a passing trainer walking beside a small green quadruped with a large single leaf atop its head. The small Grass-type happily bounced around its trainer's legs, and the human knelt to fondly stroke the Pokemon's back. Neither of them were close enough to notice that they were being watched, and they continued on their way moments later, having paused only to get some water at the lake. The Eevee heaved a quiet sigh, a sense of bitterness welling up within his chest.

It wasn't that he envied the Pokemon's arrangement. On the contrary, he had next to no interest in being a trainer's pet, or whatever the role was considered to be. All the same, it was painful to see two individuals so happy with one another's company, and so openly affectionate towards one another. Something about it got him incensed, and reawakened a gnawing sense of frustration and bitterness that never truly faded away. It was unfair to dislike them for the bond they shared with one another, yet the feelings still burned within him.

Blaze forced his gaze away from the retreating pair, glaring instead at the strands of grass waving under the light of the setting sun. And to think, today had been going so well, too. He had bathed, and groomed, and eaten, and had even gone through the trouble of doing some exercises, all a part of his daily routine, but it was now, during his rest break, when his mood tended to sour.

Maybe it had to do with how his thoughts tended to wander whenever evening was upon him, when he became most aware of just how hollow and inadequate he felt when compared to those who had another person in their life that they cared about. Befitting of his name, the Eevee's mood had never really been considered 'stable', especially not when he was younger. It was always so easy to rile him up over nothing, and nothing he ever did was able to change this.

At the end of the day, he had nothing. No home, no family, no friends, no mate.

Blaze raised a forepaw and slapped himself across the cheek, hard enough to prompt a slight whimper, but the self-inflicted strike did its job, and forced his thoughts away the overwhelming bitterness welling up within him. The stinging sensation that lingered in his cheek was the only reminder, a numbness he wished would extend to the memories themselves. To have the pain fade away into oblivion, and be replaced with a simple, carefree joy, filled with promise and hope for the future, and not dwell in what had been cast aside.

The idea had seemed to simple at the start. To walk away from one's toxic world and free oneself from the shackles of the past. Yet starting one's life over is never as easy as one might believe. Even without the burden of physical possessions, he had to justify his reasons for traveling, and his destinations and goals. Other Pokemon were not particularly impressed by someone wandering the world with no ambition, and often became too curious about the matter, assuming they didn't just label him as a scavenger and treat him with disdain or suspicion.

In all seriousness, Blaze had no idea how he had managed to stick around this area for as long as he had. Everywhere else he had gone resulted in some sort of conflict with the local Pokemon, either because the Eevee had drifted too far into a territory, or because actual scavengers suspected him off the bat and were quick to escalate hostilities. Even this area had a lot of local traffic. Various Pokemon species were out and about on a daily basis, and Pokemon trainers passed through just as regularly, but no one seemed to ever object to his presence when they did see him.

No one ever seemed majorly surprised to see him, either. Were wandering Eevee just a totally normal sight around this area? He had never seen any other members of his species in the area, although the memories of the backlash from infringing on private territories haunted him enough to not go poking around in places too far off the beaten path.

Although he was relieved to have lasted this long, he wasn't convinced that he actually could stay much longer. The constant traffic put him on edge, and with the lake area being such an open, public space, he wasn't comfortable staying here during the night. It was only a matter of time before his close calls of the mornings turned into actual conflicts, and then he'd be forced to wander the region again, unsure of where he was going and what he wanted to accomplish.

The Eevee shook himself, and climbed to his feet. The last lingering Pokemon in the area had just left, so he could risk moving into the open to get a quick drink. Each step was cautious, and his eyes darted around the clearing, confirming that he wasn't overlooking another living creature. As soon as he reached the water's edge, he bent down and drank rapidly, his fur bristling uneasily, all too aware of how vulnerable he was.

His eyes darted about again as he lifted his head, and wiped his mouth with the back of his paw. He normally tried to avoid the lake until closer to nightfall, when his presence was less likely to be noticed even if someone came around, but that carried its own risks, and sometimes it just wasn't worth putting off for so long.

Sudden rippling in the water caught his eye, and the Eevee instinctively pulled away from the water's edge, staring intently at the water's surface. Before his very eyes, the water seemed to shift and mold its shape, until a sleek blue quadrupedal figure emerged from the water. It had a ruffled collar and three fish-like fins adorning its face, but the most notable feature had to be the large tail ending in a mermaid-like fin.

The Vaporeon's body glistened with water droplets that slowly dripped from her form, and Blaze felt his cheeks glowing with heat, finding himself somehow incapable of turning his gaze away from the sight. It wasn't like he meant to stare or anything, but it was right there in front of him, and even if he could muster the willpower to look away, he doubted Aureia would prefer him to blatantly stare in the opposite direction.

"Blaze," the Vaporeon intoned, bobbing her head in a strange sort of acknowledgement of his existence. Her dark eyes were always dull, with warmth almost perpetually absent from her gaze, but that was something that never really bothered the Eevee. Recovering a little from his shock at her sudden appearance, the Eevee smiled brightly, and his tail wagged.

"Hi Aureia!" he chirped. "You're looking um..." he faltered, and his cheeks burned again. This was where being a lamentable flirt was coming around to bite him again. Delivering too strong of a compliment would probably annoy her too rapidly, but it didn't seem right to downplay it, either, since her entrance had been rather mesmerizing, but drawing attention to that risked coming off as inappropriate. The only correct answer seemed to be to close his mouth and say nothing.

Aureia considered him, her expression unreadable. When it became clear that the Eevee was genuinely keeping his mouth shut, the trace of an amused smile graced her lovely face. "Thank you," she said simply, sitting down before him and allowing her tail to dip into the water.

"How's your day been?" Blaze asked quickly, eager to move away from the subject of Aureia's physical appearance. "Or...several days. It's been a while."

 _Five days, to be exact,_ the Eevee thought to himself, but it was probably better that he keep that comment to himself. The last thing he needed was for Aureia to think he was so pathetic that he kept track of how long they spent apart. That was the type of thing that clingy weirdos would do, and Blaze was not a clingy weirdo.

"I'm sure it was hell," Aureia deadpanned.

"Maybe, but my angel's back now," Blaze replied, moving closer and nuzzling against the Vaporeon's foreleg. Sure, his fur absorbed some of the water that was still running down her leg, but it was worth it, if only for the brief sense of closeness he felt in exchange. Aureia permitted the contact without resistance, but he could still sense the guardedness within her stance. Although the Vaporeon had gradually grown to accept his affection in small, very limited doses, she was still not at a stage where she'd return it.

He then stepped back, out of her personal space, and seated himself down in his previous spot, his tail flicking with enthusiasm. He knew that his interactions with the Vaporeon always carried the vibe that he was flirting with her, or pushing his boundaries just to see what he could get away with, but it was also abundantly clear that if Aureia ever felt he was crossing a line, she would not hesitate to retaliate.

Their earliest interactions had been rocky, for the Eevee had first stumbled across Aureia without realizing she was there until he couldn't avoid being spotted, and he impulsively threw a compliment her way. In his defense, he had experienced several confrontations within another's territory that were resolved by him sucking up and apologizing profusely. When she had dismissed the compliment, he had been afraid that the basic attempt hadn't been enough to discourage her from attacking him, and had ramped up his game.

It was a mistake. A very dire mistake.

In retrospect, Blaze shouldn't have been surprised. Aureia was very beautiful, possibly the most beautiful Pokemon he had ever seen, and her slightly cold, distant demeanor offered a sense of mystery to her that he imagined many males would have found intriguing. He should have realized she would be used to random males flirting with her without invitation, and that she'd be sick of such attention.

She had verbally lashed out at him, only to stop mid-sentence and stare at him with a peculiar expression. To this day, Blaze had no idea what had prompted her to shift her tone, but her backpedaling on the matter had allowed them to salvage the interaction, and arrange for future meetings.

"So?" Blaze prompted, smiling at the Vaporeon. "How've you been doing?"

"Fine," Aureia replied flatly. The Eevee really didn't expect to get anything more verbose than that. Aureia was not the talkative type, but that didn't bother him. She didn't need to talk a lot for him to be fascinated by her, and it was always a treat when she did open up a little more, and share some of her personal details.

She was really the first Pokemon in ages that Blaze had gotten the chance to know better on a personal level, and she was unlike any of the Pokemon he had met previously. She didn't have some grand ambition to be a powerful battler or rank in some sort of competition. The bond between her and her trainer appeared to be very genuine, and in the rare occasions that Blaze actually got to see her trainer, it was clearly a relationship of trust. Although Aureia was just as distant when interacting with her trainer as she was when interacting with Blaze, she made her feelings known through other little things.

She was quiet and stoic, but she listened attentively when he talked to her, and occasionally smiled or displayed other facial expressions at some of the things he said and did. The real trick to dealing with her moodiness was recognizing that, above all else, she made her disapproval very obvious, much more so than she made her signs of approval. Understanding that a lukewarm response was still a good sign was crucial to keeping the conversation from becoming awkward or frustrating.

Sometimes, Blaze wondered whether the Vaporeon just craved company, much like he did. Not a love interest, or even a friend to make plans with, but just the physical presence of someone who didn't aggravate her too badly, and who could appreciate silence without needing to fill the void with meaningless noise. She often seemed lonely, unable to find someone to give sincere attention to her, while overlooking her personality flaws.

It sometimes troubled him, as a rogue train of thought visiting in the middle of the night, that her refusal, or inability, to show much emotion was similar to how he coped with his past. He clung only to memories of pain and anger, and longed for those memories to be removed, and sometimes even for him to feel nothing at all. Maybe Aureia had already reached that point years ago, and became almost unfeeling because elements of her past still hurt her too deeply.

The Eevee blinked, and wiped away the trickle of moisture that had leaked from his eye. Sheesh, that had only been a hypothetical thought, so why would he get so upset about it, as if he had uncovered some secret tragedy? Aureia was literally sitting right in front of him, yet here he was musing to himself about how she might be suffering on the inside.

"I hope I didn't interrupt your swim," Blaze said, forcing a chipper tone back into his voice, and hoping that she hadn't noticed his errant tear. "Didn't expect you to be here so early, otherwise I'd have brought you a gift."

"If you were interrupting, I wouldn't have shown myself," Aureia replied bluntly. "I was hoping you'd come by, anyway."

"Really?" Blaze asked, his heart nearly jumping into his throat, and his tail wagging with far too much enthusiasm. "Why?"

"Because I think you're cute," Aureia deadpanned.

"Works for me," Blaze said, grinning. He knew it was a sarcastic reference to their previous conversation several nights ago, but was it so wrong to enjoy being complimented?

Aureia rolled her eyes, and silence settled over them again. Taking advantage of the lull, Blaze carefully stepped around the Vaporeon to drink again from the lake. When he was satisfied, instead of returning to his previous spot, he sat down beside the Vaporeon and leaned against her side, resting his head at her shoulder. Aureia glanced in his direction, and for a moment, he was sure that she was going to nudge him away, as she often did whenever he was too close for her liking, but seconds passed without objection.

"I'm sorry, is this bothering you?" Blaze asked, a little unnerved by the lack of resistance. Usually Aureia only tolerated very brief shows of affection, and if he tried to draw them out longer than a second or two, she would push him away, gently, but with a firmness that clearly communicated that she wanted it to stop. So long as he always respected those boundaries, she was tolerant of his compliments and affection.

"Yes."

"It is?" Blaze asked, mildly alarmed by the bluntness of her response. He immediately made to move away, but found his escape route unexpectedly restricted by the water Eeveelution's tail, which she had removed from the water and drawn around her body without him noticing. "Um...what's going on?" the Eevee wondered.

He wasn't literally trapped, as he could easily squeeze past Aureia's forelegs or climb over her tail to get out of the partial loop created around him, but the Vaporeon's intent to keep him close was clear enough. He just had no idea WHY, especially after she just said the earlier contact was bothering her.

"I want to talk with you," Aureia said quietly, avoiding eye contact awkwardly. "On a personal level, I guess. Few things I want to ask you about. If you don't mind..."

The Eevee blinked, slightly taken aback. It was actually kind of obvious that the Vaporeon had practiced those lines, because she spoke them a bit unnaturally. Her intent seemed genuine, but it still wasn't some spur of the moment request, or something she was even used to suggesting. For that matter, Blaze had always sort of gotten the impression that although Aureia was willing to listen to others talk about themselves, she was rarely invested enough to ask for more details.

"Um...okay, but could you like...not do that with your tail?" he asked, using his paw to indicate the partial loop. Aureia seemed momentarily confused, as if she legitimately had no idea why he would object to it, causing the Eevee to sigh."It's making me feel trapped. It's not an embrace, and it's not a shield. It's confining me to a space that I'm not comfortable in."

"You were fine with being there before," Aureia pointed out blankly, and Blaze experienced a jolt of exasperation, mixed with anxiety. Did she seriously not understand how the sense of confinement played with his instincts to flee an area he perceived as unsafe? He had spelled it out that she was making him feel trapped, and if she had any respect for his boundaries, she shouldn't even hesitate to accommodate his request.

The Eevee's eyes darted about with growing anxiety, and it took him a moment to realize that he was breathing harder, and his heart rate had accelerated. Aureia stared at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern, but staring at him wasn't the action he needed to happen.

"Just move the tail!" he snapped, his fur bristling in agitation, and he even went as far as to bare his fangs at her. It didn't matter that she was probably stronger than him, or an evolved Pokemon, or even that she was a beautiful female that actually gave him the time of day, and that attacking her in any form might destroy their relationship. She was making him feel trapped, and he would not hesitate to bite her if it would help him get free.

Aureia actually flinched, pulling her entire body away from the agitated Eevee, and moving several paces back, giving him more than sufficient breathing room. Blaze shivered, still breathing harder than before, but he was staring at the ground now, unwilling to meet her eyes. Had she not moved when she did, he knew he would have bitten her. He had even mentally marked her foreleg as the most vulnerable target.

"Sorry," Aureia mumbled awkwardly, but Blaze didn't trust himself to reply. All his energy was instead focused on calming himself down. It had been ages since he last experienced a borderline panic attack, especially one when there was no immediate danger. Did Aureia just not remember how incredibly vulnerable it felt like to be an Eevee? Sure, every member of the evolutionary line could be considered a potential predator, but Eevee themselves were sometimes viewed as prey among higher-level predators, and that's why they often banded together into small packs or clans - the safety in numbers was too valuable to pass up, and having even just one evolved Eevee among the group was infinitely more security than the strength in numbers alone.

So how did she think it'd feel for him to feel threatened or trapped by a Pokemon he instinctively viewed as protection and security? He never consciously thought of Aureia as such, but to his instincts, it was undeniable. He felt safer around her than when she was absent, among other things that only made sense if he recognized that, subconsciously, he viewed her as a protector.

"...are you okay?" Aureia asked, uncomfortably aware of the fact the Eevee still had said anything.

"I'll live," Blaze muttered, casting her a glare, but immediately regretted it. The Vaporeon didn't show any outward indication of being bothered by the dirty look, but when she next spoke, the guardedness in her voice had returned.

"So I'm guessing tonight's a bad time to try to talk?" she asked. Not a trace of vulnerability remained within her words, and Blaze winced internally. It was only in times like this, when she spoke in such a clipped, unemotional fashion, that the Eevee realized, as stupid as it sounded, that Aureia was starting to warm up to him. He really only noticed whenever she rebuilt the wall between them, and it reminded him of their earliest interactions.

"Um...we can still...talk," Blaze said weakly. It was really hard to know what to do when Aureia closed up like that. There was the slim chance of still salvaging the interaction, but if not, then the evening was ruined, and they'd have to begin again the next time. The problem was that Aureia's emotional barrier was nearly impossible to chisel through once she reinforced it. If she was affronted, angry, or otherwise irked enough to withdraw, then she wasn't going to make herself vulnerable again.

Aureia didn't say anything, and just watched the Eevee in silence, as if she expected him to begin the conversation, even though she was the one who earlier indicated she wanted to talk to him.

Blaze made a tentative step towards her, but her eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth, and he stopped, immediately picking up on how unwelcome an approach would be. He frowned to himself and sat, ears drooping slightly.

Second ticked by in silence. Every time Blaze thought of something to say, he stopped himself. Aureia appeared stoic, but he could practically feel the negativity brewing within her. She wasn't willing to show him her anger, but he could just sense it all the same. The way her gaze had hardened, and the rigidness of her stance...she just plain wasn't going to show him any weakness.

"You know what, forget it," Blaze said abruptly, and he stood up, his fur bristling slightly. Aureia blinked once, and the Eevee scowled. "The evening's ruined anyway, and you're being all passive-aggressive, even though YOU'RE the one who spoiled my mood. So fine, be pissed off and give me the silent treatment, but don't expect me to kiss up to you next time. I should have just bitten you."

He paused his spiel, judging the Vaporeon's reaction. She had blinked again (wow, lot of expression going on there), but he wasn't satisfied by the overall lack of response. She had also maybe tilted her head slightly, as if mulling over his words, but again, not good enough.

"Actually, you know what? I AM going to just bite you, because screw it," Blaze said, and darted forward, far faster than he normally moved. Before the Vaporeon had time to process what he said, or react to his movement, he clamped his teeth around Aureia's foreleg. Her yelp of surprise and pain was enough to satisfy him, and he released her leg and backed away, staring into her eyes unapologetically. He was easily within her range if she wanted to retaliate, and his eyes presented the very challenge for her to do so.

It would completely destroy their friendship if she took him up on it, but at this point, Blaze didn't care. If she was going to be stupidly passive-aggressive over issues SHE caused, then he sure hell wasn't going to roll over and take it.

Aureia studied her bitten leg, before glancing over at Blaze. Unfortunately, the only reaction was a mildly intrigued expression. She wasn't confused, and she wasn't angry. She was more...curious. The bite wasn't even bad enough to draw blood, and the mark would heal rapidly, thanks to her species' unique affinity with water.

The silence dragged on for another couple of seconds, and Blaze's patience started to wear thin.

"I'm going to bite you again if you don't say something soon," he growled.

"No, you won't," Aureia stated simply.

"Excuse me?" Blaze demanded.

"You won't bite me again," Aureia repeated clearly. "Because biting me the first time was to make a statement. If I ignored you, you'd bite again, but you don't WANT to."

Blaze cocked his head at the Vaporeon, perplexed. Where exactly was she pulling this idea from? He couldn't really deny it, but she seemed completely sure of what she was saying. She wasn't even gloating or acting smug, so she wasn't calling his bluff.

Aureia seemed to recognize his confusion, because she smiled faintly. "Ember used to do the same thing, ages ago. She'd lash out to make a point about something, and then threaten to do it again, but the surge of aggression would be gone. She could almost never bring herself to scratch someone the second time...unless the warning was ignored completely."

The Vaporeon paused, studying the Eevee with a hint of amusement.

"If you're anything like Ember was...I'm guessing right now you want little else but a reassurance that your outburst caused no lasting harm, and then you'd gladly put the whole matter behind us."

Blaze stared at the Vaporeon, and she must have read the truth in his eyes, because she smirked momentarily and her tail flicked, causing the Eevee to avert his gaze and grumble under his breath.

Aureia sighed, "I really do want to talk, though. That okay, or do you need a reassurance yet?"

Blaze frowned slightly. "You can TRY, but I'm pretty fed up with things right now."

Aureia sighed again, but then looked over her shoulder, followed by gazing around the area slowly, as if she expected to be ambushed in the near future. Needless to say, this behavior was NOT reassuring in the wake of how their little fight had been sparked by Blaze's sense of vulnerability.

"What are you-?" Blaze began, but Aureia replied by stepping closer and brushed her nose against his ear in the most awkward display of affection he had ever witnessed. He could only describe it as something halfway between a lick and a nuzzle. He could tell what she was going for, but the execution was...completely absurd, and she backed off immediately afterwards.

"That's the best you're getting. And if you tell anyone, I'll deny it," she said blandly. Blaze stared at her incredulously.

"Not exactly setting a high bar there," he noted, but in spite of his tone, his tail flicked, again demonstrating that it seemed to operate independently of his actual feelings. He probably would have brushed off the weird nudge if it came from literally anyone else, but from Aureia...any attempt of affection seemed infinitely more meaningful and significant than the same action coming from another. It made him feel warm and happy for some reason. It was also so ridiculous that there was no risk of him telling someone about it.

"Yeah, well..." the Vaporeon just trailed off in embarrassment, but Blaze felt like he had the general idea of what she was thinking. This wasn't even technically the first fight they'd had since they met, although it was definitely the first time he had lashed out at her, and the first time it had nearly turned into a physical fight. Even the most minimalistic effort to make amends showed that, despite her guardedness, Aureia did value their relationship. Such a minimal approach wouldn't do much good if the events repeated themselves, but for now, it was enough.

"Fine. What do you want to ask me about?" Blaze asked, moving closer and nuzzling the Vaporeon's foreleg, in his own expression of the reassurance that he wasn't going to hold a grudge. She allowed it for a moment before gently pushing him back, and his tail flicked again, satisfied that the current hostilities had been resolved.

"What are your plans for the next week or two?" the Vaporeon wondered.

The Eevee squinted at her. "Uh...what do you mean?" he asked.

"Just general plans," Aureia answered impatiently, and she gestured to the area around them. "You've been staying in this area for at least as long as I've known you, but you said you travel. Are you going to stay around here, or do you plan to move on soon? What are your plans?"

Blaze hesitated. It had crossed his mind that he might need to move away from this area soon, but he hadn't yet put much thought into where he might go. In truth, he had only remained so long because he hadn't yet been forced out by the local population, and in the wake of the winter months, he preferred the general comfort and convenience of the nearby area over wandering an untamed road. Plus, he could meet Aureia here semi-regularly, and that was a massive benefit. However, as the weather continued to improve and traffic likewise increased, he knew that trying to settle in the area was little more than a pipe dream.

"I don't really know yet," he admitted finally, and bit his lower lip. "I'll probably start traveling again, just not sure when."

"Any idea where you'd be heading? Do you even have a destination, or are you just wandering around the region?" Aureia asked blandly. The Eevee offered a vague shrug in response, and the water Eon rolled her eyes. "Fine, one last question - do you have a Flareon sister?"

Blaze tensed, and his brown eyes widened in alarm, to the point that he resembled a Stantler petrified by the lights of an approaching vehicle. His mouth suddenly felt dry, as if he had been snacking on pieces of cotton, and his brain seemed to find the task of stringing coherent thoughts together to be a skill beyond its capabilities.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Aureia commented, studying the Eevee closely. "That's all I wanted to confirm. Relax, you don't have to explain anything."

"How do you know about Celes?" Blaze asked, finally managing to choke the words out. His eyes were darting around the clearing again, anxiety washing over him like waves on the beach.

"I didn't actually get her name, but she was in Ecruteak City," Aureia answered idly. "Overheard her asking about her brother, and your name got mentioned in the reply."

The Eevee blinked in confusion. "...from who? Who else even knows my name?" he wondered. It was really a testament to how rarely the Eevee lingered in a local area, if Aureia was really one of the few Pokemon he had revealed his name to, and who interacted with him long enough to remember it.

"Noblesse," Aureia supplied dully. Blaze looked at her uncomprehendingly, and the Vaporeon shrugged. "Uh...he's an Ampharos. His trainer is one of Adrian's few female friends, for whatever that's worth," she added, with enough contempt in her voice for Blaze to deduce that the aforementioned female friend was not a human the Vaporeon was fond of.

"Oh," Blaze muttered. Now that she mentioned it, the name did seem vaguely familiar, but it'd probably be a little bit before it clicked.

"I actually have one last question, then I'm done prying," Aureia said quietly. Blaze simply nodded in approval. "Do you know Kuro? A Zoroark?"

Blaze repeated the name to himself, his eyes lazily looking over the lake as he tried to put the name, or species name, to a face or recent event that would jog his memory. After several seconds, he shook his head. He hadn't made many friends or acquaintances in recent months, so there really wasn't much to narrow down from.

"Not personally, no," he said. Aureia studied him intently, as if determined to detect a lie, and he twitched uncomfortably. The Vaporeon had never looked at him in such a way. She usually accepted many of his answers without question, even if she sometimes studied him for a longer period of time. No, this time, she was definitely looking for a clue that he was deceiving her.

"Have you even HEARD the name before?" she asked quietly.

"Um...yes. I think so. I don't know where I heard it, though. But I really don't know anyone personally by that name," he insisted, his eyes darting around anxiously. Aureia seemed about to say something, but she paused, and looked over her shoulder. Blaze followed her gaze, and spotted a lone human figure approaching.

"Oh...of course he'd come down personally," Aureia muttered, and she ignored Blaze's confused look.

"Hey, Aureia. How are you doing tonight?" the human asked, and now that he had drawn nearer, Blaze recognized both his appearance and his voice as that of Aureia's trainer. Adrian, yeah, that was what Aureia always called him. The Eevee still kept a wary eye on the human despite the indirect familiarity.

"Fantastic, until you came by to fetch me," Aureia deadpanned. It was almost astounding the way the water Eeveelution spoke to her trainer. Even when she was in a good mood, she tended to be really sarcastic and disinterested, with the main difference being whether she ignored the human's comments, or responded to them.

"And I see you've got your friend here, too," Adrian commented, smiling at the Eevee. "Hey there, little guy. Keeping Aureia company?"

"Uh..." Blaze wasn't quite sure whether responding was actually necessary, and Aureia never gave him an indication of whether he was supposed to react a certain way. Was an enthusiastic affirmative considered a good reaction or a bad reaction, in her eyes? Overenthusiastic might make her trainer think they got along REALLY well, whereas too downplayed might make it seem like the Vaporeon was being too moody, and risk getting her gently scolded.

"Don't be shy, I'm not going to hassle you," Adrian told the Eevee with a smile. "Good to see you're doing well, though. Getting along, you two?"

"You missed us on the verge of having a fight and breaking up," Aureia deadpanned. She glanced over at the Eevee thoughtfully, and he blinked at her. Without warning, she stepped slightly nearer and draped her large tail around him in a tight loop, practically pulling him into her personal space.

Blaze yelped in surprise, but then purred and began nuzzling against her shoulder. He opened one eye to look up at the Vaporeon, and was amused to see a look of blank shock on her face, not helped by Adrian using his hand to hide a smile. It was even clear that he was bursting to make a teasing remark, but he didn't want to ruin the 'moment'.

"Blaze?" Aureia murmured from the corner of her mouth. "...what the hell?"

"What?" the Eevee asked, resting his head against her side fondly.

"Why didn't you have a panic attack this time?" she asked blandly.

"Oh, was that what you were trying to do?" Blaze asked innocently, his tail wagging. "Last time, I was trying to get OUT of your personal space, but you were stopping me. You just pulled me INTO your personal space, and your tail's tight enough to be an embrace, rather than a trap. I thought you were encouraging me. Wait, were you trying to get me to freak out and attack you, seemingly without provocation, so that your trainer would stop teasing you about us, without you looking like a bully? Hee, that backfired, huh?"

"...yes, it did," Aureia murmured, and she brushed her nose against the Eevee's ear before whispering directly to him. "You can stop, now."

"Should I pretend to fall asleep on you?" Blaze asked, widening his eyes cutely.

"I'm going to push you in the lake, I swear to-" Aureia hissed.

Blaze grinned. "I can't move away, anyway. Your tail's still keeping me close."

There was an awkward pause as Aureia processed the remark, and then she pulled her tail back and unceremoniously pushed the Eevee away from her. Blaze didn't even try to keep his balance, and instead fell to the grass like a ceramic statue, purring contentedly.

"Shut up," Aureia snapped, in response to Adrian's incredibly wide smirk. The human knelt down and murmured something to her, while gently stroking down her back. The Vaporeon blinked, then glanced at Blaze, who had climbed back to his feet. "I'll check," she grumbled to Adrian, before turning to Blaze. "Hey, Blaze, does the thought of never having dry fur again sound awesome?"

"Sure!" Blaze chirped. Aureia glared at him intensely. "That's wasn't the real question, was it?" he asked.


	83. Icy Return

The caverns of the Sinnoh mountains may have been considered an incredible source of mystery and intrigue among the many researchers, archaeologists, or spelunking hobbyists throughout the world, but to anyone else, particularly individuals that had to navigate the enormous labyrinthine corridors in order to reach their REAL destination, the novelty could wear a bit thin.

The cave structure just wasn't dynamic enough to remain interesting or enjoyable for the common traveler. Passageways twisted and turned, going up or down seemingly at random, and every so often, they twisted back around and deposited the unfortunate travelers right back where they started from. Some passages were filled with dense fog that obscured one's vision for anything further than half an inch, and any Pokemon trainer could tell you horror stories about the ridiculous hordes of Zubats, or Woobats, or Bronzor, or whatever species chose to plague that particular cave.

To a select group of people, the maze-like structure of the mountain caves was part of the fun in exploring Mt. Coronet, and the ridiculously high learning curve helped separate the skilled and experienced travelers from the common rabble. There were more routes leading in and out of the mountain than should have been considered natural, and many more passages were thrown into the mix, seemingly at random, that people traveled on in the hopes of uncovering some hidden chamber or evidence of fantastic carvings and inscriptions.

"Would it kill them to place travel markers around these caves, or is that too practical an idea for Sinnoh's administration to consider?" Frost demanded, as he and Astrid rounded yet another bend, only to find another stretch of cave before them.

Astrid shrugged. She seemed a little worn down, even exhausted. Their journey had visibly taken its toll on her. In addition to getting lost half a dozen times, they had to endure persistent attacks from wild Pokemon that disliked them encroaching on their territory. Each individual adversary posed little to no threat to the two of them, but it turned the trip into a battle of attrition, with them up against everything the mountain had to throw at them. Fortunately, the worst seemed to be behind them, as they hadn't encountered much resistance for the past hour, although Frost wasn't going to get his hopes up just yet.

"We're getting close," the Absol murmured, and Frost cast her a skeptical look.

"How can you tell?" Frost asked carefully. They had been wandering these passages with minimal progress for several days, several times longer than he had hoped the journey would take, and he was already to the point where he simply lacked the willpower to criticize Astrid's judgment. At this point, ANY egress from these hellishly complex passageways would be more than satisfactory, and if they actually arrived at the intended destination, then all the better.

"Scent, sounds, lower air temperature. Typical predator stuff," Astrid answered casually, and then looked over at him thoughtfully. "Aren't Glaceon predators, too? Wow, your tracking senses must be awful."

Frost frowned, a little taken aback by the unprovoked insult, but he sighed quietly and let the comment slide. There hadn't been any malice in her words, so it didn't seem like she was trying to insult him, as opposed to her usual tendency of making commentary without considering how it sounded to the person she was talking to. Besides, if he was completely honest, his sense of smell and sound were unsuited for their present environment. Glaceon were arctic predators, and preferred to hunt in open, snowy environments, as opposed to claustrophobic, darkly lit, rocky caves. Furthermore, how was he supposed to notice a temperature reduction? Cold air was comfortable for him, and even if an Absol's thick fur allowed them to thrive reasonably well in cold environments, it was not really an ideal climate the way it was for a Glaceon or other natural Ice-types.

Astrid picked up her walking pace a little, forcing Frost to practically jog to keep stride with her, and as they rounded one final bend, Frost felt the refreshing chill of a fresh breeze across his face. He shivered in anticipation, peering up ahead to see an oval of light cutting through the dim atmosphere of the cave.

Gentle snowfall greeted the duo as they emerged from the cave, and Frost took a moment to simply bask in the weather. Beautiful, fresh snow blanketed the ground in front of them, as far as the eye could see, and the snowfall only enhanced the picturesque scenery. The sunlight was another blessing, but the snow was where Frost truly felt at home. Not even caring that he was in the company of another Pokemon, he nuzzled against the snow, digging himself into a small hole and enveloping his body in the fresh powder, like a kit snuggling beneath a warm blanket. He inhaled deeply, savoring the familiar chill of the mountain air passing into his lungs, and the muscles of his body slowly relaxed.

"Are you planning on sleeping there?" Astrid wondered, observing his behavior with amusement, her tail starting to wag again now that they had escaped the maze of underground caverns.

"Oh, it's tempting," Frost purred, rubbing his muzzle against the snow. Reluctantly, he shook his body, sending clumps of snow flying in all directions, and climbed back to his feet. "Unfortunately, there's still a bit of a hike to go, and I'm already behind schedule as it is."

He took a moment to orient himself, and began walking. The sound of crunching snow underfoot was music to his ears, and the sensation of snowflakes buzzing around his face was vaguely pleasant. Everything around him felt familiar and comforting, even though he still had some distance to cover. The only dampener on his mood was the echo of crunching footsteps created by Astrid, following a few paces behind him.

"There is no need for you to escort me any further," Frost stated to the air. "You said you have your own visit to pay up here, so by all means, feel free to depart. If you're adamant about escorting me back DOWN the mountain, we can set up a rendezvous point, but I'm in no rush to leave again, so don't feel obligated to linger if my schedule inconveniences you."

"Oh, I'm in no rush," Astrid answered cheerfully. "I'll come with you, just to make sure you get there okay, if you don't mind."

"I do mind," Frost said bluntly. "I am more than capable of fending for myself up here, and I don't want you to accompany me to my destination. Thank you, but I'll be proceeding on my own from here."

"Oh," Astrid said, sounding a little taken aback, or possibly disappointed, but she didn't object. Frost continued walking, his dark eyes scanning the surroundings, and taking private notice of any Pokemon meandering about the area. He caught a glimpse of a Snover or two, the creatures nearly impossible to distinguish from mountain trees at a distance, and at one point, he thought he saw a Delibird, but it was a fleeting glance at best.

After several minutes, he became acutely aware of how Astrid seemed to still be walking with him, despite the mountain paths branching off several times to provide her the opportunity of taking another route.

"Could have sworn I said not to come with me," Frost noted, not even bothering to look back at the Absol as he spoke. Even without seeing her directly, he knew without question that it was still her, and not some random Pokemon trailing him.

"I know," Astrid answered. Frost glanced over his shoulder disapprovingly.

"Then why are you still following me?" he demanded.

"I'm not. We just happen to be going the same way," Astrid said, shrugging. Frost narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Is that so? Well, then feel free to go on ahead. Ladies first," Frost said, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him. Astrid didn't move, and the Glaceon raised an eyebrow. "Problem?" he asked snidely.

"It's been awhile since I've been up here, and I'm just trying to get my bearings, or whatever," Astrid muttered. Frost snorted skeptically, but continued walking, occasionally casting a glance behind him to confirm whether or not the Absol was still trailing him. She was, but at a greater distance, although not to the point where she seemed to be trying to stay hidden, so if she was stalking him, she was REALLY bad at it. Considering that she was openly a predator, he doubted she was that incompetent at staying out of sight if that was her intention.

"Figure out where you are, yet?" Frost wondered sarcastically, as he reached the telltale fenced wire that cut the path in two, the upward path leaning against the mountain wall, and the downward path leading to the snowy field.

"Yup!" Astrid replied brightly, and she strode past him confidently, taking the right side path, the one leading downwards. Frost blinked in confusion and after a brief pause, followed after the disaster Pokemon. This did not go unnoticed, and Astrid gave Frost a dirty look. "Now who's following who?" she growled.

"...I am legitimately going this way," Frost retorted. The small downward path leveled out shortly, placing them within the equivalent of an open meadow blanketed by snow. Continuing along the wall would take him to the doorstep of his destination, and doubling back would bring him towards the ice-fishing lake. Astrid turned away from Frost to scan the rest of the meadow, and Frost pressed on, making his way towards the barely-visible cave entrance carved into the side of the mountain ahead.

As he approached, he paused to admire the pair of ice crystals decorating the den's entrance. The sculptures were breathtaking, perfectly capturing the raw beauty of ice. They were masterfully crafted, and no matter how many times he saw them, they never failed to amaze him. His eyes darted upwards, taking note of the six-pointed snowflake emblem hanging over the entrance.

The Glaceon took a deep, soothing breath. Blizzard's territory emblem always seemed to give him mixed feelings. Standing in the presence of such artistically beautiful designs inspired a sense of awe, but also a great deal of unease and wariness. Blizzard must have spent a long time perfecting these crystals, and the effort clearly showed, but at the same time, the level of control, finesse, and sheer power she would need to create these masterpieces was nothing short of phenomenal. All in all, it indicated that although Blizzard was a sweet girl who expressed herself artistically, she was not to be trifled with.

Shaking himself from these thoughts, Frost stepped forward, hesitating for a moment before crossing the threshold. Blizzard had told him last time that he should just come in, despite everything in his mind telling him this was rude or inappropriate.

Not much had changed within the den since he had last been here. It was as comfortably spacious as ever, with one single large 'room', but contained two side chambers on either side. The left-hand side was for storage, with numerous plastic storage boxes and dishes, filled with a variety of different food items or water, and the right-hand side had a curved passageway that served as Blizzard's sleeping chamber, concealed from view of the den entrance, or any other occupants. The majority of the main room was tastefully cluttered with various objects and items, including pillows and blankets, giving the overall atmosphere a warm, inviting feeling.

"Nice place," Astrid remarked, and Frost nearly jumped out of his skin, his fur bristling into needles as he whirled around to face the Absol. Oblivious to his aggressive reaction, the disaster Pokemon stepped into the den, peering around with mild interest.

"What do you think you're doing?" Frost hissed. "You weren't invited to come in here."

Astrid blinked at Frost, as if he was abruptly speaking a different language. "Is anyone else even here?" she wondered, her ear twitching. She glanced towards the right side of the den curiously, and took a step towards it.

"That's a private area," Frost growled, moving to intercept the Absol. "She doesn't want anyone over there without permission."

"But what if she's sleeping?" Astrid wondered.

"Doesn't matter. She doesn't even let me over there without permission, and I lived here," Frost countered, growling a little louder. Astrid seemed much more amused by his demeanor than intimidated, which wasn't helping the situation.

"Uh huh...well, you're a male, and I'm a female, so even if I walked in on something compromising, it's less of a faux pas."

"There is so much irony in you, of all Pokemon, talking about whether or not something is socially inappropriate," Frost deadpanned, standing firm in Astrid's path, not allowing her to get past him.

Astrid shrugged. "Well, based on the den's scent and lack of sounds, the risk was pretty low anyway. So I'm guessing she's not even here right now."

"Good. Now get lost before she gets back," Frost growled. A strange sense of anxiety was coming over him the longer that Astrid remained inside the den. His initial assumption was that he was worried that Blizzard would view the Absol as a trespasser, but in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn't likely to be the case. The female Glaceon was bizarrely accommodating to guests, although her policy might have changed since Glacia's birth. More likely, his concern was connected to the latter - he felt incredibly protective of this den and those that lived within it. Astrid was harmless, but she was still a predator Pokemon entering the home of a mother Glaceon and her young kit while they were away. It was a horrifying thought to consider, a tremendous violation to the sense of security a den was intended to provide.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Astrid sighed, and turned to leave. After taking a few steps towards the den entrance, she paused and glanced over her shoulder at Frost, looking mildly amused. "Just so you know, I'm not intimidated by you."

"Obviously not, but intimidating you is not my intention," Frost retorted coolly. Traveling with Astrid for the past few days had made it clear to him that she wasn't easily frightened or cowed. She was far too nonchalant and socially oblivious to recognize or react appropriately to the cues that should make one more trepidacious when interacting with someone, and her status as a predator Pokemon only made it more difficult to exert any semblance of authority over her.

"What's going on?" a familiar female voice wondered from the den entrance. Astrid blinked and faced forward again, and Frost peered around the Absol's body, his gaze falling upon Blizzard standing there, the cave entrance framing her figure. The female Glaceon had sleek, soft-looking fur, its appearance significantly tidier than the last time Frost had visited, and she carried herself with grace and confidence, which enhanced her natural beauty.

Despite the polite softness of Blizzard's inquiry, her stance was guarded and her eyes wary. An understandable reaction to finding your home occupied during your absence, and Frost moved out from behind Astrid so that Blizzard could confirm his presence. However, the other Glaceon was focusing entirely on Astrid, her eyes widening slowly and the tension draining from her stance.

"Hey!" Astrid greeted, her tail wagging enthusiastically.

"Astrid!" Blizzard practically squealed. The female Glaceon pounced upon the Absol so abruptly that Frost started, convinced that an attack was underway, but the moment passed, and he quickly realized that Blizzard had wrapped her forepaws tightly around the Absol in what was unmistakably an affectionate embrace.

The Absol took a moment to recover from the initial surprise of being glomped and began purring, doing her best to return the sentiment without nicking the Glaceon with her scythe-like horn. The whole situation left Frost incredibly confused and feeling slightly out of place.

"Um...I'm here, too," Frost noted awkwardly. Blizzard gave no indication that she was even aware of Frost, and he sighed, gazing around the den restlessly for something to focus on until his presence could be acknowledged.

A curious chirp from the den entrance drew his attention to the young female Eevee peering into the den. It occurred to him that Blizzard had probably instructed Glacia to wait before following her into the den, in case the unexpected company was dangerous or hostile. Frost noted that the Eevee kit was bundled up with two small scarves carefully entwined around her neck and shoulders, adding twin streaks of blue and green to her profile.

"Hey there, cutie," Frost greeted, his tail flicking cheerfully. If there was anything that could make the hellish trip through Mt. Coronet worthwhile, it was being able to see the adorable Eevee kit smile. His comment seemed to be the cue for Blizzard and Astrid to break their embrace, and the female Glaceon looked over at the Eevee, providing the slightest of nods that dispelled the kit's hesitation to come inside. Frost glanced at Blizzard. "Least I know SOMEONE is still happy to see me," he deadpanned.

With an adorable chirp, the Eevee pounced on Astrid's foreleg and began nuzzling against it happily. Frost stared at Glacia incredulously, his brain completely unable to process what had just happened. Astrid was looking down at the kit in bewilderment, her green eyes darting up to meet Blizzard's eyes, but the female Glaceon was too busy stifling her laughter to say anything coherent.

"Oh, come on!" Frost burst out indignantly. "You don't even KNOW her!"

His outburst prompted Blizzard to lapse into hysterical giggles, and she had to lay down, burying her head in one of the nearby pillows, as her entire body shook with amusement. Astrid was becoming visibly uncomfortable with the Eevee kit's persistent affection, and her green eyes darted about the den inquisitively, seeking some sort of explanation of what was happening.

Glacia eventually released Astrid's leg and bounded over to where Frost was sitting. Happily oblivious to his indignation, she cozied up to his side. She recoiled briefly, before gently nuzzling her head against his fur, expertly grooming the icy needles to the side so that she could rest against them without being pricked. Frost rolled his eyes, but found himself unable to resist the Eevee's charms. He reached over and stroked his paw down her back, prompting low, contented purrs from the kit.

Blizzard finally sat up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Frost, she's still in her shadowing phase," she explained, another giggle escaping her throat, and her tail swished.

"I'm so confused," Astrid said, glancing between Frost and Blizzard uncertainly. "Are you two brother and sister or something?"

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Do you really get the impression that we're siblings?" he wondered incredulously. Of all the conclusions she could have jumped to regarding their relationship after so little exposure, he was astounded that she chose to assume they were siblings, as opposed to the more common and logical assumption of them being lovers, especially considering the Eevee kit presently cuddled against his side.

Astrid frowned. "Well, I mean...you two look about the same age, but Bliz is a little older. You said you used to live here, and that you're visiting family, or whatever. I thought maybe she was an older sister."

"Actually, I didn't tell you who I was meeting. I was purposefully vague about those details," Frost countered. "And I had no idea you and Bliz knew one another."

Astrid giggled quietly. "Yeah...she was on the same team as me, a couple years back," she explained, smiling fondly at Blizzard.

"You don't say," Frost mused. "I don't believe you've ever mentioned that particular facet of your history, Bliz."

"Oh, was I supposed to give you my entire life story?" Blizzard asked, visibly amused. "It wasn't important enough to bring up, anyway."

Frost shrugged it off. None of this was really as much a surprise as it could have been. He had already known that Blizzard had moved into the mountains, whereas he had lived there his entire life, and the female Glaceon's collection of human objects, such as the storage containers , pillows, and blankets should have tipped him off, but the main reason he never really thought about it was because his parents had kept similar objects in their den. It just never occurred to him that this was unusual for wild Pokemon.

"So this is the trainer that liked puns, right?" he asked, directing the question more to Astrid than Blizzard. Astrid nodded, and Frost snorted. "Should have guessed. You and Blizzard are two of the three Pokemon who have outright refused to discuss the origins of your names. To think you both were owned by the same trainer...wait a second..."

Frost bit his lip thoughtfully, falling silent long enough for the two to exchange looks with one another. A slow smile creeped across Frost's face, gradually evolving into a smug grin.

"That can't be a coincidence. Pokemon trainers can carry up to six Pokemon on their roster, correct?"

"Yes," Astrid confirmed.

"So the team consisted of Renard, Astrid, Echo, Thresher, and Blizzard," Frost mused, counting each name as he listed them. "That's five. Was the sixth member, by any chance, a Kadabra named A/C, spelled with a forward slash?"

"It was, actually," Blizzard answered, looking appropriately surprised. Astrid stifled a giggle, wordlessly nodding in agreement.

"So all three of the females who refused to explain their names due to the associated puns were part of the same team," Frost murmured, and his tail swished in amusement. "But for the sake of posterity, Bliz, what naming convention did you use for coming up with Glacia's name?"

Blizzard narrowed her eyes, as if trying to determine whether Frost was playing a joke on her. "Frost, you were actively involved in coming up with her name. You even insisted that I was not to name her by myself, because she was your first kit just as much as mine. I vaguely recall an unflattering comment about how the emotional or hormonal high might lead to me naming her something ridiculous like Thursday or Pot Pie."

"So...instead you two got creative and gave her an ice-related name," Astrid giggled. This earned the Absol twin glares from the Ice-types. "Sorry, Bliz, but this whole conversation is a throwback to a discussion we had about how Eevee parents seem to love giving their kits weird pun-like names."

"Yeah, well...there isn't a whole lot of inspiration to come across when two Glaceon, with ice-related names, are trying to name an Eevee kit born in January during the winter storms," Blizzard noted with a shrug.

"We tried to make it the least blatant pun of the bunch," Frost added blandly. "Glacia is actually a decent, respectable name, even if she's almost guaranteed to be a Glaceon."

"Either way, she's adorable," Astrid remarked, her tail wagging. She moved a little nearer and stooped down to the Eevee's level, cooing playfully. "Who's an adorable little girl, Glacia? You are! You are!"

The kit giggled, and poked her paw at the Absol's nose, prompting Astrid to jerk backwards in surprise. Glacia squealed in delight, her bushy tail wagging, and she smiled up at Frost. The male Glaceon smirked and rubbed the Eevee's ear fondly.

"How long are you planning to visit this time, Frost?" Blizzard wondered seriously. The male Glaceon hesitated. "That's not meant to put you on the spot. I'm asking so I know whether to prepare sleeping arrangements or gather extra food supplies."

"Erm...well, I definitely planned to stay at least a day or two," he answered carefully. He had originally planned on playing things by ear, depending on how long it took for him to get here, relative to how long he was comfortable staying apart from Shadow and Leaf. The trip had been a nightmare, although he expected the return trip to be much smoother, but he really wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had left the Eterna area.

"Okay, keep me updated if you play to stay longer or need to depart sooner," Blizzard said pleasantly and turned her attention to Astrid. "What about you, Astrid?"

"I'll stick around a little, but I don't want to be a burden or whatever. I can help with hunting or gathering, if you'd like," the Absol answered. Blizzard smiled and nodded.

"Okay, so for food, I'll have to check on my stock, and I should set up two sleeping spaces?" she asked. Astrid blinked, glancing between Frost and Blizzard in confusion.

"Uh...you two don't share sleeping space?" she asked blankly. "Aren't you mates?"

"I'm still so upset you thought we were siblings," Frost deadpanned. "And our relationship is...complicated."

"How? You're either mates or you're not," Astrid argued. "There really isn't an option in-between."

"Don't get into it, you two," Blizzard interjected, shaking her head, but still smiling faintly. "We can work out the details later, but for right now, please don't set a bad example for Glacia. She's in that phase where she likes to imitate those around her."

"Oh, whoops," Astrid giggled. "Can she talk yet?"

"No!" Glacia chirped happily. Frost and Astrid stared at her, and the Eevee's tail flicked enthusiastically, delighting in the attention. "No!" she squeaked again.

"Is...that the only word she knows?" Astrid wondered.

"No!" Glacia chirped.

"She is so cute right now, I think I'm going to die," Frost purred.


	84. Recharge Cycle

Although Glacia clearly enjoyed the extra attention, it seemed that having additional Pokemon in the den was scarcely more than a novelty to the young Eevee. As soon as Blizzard stood up and began making her way over to the storage area, Glacia followed at her heels, mewling cutely up at her mother.

Frost remained where he was; the storage side of the den was not spacious enough to warrant him going over there with them, and it was more likely he would get in the way. Blizzard's organization didn't follow the most coherent system, although she never had difficulties in finding whatever she was looking for, so he never felt much reason to complain. Unfortunately, remaining where he was meant that he had little else to occupy his attention, apart from Astrid.

The Absol's energy was visibly on the decline, and she was slowly settling down into a resting position, as opposed to sitting up. Their long trip here had sapped much of her energy and enthusiasm, and emerging from the caves had only temporarily revitalized her. Astrid's eyelids were drooping a little, and she looked like she was about to nod off at any moment.

This worked to Frost's benefit, because it kept her from bothering him with any questions or prying comments. As he always feared, once another Pokemon discovered that he had what amounted to a 'secret family', they were likely to question him on the subject, either prying into why he kept distant, or wondering excessively about his relationship status with his kit's mother. Astrid may subscribe to the oversimplified belief that a couple's relationship status could be summed up in a binary expression, but Frost disagreed, and he had no desire to try to justify himself to a Pokemon that insisted on such a rudimentary stance.

However, it occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to dodge the matter entirely for much longer. Not only had Astrid uncovered his 'secret', but by sheer coincidence, Blizzard was a mutual acquaintance, not only for the Absol, but for several of the other Pokemon Frost had recently come across. If she had truly been on a team, it was only logical that word would eventually get out to the other three surviving members that she now had a daughter, and sooner or later, it would come to light who the father was.

Ironically, Frost couldn't care less what A/C, Renard, or Thresher might think of him. The Scizor never took him seriously in the first place, A/C might have suspected why Frost had wanted to be dropped off at the snowy mountain, assuming she knew of Blizzard's den in the vicinity, and Renard, while the most intimidating of the three, was significantly older and wiser. It wouldn't even surprise Frost if Renard had fathered a kit or two at some point over the past two centuries, whether he raised them or not.

Rather, Frost was much more concerned by what Shadow and Leaf might think of the situation. They had lost both of their parents, and Shadow had taken on the burden of raising his younger brother, binding him to a responsibility that he was not necessarily ready for, but that he had accepted with minimal complaint. Neither of them were likely to happily accept the notion of Frost seemingly shirking his parental obligations for selfish reasons. That wasn't what Frost was doing, but it was easy for others to assume that, and justifying it often seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

The Glaceon sighed quietly, and looked over his shoulder to see whether Blizzard had finished taking inventory. As he might have expected, the female Glaceon was rummaging through another section of the her storage area, and Glacia was 'helping' by batting her paw at the open plastic drawer, or the loosened lid of the boxes, or her mother's tail. It was adorable, but Frost suspected that it was also extremely annoying for Blizzard, even if she showed no outward sign of being bothered.

"Glacia," Frost called out, and the Eevee perked up her ears, looking around in confusion before she spotted Frost and chirped in response. "Come over here," he said, gesturing towards himself.

"No!" the Eevee chirped, bounding over to her father and circling around him, her bushy tail swishing playfully. Frost blinked, internally debating whether Glacia had even the slightest idea of when to use her word, but decided that whether she did or not, it was just too adorable to hear her saying the word positively.

"You're so cute, sweetie," Frost murmured, patting the Eevee's head. Glacia purred and nudged against his paw, encouraging him to rub behind her ears, and he chuckled quietly. After a few moments, the Eevee yawned cutely, only to squeak and look back towards Blizzard with wide, innocent eyes, as if she had almost been caught misbehaving. Frost smirked slightly and lowered himself to the Eevee's level. "Aww, was that a yawn, Glacia? Are you feeling tired, cutie?" he asked, adopting a gentle, teasing tone.

Glacia squeaked indignantly, glancing over at Blizzard again before swatting Frost's nose, causing him to recoil in surprise. She giggled at his reaction, but yawned again, and her eyelids drooped. She stumbled slightly, and her eyes flew back open, accompanied by a surprised squeak. Despite her best efforts, it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was tiring out.

"Bliz?" Frost called, and the female Glaceon made an inquisitive 'hm' from the storage side of the room. "Our little girl's getting sleepy," Frost continued. Glacia made another indignant squeak, puffing up her cheeks and looking up at Frost as if he had just snitched on her.

"Oh, it is about time for her nap, isn't it?" Blizzard giggled, and walked over to the two, her eyes drifting towards Astrid, who had completely dozed off at some point in the past few minutes. "Heh, and she's not the only one who needed a nap, I see."

Glacia whined, her eyes widening innocently, as if desperately trying to convince her mother that she wasn't tired. Frost smirked a little, watching as Blizzard carefully undid the scarves from around the Eevee's neck and shoulders, before setting them off to the side.

"It was a pretty taxing journey here," he admitted. "Got lost half a dozen times, and we took an entirely different starting point from whenever I've had to go up or down the mountain, so I was of no help."

"Mm-hm," Blizzard murmured, stroking Glacia's fur gently before looking up at Frost again. "If you're experiencing travel fatigue, Frost, I'd recommend taking this opportunity to rest and recharge. Maybe you'd like to nap with Glacia this afternoon?"

"Um..." Frost hesitated, a little surprised by the suggestion. Blizzard had a point about him being drained by the trip, and with little else going on, it really was the ideal time to settle in and recharge. "It's okay if I do that?" he wondered blankly. Last time he had visited, Glacia had dozed off, but he had stayed awake to give Blizzard the chance to catch up on sleep.

Blizzard giggled quietly. "Of course. I usually take a quick power nap myself while she's dozing, and if you stay with her, it'll give me the chance to take care of a few things around here," she explained, gesturing to the main area of the den. Glacia whined softly, her eyelids drooping, but whenever her head bobbed, the motion jolted her back awake, and the Eevee was starting to get cranky.

"Okay, uh...are you going to be in the room the whole time?" Frost wondered, his eyes darting around the main area of the den uncertainly. "Like, what if she gets hungry?"

Blizzard giggled. "I've been gradually introducing some solid foods to her, mostly crushed berries," she explained. "She doesn't always take to them, but you shouldn't have any trouble. I have everything set up in my room."

Frost nodded, and took a few steps towards the right side of the den before pausing and giving Blizzard an uncertain look over his shoulder. Glacia stumbled alongside Frost, using his body to support her as she struggled to stay awake, and she gave a wail of protest when her father stopped walking. Blizzard rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Frost, it was implied that you may use my room," she said gently. "Glacia rarely sleeps anywhere else. Let her get comfortable, then make your own 'nest' around her."

Frost nodded and lightly nudged Glacia with his nose. The Eevee mumbled sleepily, but allowed herself to be guided by the male Glaceon into the curved side passage that opened up into a small, circular den room. It was a comfortably spacious side area, with more than enough room for two adult Pokemon to sleep with a chaste amount of space between them, and while two adults and a kit was a little more cramped, the occupants would still be comfortable.

Blizzard had set up the room to resemble a nest of sorts, with three or four small cushions strewn about, and a large blanket in the center, with a second blanket for bundling up with. A sealed plastic container sat nearby, filled with several small, ripe berries.

Glacia needed no further prodding, and she wandered into the center of the large blanket, using her small teeth to gnaw at the fabric briefly, and for no apparent reason, before laying down and resting her head on her forepaws, with her tail curled close to her body. She made a cute, contented murmur before dozing off.

Frost took a moment to simply admire how adorable his daughter looked when she was sleeping before walking over and curling his body around the Eevee protectively. As much as he would have preferred to slightly reduce the air temperature of the sleeping chamber, it was much wiser not to, and was part of the reason Blizzard kept two blankets in this room - an Ice-type's instinct to make the temperature cooler for sleeping comfort was potentially hazardous to the non-Ice-type that shared the space. Frost carefully pulled one of the scattered cushions nearer, and rested his head upon it. Wild Pokemon would probably consider this an unnatural sleeping posture, but Frost had grown up in a den with access to cushions, or living pillows in the form of his Eevee parents, and it amused him at times to notice that Shadow and Leaf had been raised in similar circumstances, considering their penchant to use one another as pillows.

The Glaceon took a slow, soothing breath, and almost immediately felt the fatigue of the long journey settling into his body, accelerating the sweet descent into sleep.

* * *

Dreams were fickle things. Many of them operated on their own logic, and the fallacies of that logic only became apparent once the dreamer awoke. Events that had played out as if they were reality faded away, leaving only a wistful feeling afterwards. Some dreams were even so realistic that the dreamer was unsure if it had been a dream at all.

And then there were eerie, ominous dreams that plagued one's unconscious mind with such intensity that even the reassurance that it had been a dream was not enough to assuage the dreamer's unease.

 _Before his eyes, Frost could make out the silhouette of another Pokemon, but the finer details were concealed behind a veil of whirling snow and ice. He squinted, straining to make out the opposing figure, but all he could see was its silhouette framed against the raging storm. It stood at roughly the same height as himself, and its body shimmered with an eerie white aura that confirmed its status as a quadruped. The only other feature he could make out against the storm was its eyes glowing pure-white, mirroring the aura outlining its body._

 _The raging storm was so intense that the entire around him seemed to be blanketed by a white mist, preventing him from confirming his current whereabouts. However, in the back of his mind, he felt that this had to be a dream, because he knew where he should be, and here was not that place. His body tensed, icy quills flaring outwards. The intensity of this snowstorm was nothing to him - what others would experience as unbearable cold was the ultimate comfort, and fueled his own body's strength. Whether this was a dream or not, he would not drop his guard so easily._

 _"Beautiful...it's so beautiful!" the opposing Pokemon purred, its voice sounding vaguely familiar, yet slightly distorted by the harsh gales swirling around its body. The glowing white eyes focused upon Frost, and he caught a glimpse of teeth, as if the figure was grinning smugly at him. "Such harsh, terrible power contained within something so breathtaking. Mm...how fitting of the element to resemble its mistress."_

 _Frost narrowed his eyes, again scanning his surroundings. Only a dream would drop him into a situation with such little context, but this was unlike many of his previous dreams. Most battle scenarios were epic conflicts, either pitting him against numerous opponents at once, or some prestigious battle with a well-established adversary. Yet no matter how much he strained the limits of his vision, the icy fog was impenetrable. With a slight scowl, he turned his attention back to his prospective foe._

 _"Such a pity, Frost, that you carry only a mere fraction of this power," his opponent murmured, its voice carrying easily across the barren ice field, rising above the howling winds to reach his ears. "You've made such lamentable progress. Admiring the raw power and beauty of ice is thrilling on its own, but to truly embrace and command it is so much more...intoxicating. As it is...no one is going to take your pursuit of strength seriously, because you're not dedicated enough to becoming the master of your element and furthering your potential."_

 _The whirling storm seemed to die down abruptly, and Frost braced himself as a gale of icy wind passed over his body, scattering snowflakes over his fur. With a growl, he shook the snow off and glared into the eyes of his opponent._

 _Coldness more intense than the most terrible Sinnoh winters gazed back at Frost. His stomach lurched, and he instinctively recoiled. The silhouetted quadruped snickered mockingly._

 _"Aww, do I intimidate you?" it sneered quietly, and in the absence of the howling winds, Frost could clearly identify its voice as that of a female, but the rest of its body remained veiled in shadow, to the point that he still could not identify its species. "Good. You instinctively recognize me as far stronger than you. Just like Lin, just like Renard, just like Blizzard, and just like that Scizor. Oh dear, that's quite the list already."_

 _Frost scowled. "I would have beaten Thresher," he retorted._

 _"All talk. Actions speak louder. I expect you to start taking actions soon...or I will," the other Pokemon purred. "Oh, do give Bliz a nip from me; I love how she doesn't put up with your submissive crap. I'd tell you to grow a pair, but maybe that's your problem."_

 _Another gust of wind swept through the snowy area, completely blocking the other Pokemon from Frost's view, until the icy mist seemed to swallow them up entirely, and Frost's vision filled with white._

* * *

A gentle touch upon the Glaceon's spine jolted him awake, and his fur bristled into icy needles before he could even register his surroundings. He growled, but hesitated when he felt a momentary sharp pain in his left ear, followed by a soft, familiar female voice gently shushing him, her paw stroking his back in what he interpreted as a soothing manner.

"Bliz?" Frost asked groggily. "What are you-?"

Blizzard shushed him again, supplementing the gentleness of her tone with a soothing lick to his bitten ear. "I apologize for startling you, but you must have been dreaming," she explained.

Frost blinked several times to clear the sleepiness from his eyes, and his gaze flitted around his surroundings. He was still within Blizzard's den, and Glacia was still napping beside him, although she was now cocooned within the second blanket, and her body was shaking slightly in her sleep.

"Wait, was I chilling the room?" Frost asked, his stomach churning unpleasantly at the thought. Even after consciously reminding himself not to let his control slip, it seemed the reminder had failed to stick once he was asleep, and the confrontational vibe of his dream had probably triggered his battle reflexes. Cold was comforting for an Ice-type, so it came as little surprise, but it didn't make him feel better.

"Only a little bit," Blizzard reassured him. "Nothing to worry about, and I've done it a few times myself. Bad dream?" she wondered, circling around so that she was within his line of vision, and she smiled fondly at Glacia before giving him a curious look.

"I don't even know," Frost sighed. Many of the details of his dream were already slipping from his recollection, like sand through a sieve. It was not a typical nightmare, nothing that would cause him to jolt awake, sweating and shaking, but it was not a soothing or comforting dream, either. It had been somewhat ominous, yet not directly threatening. It was like a snatch of a conversation without the context, or even knowing who he was talking with. The more he tried to figure it out, the more frustrating it seemed to become.

"Okay," Blizzard replied, sitting down and offering Frost another small smile. "You can go back to sleep if you want. I was only coming in to check in on you two. Glacia should be waking up in another minute or two."

Frost smirked slightly. "You've got her sleep schedule down to a science, don't you?" he asked, stretching his forelegs and sitting up.

"I pretty much should, at this point," Blizzard noted, smiling down at Glacia again, her eyes sparkling with fondness. "There are days and times when she can be unpredictable, but that's part of her charm. I try to keep her naps on a consistent schedule based on my observations, but it doesn't always work out perfectly. Either way, it's nice to get an opportunity to take care of other things while she naps. I don't like to keep her unattended, even if I'm still in the den."

As if on cue, Glacia stirred in her sleep, but after a few moments, she made a cute little murmur and continued dozing. Frost chuckled, stifling the sound with his paw.

"How long was I sleeping for?" he wondered after a few seconds.

"About an hour, give or take a few minutes. A power nap is probably best, so you'll still be able to sleep properly tonight," Blizzard replied, walking over to the container filled with berries and extracting two. She set them on the lid of the container, and carefully, but firmly, pressed down on them with a forepaw, crushing the fruit.

Frost observed the process in silence, as Blizzard moved the makeshift platter of crushed berry over to where Glacia was sleeping. She waited for a moment, and Glacia stirred again, her little Eevee nose sniffing the air, before she finally opened her eyes.

"Hey, there, sweetie," Blizzard murmured, leaning over and licking her daughter's cheek. Glacia whined a little, due to the blanket briefly restricting her movements, but after a few seconds of struggling, she wormed her way out of the shelter and nuzzled against Blizzard's face, giving her mother a few licks of her own.

"Hey, cutie," Frost said, his tail flicking. Glacia chirped, but further response was delayed by her yawning widely, concluding the action with an adorable squeak. Without further hesitation, the Eevee cozied up against Frost's leg, lifting her head up to lick affectionately at her father's neck and cheek, to the male Glaceon's delight. "Is that your apology for hugging Astrid first?" he asked playfully.

Blizzard rolled her eyes at the comment. "Here, Glacia, are you hungry?" she asked, nudging the plastic platter towards the Eevee again. Glacia squeaked and approached the crushed berries tentatively, her brown eyes darting around, as if checking to make sure there was no competition lurking in the shadows, and she sniffed at the fruit cautiously. Again, she paused and glanced around, even going as far as to curl her body around the platter, guarding the food with her bushy brown tail.

Frost was doing his utmost to keep from laughing at his kit's antics. Despite being an only child with no known reason to suspect her food was ever in danger of being sniped by a hypothetical thief, Glacia was still adorably protective of her rations. Even Blizzard was smiling fondly at the sight, watching as the Eevee nibbled at the berry pulp.

"How long have you been offering semi-solid foods to her?" Frost wondered.

"Just this past week or so," Blizzard replied. "She accepts it maybe one out of every three tries, but the ratio's been slowly improving. She's gotten to the point where I can give her two berries, but for some reason, she rejects second portions, even when she's still hungry, so I'd have to crush up both berries for one serving and hope she's willing to eat solids for that mealtime."

Frost chuckled. "So she's a very fickle eater. Cute, but I imagine quite frustrating."

"More frustrating than cute," Blizzard sighed. "Love her to death, but I just don't understand if there's a pattern or variable involved that'll let me judge ahead of time whether she'll be picky or not."

"Hmm, maybe with more time and observation something will come to light," Frost mused. "A week is probably not enough time to really judge how a transition is going. It's probably quite normal for a kit to have stubborn quirks. I can't really say, myself. Not enough exposure to kits, apart from her."

"Same," Blizzard nodded, turning her attention back to Glacia. "All finished, sweetie?" she asked, as the Eevee looked up from the remains of the berries, almost all of it having been consumed.

Glacia gave a little chirp in response and went over to where her mother was sitting, sniffing curiously at Blizzard's paws, possibly picking up on the scent of the crushed berries, but she soon sat down beside the female Glaceon, and began to nuzzle against her side. Frost observed this behaviors with mild interest. Even considering the Eevee's young age, it was abundantly clear that Glacia was a very affectionate, loving kit, and Frost suspected that this was another way the Eevee took after her mother.

"Out of idle curiosity, Bliz, what is the tentative plan for sleeping arrangements tonight, and for the duration of my visit?" Frost wondered. Blizzard gave him a piercing look, the type of expression that reminded him unpleasantly of how bizarrely intimidating he found her at times. It was the type of look she gave him whenever he was using an indirect or roundabout approach to something that otherwise was very straightforward.

"That's a question you should ask yourself before you ask me," Blizzard answered, after a short pause.

Frost was about to ask her what she meant, but stopped himself before his tongue could finish forming the words. Blizzard's questions and responses weren't typically difficult to interpret unless he was trying to be evasive in some way. The same thing had happened last time he had dropped by, when she had asked him why he was visiting. She may have responded to this question vaguely, but it was best if he took a few moments to consider her answer before reflexively questioning it.

 _"That's a question you should ask yourself before you ask me."_

Frost frowned slightly. He had already forgotten whether he had phrased his question in a specific manner that might alter its meaning if turned back on him. He knew he had been asking about her plans for sleeping arrangements, but he wasn't sure why that would need to be asked of him before directing the question to the owner of the den. If he tried to literally ask himself what the plans were for the sleeping arrangements that night, his answer would be 'I don't know', and then he'd have to ask Blizzard the question anyway.

Maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way. He already knew he had something of a habit of approaching topics passively and indirectly when around Blizzard, and that she often refused to let those instances slide. She preferred a direct, honest approach most of the time. As accommodating as Blizzard was, she was very firm, sometimes to the point of stubborn, but Frost kind of liked that about her. It showed that she was strong, confident, and no-nonsense when the situation warranted such an approach.

So going back to his original question...he had definitely been asking about the plans regarding sleeping arrangements. Was that a passive, indirect approach? Not really. It was a legitimate question, because she had mentioned preparing sleeping space for him and Astrid earlier, and he was unsure how that was going because she had then let him nap in her private room. Was she extending that privilege for all instances of sleeping, or just when Glacia was napping?

Frost blinked, the gears in his brain starting to turn. Maybe he HAD been asking the question passively, because he had played off his reason for asking as little more than casual curiosity, and asked the question in a very general sense. In his head, he had thought this was a polite, respectful approach acknowledging the existence of boundaries and not making any assumptions that would force her to correct him. However, the more he thought about it, the more it occurred to him that this approach put the female Glaceon on the spot and downplayed their relationship to the point that he was insinuating that she fully intended to set his bedding up in the main room, away from where she and Glacia slept.

It didn't mean she DIDN'T plan to do that, but he probably should have asked the question more directly, to clear up his uncertainty without playing dumb about what he expected, or wanted, from her response.

"Okay...I'll try that question again," Frost said slowly, and Blizzard gave a slight nod. The male Glaceon took a breath, taking a moment to work out what he wanted to say in his head, and then quickly trying to determine if this was more direct than the previous attempt. "Is it all right for me to sleep in here during my visits? For old-time's sake?"

Blizzard sighed very quietly. "That was better, until you tried to justify the question prematurely, but...baby steps, I suppose."

"Gee, thanks, Bliz," Frost deadpanned. Blizzard smiled teasingly at him.

"I really don't get why you're so nervous around me, Frost," she said.

"I blame the nesting stage," Frost said bluntly. "You sometimes wanted to cuddle, and you sometimes wanted to rip my throat out if I so much as entered your personal space. And you were REALLY strict about your room's privacy once Glacia actually hatched."

"Granted, but that got toned down drastically by mid-February, so it's not like that was the state of things when you left," Blizzard pointed out.

Frost shrugged. "You haven't actually answered my improved inquiry," he noted.

Blizzard rolled her eyes, but smiled faintly. "Yes, Frost, it's fine if you share the sleeping space on subsequent visits. Your reason for dropping by is to bond with and interact with Glacia, and it's not practical to arbitrarily isolate you from her at night. And...I can admit I miss your company."

"Noted," Frost replied with a brief smirk. "So you'll want to cuddle, huh?"

The female Glaceon's cheeks flushed slightly. "I...would not be opposed," she murmured, but she made eye contact, her expression more serious. "I'm sure it goes without saying that there are certain rules and restrictions to be followed with a kit in the room. And yes, they apply even when she's sleeping."

Frost raised an eyebrow slowly. "What if she's not in the room?"

"Get out," Blizzard said bluntly. Frost stifled a chuckle with his paw, and after a moment, Blizzard relaxed and even smiled briefly, turning her attention back to Glacia. The Eevee was whining very softly, and nudging Blizzard's side. Upon getting her mother's attention, Glacia increased the volume of the whine, looking up at Blizzard expectantly. Blizzard sighed softly, even as she stroked Glacia's head fondly. "I know that look. Could you excuse us, Frost?"

"Of course," Frost answered, bobbing his head and exiting the room, making his way back to the central chamber of the den. Judging by the sky outside, it was approaching the early evening, confirming what Blizzard had said about the nap lasting for about an hour.

It took Frost a moment to realize that Astrid was not present. He even glanced around the den again to be sure that she hadn't relocated to one of the corners of the den. Over the course of their trip through Mt. Coronet's caves, whenever she and Frost stopped to rest, Astrid made a point of positioning herself either in a corner or, at the very least, with her back to a wall. This was a logical decision, considering the overly hostile cave inhabitants, as it reduced the number of angles that they could be attacked from. When this sort of positioning was not possible for whatever reason, Astrid would instead insist that they rest while facing one another, so that she could see anything coming from behind Frost, and vice versa. It had been a very effective system, although Frost assumed that Astrid only followed such a system when traveling through enclosed areas, such as caves, which might disrupt her predator senses.

The Glaceon peered outside the den, taking note of the paw prints leading away from the entrance. Snow was lightly falling around him, so the tracks hadn't been made too long ago, and it was unlikely that Astrid had wandered too far away. If he were to hazard a guess, the Absol had probably left to go hunt or gather food supplies, as she had offered to do earlier. Blizzard would likely have finished looking over her inventory during Frost's nap, and Astrid may have woken up before Blizzard had come in to check on him and Glacia, long enough to learn what she needed to get.

As Frost turned to go back inside, something glittering in a pile of snow caught his eye, and he paused, cocking his head at different angles to try and find the sweet spot where the sun reflected off the object again. Once he found the right angle, he walked over to the sparkling spot, and began idly pawing through the nearby snow. It took a few seconds, but his paw finally contacted something vaguely metallic, and he lifted the object from the snow.

At a cursory glance, it was a metal loop, similar to an overly large wrist watch, but as Frost brushed some of the errant snowflakes from the object, he discovered a familiar white, semi-transparent crystal embedded in the center of the loop, and he blinked several times, turning the loop over in his paws.

Now that he had the chance to really see it up close, he realized that the dark metal was aged and worn. The clasp that would secure the loop to one's arm or leg had degraded from constant use, and was so flimsy that it had finally broken completely.

As he turned it back over to inspect the crystal again, and after spotting the light blue cats-eye sigil in the center of the crystal, there was no denying that it was the same one that Astrid carried with her. What was more incredible to Frost was the sheer luck he had of coming across it. Small, glittering objects lost on the mountain stayed lost. Falling snow and shifting winds would bury the object, and unless someone had the fortune of literally stepping on it, the chances of recovery were next to nil. Retracing one's steps would do little good if you had no idea where it had been dropped, with so much ground to cover and so much snow to conceal the trail.

The feat was a little less impressive due to it having been dropped on the pathway to Blizzard's den. Sooner or later, she or Glacia would probably would stumbled across it, but that could have been weeks down the road, or longer.

Frowning slightly, Frost turned to go back into the den, taking Astrid's anklet inside with him. He handled it with wary caution, recalling what Astrid and Renard had said about this type of stone containing a lot of energy that made casual handling dangerous. He didn't want take it with him and venture out into the snow to find the Absol, nor did he consider it wise to leave it unattended in the den. Something said to be powerful and dangerous was not something he'd want Glacia getting ahold of. No, the best option for now was to wait for Astrid to return, and then see what could be done about its current condition.

Astrid had proven herself to be a competent and reliable ally during their journey through the caves, but he had yet to see how strong she really was as a battler. It was a detail that had nagged at Frost's mind for the past several days. He knew she had been trained by a human, but he knew so little about how human trainers and their Pokemon functioned as partners. He knew that it was said to be a beneficial relationship, but he had yet to see the results with his own eyes, and the last trainer he had fought against was an amateur with inexperienced Pokemon, like that Luxio back in Solaceon.

It might also give him the opportunity to ask for a demonstration of what this stone could actually do in the paws of a Pokemon capable of wielding it.


	85. Angel of Disaster

Glittering snowflakes danced through the air all around the snow-covered meadow, with some of the more ambitious snowflakes engaging in an elaborate pirouette with the assistance of a gust of wind, before settling down among the hundreds of thousands of other snowflakes. It was almost like a contest or interview for work, where everyone was trying to catch the eye and memory of the judges and be remembered above the thousands of other candidates.

In a word, the area was tranquil. The sun was beginning to set, and the mountain sky was beginning to darken, even as the warm rays of the sun continued to bathe the horizon with its light. The snowy meadow was peaceful and undisturbed, apart from the single quadruped whose snow-white fur made her almost indistinguishable from the meadow itself.

Astrid's green eyes gazed out over Sinnoh. Mt. Coronet's higher ground offered a unique vantage point of the rest of the region, and she somewhat relished the opportunity to look out over the world and admire the beauty and life that Sinnoh offered. She could see miles and miles of trees, grass, and rock in all direction. Forests, meadows, lakes, and even oceans, further out, near the horizon. Buildings and cities dotted the landscape, and Astrid smiled faintly. Although human cities were not as 'natural' as the meadows, mountains, and lakes of Sinnoh, there was still life within them. They were home to many different people and Pokemon living together in relative harmony, and working alongside one another to make life better for everyone.

The Absol sighed heavily, her ears twitching to confirm that she was still alone. It was not that she really cared whether someone saw her in this kind of a mood, but it would be incredibly embarrassing if someone managed to creep up behind her while she was gazing out over Sinnoh. This was a wonderful region, and deep in her heart, she wanted it to stay that way. Many Absol that made their homes up in the mountains were reclusive and sometimes bitter of how humanity viewed their abilities, but not all of them felt this way, and some still ventured out from the mountains to try to warn the world of an impending crisis.

Over the course of her time living up here, when she was small, Astrid had come to discover that most Absol were able to detect changes in the weather and atmosphere, a warning about distant, potentially catastrophic natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, even tornados and the like. Others, like herself, experienced a more vague 'sense' of something bad about to happen, but uncovering the details was next to impossible without investigation.

An Absol that experienced premonitions of unnatural disasters were even less likely to successfully warn others of the danger that was coming. Many psychics and human technology were already capable of detecting weather pattern shifts prior to a natural disaster, and the priority of warning people was greater for cities or towns that lacked this technology or access to certain emergency news stations. An Absol entering a populated area with vague claims of an impending, unnatural disaster was unlikely to be taken seriously, and be seen as a bad luck charm if a disastrous event did strike the area.

If anything, an unnatural event befalling the area would only reinforce the stigma of her species as doombringers. They were bad omens at best, and the cause of calamity at the worst.

Astrid was different from other Absol, though. One would think that being saddled with the curse to detect misfortune and tragedy would make one very moody and introspective, being forced to decide between leaving the lives of others up to fate, or trying to intervene and being branded for their efforts. There was always the risk of being overwhelmed by guilt about those that could not be saved, or for allowing those that doubted the warnings to go on with their lives and become entangled in the destructive fate that followed.

In another life, Astrid might have felt that way. It wasn't difficult to imagine going through those stages of frustration, grief, and despair over the innumerable tragedies that she had witnessed or failed to prevent. It wasn't difficult to imagine becoming bitter or jaded over the negative portrayal of her species, either, or succumbing to the hollow sadness of being ostracized from everyone else in the world, and viewed as an outcast.

There were nights where the loneliness could eat at her heart a little bit. She was a social animal, a Pokemon that enjoyed the company of others, and loneliness was definitely not something she was able to shrug off every time she felt it creeping up on her.

So why, then, was she sitting out here alone, gazing wistfully out over Sinnoh? She could easily be nestled up in Blizzard's den, in the company of two or three other Pokemon that didn't necessarily object to her presence, let alone her existence. Frost was still a bit of a gray area, because he hadn't made it a secret that he found her exasperating and had been opposed to traveling with her from the beginning, but at the same time, she didn't get the same vibe of distaste and distrust from him that she received from other Pokemon.

Frost hadn't disclosed his reasons for coming up here, but neither had Astrid. In the wake of the tragedy that had befallen Echo, Astrid had experienced many restless days and nights, fearing for the lives of her other closest friends and former companions. Renard often told her to stay grounded in the present reality, but that advice was not perfect. She had felt apprehensive about the Eterna Forest for almost a week before finally venturing out to investigate when the sensations reached their peak, only to come across another of her former companions, engaged in what was undeniably a very violent and dangerous agenda. Whether her intervention had spared Thresher's life or not, it amplified her pre-existing uncertainty about the others. With Frost already planning on making the trek up the mountain, she benefited from accompanying him.

It was an incredible relief to discover that Blizzard was doing well, and the Absol looked forward to having the chance to catch up on what the Glaceon had been up to over the past few years. The kit seemed to be a recent addition, and Astrid was curious about a whole assortment of details surrounding that development. Probably a bit of a red flag that she shouldn't ask too many questions, or at least not to make too many assumptions, but Astrid doubted she could really fumble the subject any worse than initially assuming Frost and Blizzard were siblings.

A sudden twitch ran through her body, and Astrid glanced around her snow-covered surroundings, her eyes searching for any sign of a potential threat. Once assured that she was still alone, she took a deep breath. Resisting a warning sign had never proved fruitful in the past, and in the grand scheme of things, there were innumerable events in the world that could never be averted, unless she was already there. Something as simple and mundane as a thief striking from a dark alleyway would happen regardless of her wishes, because there was no time between the warning and the event transpiring. She sensed many of these little things on a daily basis, until she barely even registered the warnings anymore. It wasn't that she didn't want to help...it was that she literally couldn't. Even in the comics and television shows that Brian enjoyed, the hero could not be everywhere at once. Maybe that was why she had enjoyed watching those shows with him - she could relate to the plight of the hero trying to live his normal life, while shouldering the burdens of the call.

Astrid blinked. She had raised her paw to wipe the beginnings of a tear from her eye, and it had occurred to her that something about the leg was different from normal. It was like waking up in the morning with a scratch on one's cheek that they hadn't noticed the night before, prompting them to wonder when they had gotten it. Several bewildered seconds passed before it clicked, and the Absol swiveled around in a blind panic, her eyes darting around the meadow.

Her Absolite...where was her Absolite?!

Astrid felt her breath catch in her throat, and she frantically scratched at the snow where she had been sitting. Had the anklet slipped off while she was lost in thought? Had it gotten covered up by the snow when she had moved? Or had she dropped it on the way here?

 _Stay calm...stay calm...just retrace your steps. You didn't go far from Blizzard's den. Wait...did I even HAVE it when I arrived at her den?!_

Astrid bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. She had been so tired upon emerging from the caves that she couldn't recall whether she had still had the Absolite bracer on, but if she was only now realizing it was gone...

No, no, she definitely had it after her nap. She remembered because it had been pressing into her chin when she woke up. If it was gone now, then she had lost it since then. It was either on the path she took to get here, or, if she was particularly lucky, it had fallen off INSIDE Blizzard's den, and she wouldn't need to try to unbury it.

That was where she would start her search.

Rising to all fours, Astrid briskly made her way towards the Glaceon's den, her eyes frantically scanning the snow-covered ground just in case. If the Absolite had fallen off around here, maybe there would be a noticeable bulge in the snow, or maybe it'd be sticking out and she'd spot it.

Astrid practically burst into the den, although that description would have been more effective had there been some obstacle in her path to crash into or otherwise send flying. The sudden movement was enough to startle Blizzard, who had regathered her kit and Frost into the main room, whereas Glacia was thankfully oblivious, and Frost only tensed briefly.

"Are you okay, Astrid?" Blizzard asked, rising to her feet in alarm, and making her way over to the half-panicked Absol. "Is something wrong?"

"My Absolite. Have you seen my Absolite?" Astrid asked frantically, her eyes darting about the den floor in search of the black metal anklet, but the clutter of the den made it nearly impossible to notice whether something was out-of-place.

"Slow down, I can't understand you," Blizzard said gently, although she looked past Astrid to confirm that there wasn't some immediate danger nearby.

"My Absolite bracer!" Astrid repeated, gesturing forcefully to her naked foreleg. "I lost it somewhere, have you-?" she stopped suddenly, as Frost had lifted his paw to show her that he had the familiar metal loop, its white stone glittering in the dying sunlight. Overwhelming relief crashed down upon Astrid, and she dashed over to the male Glaceon, his dark eyes widening in alarm as she practically pounced upon him. Her weight and speed bowled him over easily, and she immediately began nuzzling the Glaceon's face, murmuring 'thank you' over and over.

"Get OFF!" Frost snarled, and knife of cold air cut across Astrid's face, howling in her ears as it passed. The Absol recoiled, giving Frost the opportunity to slip away from her and get back to his feet, his icy fur bristling into agitated needles.

Astrid shook herself, and giggled shakily. Her whole body was shaking for that matter, and she was finding it difficult to form words coherently. She couldn't handle this type of emotional see-sawing. Frost glared at her and, upon seeing that the Absolite bracer was on the den floor between them, kicked it towards her, the metal scraping against the floor with a sound like a fork against a plate.

"Sorry," Astrid managed sheepishly, drawing the Absolite closer to herself and inspecting it carefully. The stone itself seemed to still be in perfect condition, but it didn't take long for her to figure out how it had fallen off in the first place: the clasp that normally kept the anklet affixed to her leg had finally broken. "I'm just so happy I didn't lose this for good," she explained.

"Why in the..." Frost began, before shooting a sideways glance at Glacia. The Eevee's tail was wagging, and she had crouched, as if preparing to pounce on Frost. "Don't you dare, Glacia," he warned, but he may as well have been saying the opposite, because the Eevee giggled and pounced. She lacked the speed and weight to actually knock Frost over, but compensated by latching onto one of the male Glaceon's dangling fur flaps. Tears of pain formed in the male Glaceon's eyes, and he dropped himself into a position closer to the ground, so that his daughter was no longer suspended in the air. Oblivious to her father's discomfort, Glacia giggled, and Blizzard was wincing sympathetically. Despite this, Frost gently stroked Glacia's back with his paw, and in doing so, coaxed the Eevee into releasing her grasp entirely.

"What I'm sure Frost is trying to say is that...no offense, but you're a bit too exuberant in showing gratitude," Blizzard said. "You've got claws, teeth, larger body mass, and that scythe horn thing...not something one would appreciate being tackled by."

"I said I was sorry," Astrid pointed out, turning the bracer over in her paws to inspect for other signs of damage. "So, the good news is, only the clasp itself broke," she reported, her tail wagging slightly.

"What's the bad news?" Frost wondered, gently massaging the dangling flap, now that Glacia had released it.

Astrid shrugged. "Bad news is that I can't fix it. I'll either need to bring it to a specialist or replace it entirely. You wouldn't happen to have a spare traveling pouch or something, would you, Bliz?"

"Uh, I'll check," Blizzard said, getting up and making her way to the storage area. Astrid smiled gratefully before turning her attention to Frost instead.

"Where did you find this? Was it dropped in here, or somewhere outside?" she asked.

"Just outside, maybe a dozen paces from the entrance," Frost answered curtly. "I think I was lucky to find it at all. It caught the sun just right for me to notice it. Now, if you want a suggestion on how to thank me, I have a couple of options."

"Okay," Astrid replied, with only the briefest hesitation. At this point, she really didn't know what Frost might suggest, and was almost willing to hedge bets on it being the equivalent of 'go away'. Almost, because she doubted the Glaceon would be that blunt and rude in front of Blizzard. He had an unmistakable scent of being intimidated by his female counterpart.

Frost smirked briefly, before gesturing towards the Absolite stone. "I want to see how that works. Ideally, you would demonstrate it during a sparring match of some sort, but in its current condition, I can accept that to be more difficult to arrange."

Astrid twitched, taken aback by the suggestion, and she glanced down at the Absolite. She really shouldn't have been surprised that Frost wanted a demonstration of its capabilities. He had quickly made it clear back in the Eterna Forest that he was interested in seeing how strong she was, and had been absent during her later battle scenarios. He had also expressed some interest in the subject of Mega Stones, although this topic had been dismissed in favor of Renard explaining what he knew of Diablos.

"Er...that could maybe be an issue," Astrid said with a shrug.

"Why's that?" Frost asked, frowning slightly. "Is it because you need to be able to equip it properly to utilize it?"

"No, nothing like that," Astrid giggled. "To use a Mega Stone, you just would need to have it physically in your possession. You could hold it in your paw and be fine, but it's convenient to equip to to a piece of apparel or whatever, so that your paws are free, or in the case of quadrupeds, so you're not walking weird and can battle normally."

"Then what's the issue?" the Glaceon demanded impatiently. From the corner of her eye, Astrid noticed that Blizzard had glanced over with a disapproving expression, but Frost didn't seem to notice.

"I haven't been able to properly achieve Mega Evolution without a Key Stone for...years," Astrid explained, her nonchalant tone faltering at the last word, and she smiled apologetically.

"A Key Stone?" Frost repeated blankly. "What does that even mean?"

"In order for a Pokemon to use their Mega Stone, they need their trainer to use a Key Stone as a sort of circuit breaker," Astrid explained earnestly, her tail wagging. "The Key Stone monitors the energy level transfer to minimize the side effects of the evolution. Without it, the energy is unstable and can cause severe side effects within the user."

Frost scowled. "You didn't mention anything like this before," he accused. Astrid shrugged again.

"It was one of the technical details that Renard mentioned," she explained. "While it's still possible to Mega Evolve without the Key Stone, it's much harder, more taxing, and more dangerous."

"And you don't have a Key Stone?" Frost asked. His eyes darted about the den, visibly frustrated, but lacking a means to properly vent the feeling, what with his kit sitting directly beside him. "Then why carry that stone at all if you can't even use it properly?" he demanded.

"Because I can sometimes use it, in small doses. Even if I can't Mega Evolve, it still has a lot of energy inside it that can transfer over to me if I need it," Astrid insisted. "It reacts to my emotional and mental state, and if I'm in desperate need of extra power or whatever, I have it available. But I can't handle the full energy load, which is what I'd need to Mega Evolve. I need a lot of focus, and the Key Stone."

"But you've done it before, haven't you?" Frost insisted. It was difficult for Astrid to tell whether he was asking things out of a genuine desire to understand the information, or whether he was trying to push the matter and insist she fulfill his request. "That's how you phrased it. You haven't been able to do it for years, but that implies there was a time you once could. Am I right?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Astrid said with a shrug.

"Let it go, Frost," Blizzard stated firmly, and the male Glaceon flinched. "She told you she can't do it without the Key Stone, and she's not going to risk her health and safety for your curiosity."

"Granted, but did you ever have a Key Stone? What changed?" Frost asked, the aggression fading from his tone, confirming to the Absol that Blizzard had a profound amount of influence over Frost.

"Our team retired," Blizzard answered softly, walking back from the storage area and setting a simple brown bag at Astrid's feet. It was the type of bag with a drawstring, large enough to carry about a day or two's worth of rations or a number of small, personal items. Even just sizing it up with her eyes, Astrid could tell that it would easily carry the broken bracer inside. "Many of our communal belongings were divided among the other group members. Astrid only took the Absolite and bracer, for example."

"And you took the storage containers and the snow globe," Astrid chimed in. Blizzard's eyes flashed in her direction, whereas Frost's ears perked up.

"Oh? What's the story behind this enigmatic snow globe?" he asked eagerly.

"Not now, Frost," Blizzard said sharply, to which the male Glaceon rolled his eyes. Once it was clear that Frost had dropped the subject, Blizzard relaxed, but then frowned. "It was never important enough for me to have paid much attention, but who did inherit the Key Stone?" she wondered.

"Renard," Astrid answered promptly, her tail flicking. "Well, the Key Stone was always Renard's. He was the original owner, and just loaning it to Brian."

"That was the only thing Renard took, wasn't it? I remember because he gave me the rest of his share, since I was the youngest," Blizzard murmured. "A/C took the books, I know that, but Thresher?"

"The Pokedex," Astrid confirmed. It had been a bizarre choice back then for the Scizor to take the device, and to this day, Astrid had no idea what Thresher might have wanted it for.

"Wait," Frost interjected suddenly, his mouth curling into a serious frown. "You said 'inherited', and now you're talking like an entire collection of items were divided, including items that should not be considered 'communal' resources. Your trainer...did he actually retire, or...?"

Blizzard winced, and flashed Astrid an apologetic look, receiving a casual nod in return. It was only fair to forgive the Glaceon's careless wording, since she had kindly overlooked Astrid's mistake of mentioning the snow globe subject.

"He died," Blizzard confirmed to Frost solemnly. "Please don't inquire further on the matter, not with us. We were all quite close with him. Perhaps we should abandon this subject entirely."

"It was only brought up because of the Key Stone," Frost noted, glancing at Astrid again. "I merely wanted a full understanding on the significance of the stone in regards to your ability to use Mega Evolution. But I digress...how drastic is the evolution? Does it amplify your abilities or battle capabilities."

"It amplifies everything," Astrid said with a quiet giggle.

"It is astonishing how little that answers my question," Frost deadpanned. "Be specific. Evolution suggests a physical transformation, even if it is temporary. What physically changes? How does it affect your battle abilities? Does it impact your natural ability to detect and respond to disasters? These are the things I'm anxious to learn about."

Astrid and Blizzard exchanged looks for a moment, and Frost frowned. Before he could object to the nonverbal communication going on in front of him, Astrid gave a small shrug.

"Okay...seeing as you're much more interested in the details than I thought, I guess I can TRY to show you. But, before I do, I'm going to remind you that it might not work, and if I go psychotic, you're probably going to need to subdue me."

"Oh, is that all?" Frost asked dryly. "You're FAR too casual about the risk involved."

"That's just if it doesn't work," Astrid giggled. "If it does work, my energy and hormone levels could fluctuate drastically, and undoing the evolution too quickly might trigger a primal reaction. So again, subduing may be necessary. There's other risks too, but I shouldn't talk about them in front of a kit," she added playfully.

"Is she joking?" Frost asked Blizzard.

"Um...probably not," Blizzard admitted.

"Hm...on second thought, I may wish to rescind my suggestion of repayment in this fashion," Frost said, eyeing the Absol apprehensively. Astrid had to admit that there was something enjoyable about seeing the smug Glaceon change his tune. Especially considering that he had tried to act intimidating to her when they first arrived in the den.

"Why? I'm the one most at risk," Astrid pointed out. "And I'm willing to try it. If you hadn't found my Absolite, I wouldn't be able to do that. So come on, let's give it a shot. I need the practice."

"Why do you need the practice?" Frost demanded. "You haven't been able to do it for years, by your own words, so why put yourself at risk now? It would be wiser to practice with a Key Stone, and you said Renard has it. Just wait until we get back to the Eterna area."

"That's why I need to practice!" Astrid growled, her sudden shift of mood catching both Glaceon by surprise, and Glacia squeaked and hid behind her mother. The Absol sighed heavily, the fight fading from her body, and she turned away from them, gazing outside the den. "Physically, my Mega Evolution's fur resembles angelic wings. That's where the pun of my name comes from, Frost. 'Astrid' is a name that means divine strength; divine beauty. The form of my Mega Evolution gives me that appearance and power, and Brian was inspired to name me accordingly."

She glanced over her shoulder, noting the male Glaceon's perplexed look. It didn't really matter whether he understood why she told him that without prompting. None of this mattered, really. She had escorted him up here, as planned, and confirmed that Blizzard was doing well. Her role here was finished.

"I'm going out to Solaceon Town next, to see A/C," Astrid said softly. "You can get back on your own, right, Frost?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess. But..."

"Sounds good," Astrid interrupted, and she gave Blizzard a smile. "Sorry, I decided I'm not going to stay the night, Bliz, but it was great to see you again."

"Likewise," Blizzard agreed, returning the smile, despite her obvious confusion at the Absol's sudden departure. "Are you sure you don't need anything else?"

"Nope, I'm good," Astrid answered, her tail wagging. With careful movements, she placed the drawstring bag over her head, taking extra care when moving past her scythe-like horn, and placed the Absolite bracer within the bag once it was secure around her neck. "I'll see you around, then. Have a good night!"

She and Blizzard embraced for a few seconds, and then with a final nod of acknowledgement to Frost and Glacia, Astrid left the den, and began walking through the snow, listening to the crunching of her paws over the frozen powder.

If nothing else, her conversation with Frost had prompted Astrid to realize something very important, that had been nagging at the back of her mind ever since she and Shadow had confronted Diablos in Eterna Forest.

The possessed Riolu had told her that her power didn't come from emotions, but seemingly from the exact opposite of that. It had been nonsense to her initially, but then Renard had discussed with the others about the darkness that compelled others to act, sometimes selfishly, in order to achieve their goals. For a while, Astrid had struggled to make sense of what Diablos had said to her personally, and how it contrasted with Renard's explanation.

Mega Evolution was a special form of strength to her. It required her mind to take precedence over her emotions, or else the energies within the stone might overwhelm her. She had to block out the unnecessary things, and focus on what she was trying to achieve, and even if successful, she had to maintain that perfect balance, or the transformation could go awry.

Those that knew Astrid well often said that her insensitively casual manner was just her way of coping with the curse she had been saddled with, and in the wake of losing her trainer, the ability to Mega Evolve without the support of a Key Stone had seemingly evaded her.

Her inability to become riled up, or stressed, or even troubled, by the constant misfortunes of others allowed her to maintain the balanced mindset required of Mega Evolution. And her Mega Evolution was the form of a divine, angelic Pokemon intent on preventing disaster and misfortune.

So in a way...Diablos had spoken the truth. Astrid's power came not from emotions, but her heartfelt desire to prevent calamity, and her steadfast resolve, despite all the failures. That demon had killed one of her closest friends and companions, but apart from her brief surge of anger back at the Forest, Astrid felt no hatred towards the Spiritomb. He was, in her eyes, just another type of disaster. A living disaster that brought misfortune to the lives of others. He hunted for darkness, but she was a huntress within the dark.

Astrid smirked to herself at the thought.

 _Predator Game, start._


	86. Meditative Development

A gentle spring breeze passed through the meadow, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. Sunlight scattered over the grass, dancing to the wind's rhythm, and illuminating the pair of quadrupeds locked in combat. They eyed one another, but there was no true aggression in either of their stances, yet the confrontation nevertheless seemed deeply personal, a testament to their respective wills to overcome the other.

The smaller of the combatants had tan fur and vibrant green, leaf-like ears with a matching tail, and a number of small plants seemed to be growing from its forehead, chest, and legs. Soft brown eyes watched his opponent carefully, but his tail flicked with enthusiasm, the suspense of the battle proving to be too much for him to endure passively.

The older of the two quadrupeds was a feline Pokemon with ebony black fur and a forked tail. Silver eyes observed the younger Pokemon, but occasionally darted around their present surroundings, and a matching silver gemstone glowed faintly from its owner's forehead.

Both Pokemon were breathing heavily, the only indication that they had been locked in battle for a considerable length of time, yet neither of them were backing down an inch. At the same time, they seemed to be waiting for something, some sort of unspoken signal from above that would cue their next responses.

The Leafeon chanced an impatient look skywards, but hastily returned his attention to the Espeon across from him, only to glance up again. The clouds that had passed before the sun finally moved aside, revealing the glowing solar body in its full glory. Brilliant rays of light streamed down into the meadow, its light encompassing the two of them. The Espeon's forehead gem changed color subtly, moving from silver to pure white. At the same time, the sprout on the Leafeon's head shimmered with a vibrant green glow that expanded over the Grass-type's entire body.

"Here I come, Leaf, ready or not," Shadow warned.

"Bring it on, Shade-oh!" Leaf retorted eagerly. The Espeon rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist a smile at the young Leafeon's antics. It seemed like it had been ages since his brother had last tried to rile him up with the deliberate mispronunciation, and he was sure that this was the Leafeon's plan - to break his focus at a crucial moment.

The Espeon focused his thoughts and energy, basking in the warmth of the sun's light and concentrating on spreading that energy through his body. Hs forehead glowed even more brightly, and colorful bolts of light erupted from the gem, like light shining through a prism. The rays of rainbow light fired towards the Leafeon, who took a slow, cleansing breath.

Green wisps of light rose up from the grass, the nearby flowers, and even the trees, gathering in front of Leaf's mouth until a sizeable sphere of vibrant green energy had collected. With a flick of his head, Leaf launched the glowing orb in Shadow's direction, and it collided with the rainbow light show that Shadow had conjured.

For a few moments, the opposing energy projectiles seemed to push against each other, like deranged customers in pursuit of the last item on sale, but just like in that analogous scenario, something eventually had to break, and in this case, it was Shadow's Dazzling Gleam that succumbed first. The rainbow rays shattered apart, scattering fragments of rainbow light in all directions, like a stained glass window struck by a rock, and the Energy Ball continued past the sparkling debris.

Shadow ducked at the last second, and the energy soared past him before dissipating harmlessly, filling the air around him with the sweet scent of flowers and rain. Even the air seemed purer than before, and the Espeon inhaled deeply, his eyes becoming a little unfocused, and the tension evaporating from his body.

The blissful moment was interrupted by his tail twitching a warning, followed by Leaf plowing his head into Shadow's unguarded chest, bowling the Espeon over with ease. Shadow grunted as he tumbled backwards, and he blinked several times before focusing upon the ecstatic expression of his younger brother standing over him.

"Ha! Beat you!" Leaf squealed, his tail swishing energetically.

The Espeon blinked again, still feeling a bit disoriented and not entirely sure what had just happened. "Uh...wow, you...yeah, you did," he conceded, the words feeling foreign even as he spoke them.

"That was fun!" Leaf said, nuzzling his brother happily. Shadow smirked weakly, and gently pushed Leaf away so that he could climb back to his feet. The haze that had settled over his brain was fading away, and he shook his head to dispel the last of the confusion from his mind. "You think I did good, right?" Leaf asked, his eyes wide and hopeful, as if the acknowledgement of winning was not sufficient approval.

"You did really good," Shadow agreed, and the Leafeon nearly squealed again, his eyes glistening with enthusiasm.

"Thanks! I've been working really hard to learn this stuff, and I'm so happy you got to see it work!" Leaf explained with a grin. Shadow nodded and rubbed his brother's ears with his paw, to the Leafeon's delight. After a few seconds, Leaf yawned widely. "Mm...I think the sun's calling my name, Shadow..." he murmured, and he wandered off a few paces and flopped himself down on the grass. Within moments, he was stretched out luxuriously in a patch of sunlight.

Shadow smiled at the sight and made his way back towards the large tree that served as the major landmark of the territory. As much as Shadow enjoyed relaxing in the sun, Leaf's sunbathing practically bordered on devotion. He liked to nap in the sun at least every afternoon when given the chance, but more recently, Shadow had discovered that Leaf did NOT want to be disturbed during this time. It was actually a little odd that he had never noticed this in the past, apart from how Leaf's mood tended to destabilize if he was deprived of the sunlight.

Shadow paused at the lake's edge to take a long drink, and he wiped his mouth afterwards before walking over to the base of the tree.

It never ceased to amaze Shadow how much his brother had grown in such a short span of time. There was actually something mildly unnerving about it, truth be told, because Shadow didn't recall making such drastic improvements when he was that age. Then again, Leaf had evolved much earlier in his life than Shadow had. It was possible that Leaf was not only adjusting more easily to his evolved abilities, but that he also had an easier time picking up new techniques and incorporating them into his battle strategy.

Adding to that, Renard had been an invaluable help over the past few days. For the most part, the Ninetales had remained distant, and usually lurked closer to the territory's edge rather than the central area, but whenever he was around, he was willing to give them some coaching or advice. Even though he was not a natural Psychic-type, Renard did have a number of pointers for Shadow on how to use his focus, and manipulate his energy to get a variety of results and make improvements to his style. Based on Leaf's recent spike in battle skill, he was providing similar assistance to the young Leafeon.

Shadow settled himself in the shade of the tree and closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply. Another piece of advice that Renard had suggested was for Shadow to meditate more frequently, but not to get discouraged if he didn't get perfect results early on. Even after just a few days, Shadow felt that he was starting to get the hang of it, and he usually did feel better after mediating, as if his mind had been recharged. It probably was similar to how Leaf felt after sunbathing.

He could rarely meditate for longer than a minute or two before losing focus, but he suspected that this was normal for a beginner. Getting the hang of something didn't necessarily mean that he was good at it, merely that he was getting better, and just as with his battle training, any improvement was welcome.

The Espeon inhaled deeply again before slowly exhaling, envisioning that the tension in his body was being forced out with each exhale. Idle thoughts still drifted in and out of his mind, but he dismissed them, one by one, and remained focused on his breathing. The first few times he had attempted the process, he had felt foolish almost the entire time, despite it being similar to how A/C had taught him to tap into his psychic energies. After working at it for several days, the self-consciousness he had originally wrestled with had left, and he actually looked forward to taking a few minutes to just relax like this, without any distractions or worries.

His tail flicked briefly, and Shadow creased his brow in sudden confusion. Although he kept his eyes closed in the hopes of quickly returning to his tranquil state of mind, he had become aware of the abrupt absence of wind. The gentle breeze that had been flowing around him moments earlier had tapered off suddenly, and he couldn't hear the sounds of water nearby. Was this part of the meditation, to become so focused and relaxed that outside noises no longer registered to his brain?

The Espeon cracked his eyes open, only to find himself in a different setting entirely. It was still a meadowed area, but everything about it was somehow...different. There was no wind, and fewer clouds overhead. The sun was seemingly absent, yet light was still cast upon his surroundings.

Shadow scanned his surroundings warily, but something about the area felt serene, and completely at peace. The meadow was open, with lush grass stretching for as far as the eye could see. Perplexed, he took a few tentative steps forward, only to discover that his body felt weightless, but not to the extent that he was actually floating. Everything clicked into place from there. He had experienced this sort of thing before, shortly after he had evolved, when he had accidentally linked minds with Leaf. However, this did not seem to be the same meadow that appeared within Leaf's mind, although there were definite similarities.

Now that he had established the general idea of where he was, Shadow began walking in one direction, constantly surveying the landscape. The grass seemed to extend on forever, but there was enough variety in the grass and flowers to reassure him that he was making some sort of progress. As expected, he could make out what appeared to be a lake up ahead, set on the edge of a forest. He quickened his pace, and as he drew nearer to the lake, a curious pink mist seemed to form around the water's edge, and he spotted two figures moving about the water, although the details of their appearance was partially masked by the mist.

Once he was practically upon them, he could see them much more clearly. One of them was another Espeon, and Shadow paused for a moment, but then relaxed. This Espeon, although distinctly male, seemed older than Devine, and his fur was darker than the 'traditional' lavender that Devine boasted, but not nearly as dark as Shadow's black fur. The other feline looked up at Shadow's approach, and he could see that the eyes and gemstone of the other Espeon both shone with an intriguing turquoise color.

The other Espeon simply regarded Shadow in silence. His demeanor was calm and serious, and Shadow stared back, sizing him up, but somehow conscious of the fact that the Psychic-type opposite him posed absolutely no threat.

"Okay...who are you?" Shadow asked finally.

"Dusk," the other Espeon replied, without hesitation, and delivered in a completely calm, level manner. "You are within your own mindscape, although you seem to be aware of this already."

"Ah...yeah, I thought I might be," Shadow murmured, a little taken aback by how he hadn't even needed to ask the question before it was answered. It reminded him of how much easier it had been to get answers or information from Lumina, as opposed to Devine.

"Meditation is one such method of suspending your state of consciousness in order to access this plane," Dusk explained, and his tail flicked briefly. "Being asleep is another. For that matter, almost any method in which a reduced state of consciousness is present can enable access. Psychics are more highly attuned to the workings of one's mind, which simplifies the matter even when you are alert, but again, I expect you are also already aware of this."

"Sort of," Shadow agreed slowly. "Wait, so I could actually show up here on purpose?"

"With practice, yes," Dusk confirmed with a faint smile. "With even more practice, you probably could access the minds of others if you wished, provided their mental defenses don't keep you out, or expel you. However, I would not recommend doing so without justified cause, or their consent."

"Why's that?" Shadow wondered, before he could stop himself. He honestly had no real intention of pushing the scope of his abilities towards extracting information by force from another's mind, but he was aware of the potential, and was actually curious what answer he might receive from an individual said to be an aspect of his personality. If Dusk supposedly managed his logical desires, as Lumina had told him previously, he would have expected the Espeon to be extremely pragmatic in his approach of situations, preferring a direct and efficient route.

"Your grasp of that ability is tenuous, at best," Dusk answered seriously, seemingly unfettered by Shadow questioning him on the subject. "Meddling about with the thoughts and mind of another is very risky business, both to the subject and to you. In desperate circumstances, foregoing permission may be necessary, but the risk still outweighs the benefits if you don't know what you're doing, and getting proper education would likely include a controlled scenario to protect those involved from unintentional backlash."

Shadow stared at Dusk. That hadn't been anything like the answer he had expected to get. Rather than address the obvious moral or emotional backlash that could result from invading someone's mind without permission, Dusk had instead focused on the fact Shadow didn't know how to properly use the ability, and how that key detail would affect the outcome. It was logical, but in a different way than Shadow expected. Perhaps the different individuals within a person's mind were more complex than Lumina and Devine had initially let on.

Shadow's attention gradually shifted to the third Pokemon that was present. To his surprise, he found himself looking at a Pokemon he had never seen before. It was a quadruped with pale cream fur, but the ends of its paws, its tail, and its ears were colored pink. On its left ear and under its chin were pink bows with white edges, and four odd, ribbon-like appendages fluttered out from these bows, the ends of each ribbon ending in a stripe of pink, dark blue, and a pale blue tip. Lastly, its eyes were vibrant blue with a hint of silver in the pupils.

Shadow just stared at this Pokemon for a long time, the prolonged attention causing the individual's cheeks to flush self-consciously, and that embarrassment was what startled Shadow out of his reverie.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but...who are you?" he asked, feeling his own face grow warm.

"Twilight," the pink cream Pokemon answered. Its voice was definitely feminine, although Shadow was assuming that already due to the coloration, and the private awareness that he found this Pokemon inexplicably cute. If anything, he was relieved that it really was a female, because that made his staring less weird.

"Uh...and are you one of mine, or...?" Shadow wondered, glancing towards Dusk uncertainly. Lumina had mentioned Dusk's name in their previous encounter, but he didn't recall if either Lumina or Devine had mentioned the name 'Twilight'.

"She's your subconscious," Dusk answered promptly, nodding towards Twilight. "I am your underconscious, and that leaves Lumi with the role of your overconscious, although I understand that you've met with her previously."

Movement from Shadow's right drew his attention towards the forest, and he spotted the familiar Umbreon emerging from the trees. Her silvery eyes glittered in the light, and the rings decorating her ears and legs pulsed with a similar light. Dusk followed Shadow's gaze and nodded towards the Umbreon.

"Hey, Shadow!" Lumina said, smiling at the ebony Espeon. "Looks like you've found your way in here again."

"Not intentionally, but I don't mind," Shadow confirmed. Lumina sat down in front of the water, her tail wagging cheerfully. "While I'm here, though, could you elaborate a little bit on how things work? If I ever have to explain it again, I need to understand what I'm talking about."

"Of course," Dusk replied seriously. "Understanding the basic functions and roles involved with the mind is good information for any psychic to know."

"And since all three of us are here, we can give you a clearer picture of the dynamics," Lumina chimed in. She looked over at Dusk and Twilight curiously. "Who wants to start us off?"

"Um, I will," Twilight answered, one of the ribbons raising into the air in a gesture very similar to how one would raise their paw to seize the attention of an instructor. Lumina nodded encouragingly, and Shadow's attention shifted to the pink and cream quadruped. "Um, I'm Twilight, your subconscious. The...subconscious is usually the youngest, and most childlike of the three. It usually represents your innocence or immaturity."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but...what ARE you, species wise?" Shadow asked, his cheeks growing warm again. He found this Pokemon fascinating, but he was struggling to focus on her words instead of her physical appearance, or the way those ribbons moved and gestured, adding life and energy to her statements that was otherwise difficult for a quadruped to express.

"Oh, I'm a Sylveon," Twilight answered with a bright smile. "I'm still kind of adjusting to it...I just evolved yesterday...after you got your Dazzling Gleam technique working, funnily enough."

"But you were an Eevee before that?" Shadow asked.

"Yes, a consciousness will always share the most basic evolutionary form of the main individual," Dusk answered. "The timing for them to evolve is another matter entirely, and often comes about as the result of significant growth within the main, or out of necessity for the sake of the role."

"Don't be surprised if there's a couple layers of symbolism surrounding the consciousness system," Lumina giggled, her silver rings glowing gently. "We represent extreme aspects of your personality and desires, so it's only fitting that our names, species, and roles fit the bill in an external fashion."

"So...is it weird that I have two females managing my mind, even though I'm male?" Shadow wondered.

"That kind of depends," Twilight answered, the ribbons swaying in a nonexistent wind. "Gender ratio is a fickle thing, and varies from person to person, you know? But I don't think it has any conflict with your gender, and more just influences how we approach our roles, right?"

Shadow frowned thoughtfully, but decided he didn't really want to get the topic too far off-track, so he just shrugged and looked at the Sylveon attentively again. Twilight blinked at the attention, and Shadow made a point not to stare too intently at her. Her self-consciousness reminded him a bit of how often other Pokemon stared at him after his evolution, or otherwise showed some sort of attraction to him. There was little doubt in his mind right now that Twilight was experiencing similarly. Her species was unusual to see, and therefore, it drew a lot of attention.

"What's your role?" Shadow prompted. "Uh, I think Dusk handles my logical desires and morality and-"

"Er...actually, that's not entirely true," Lumina said sheepishly, as if she had been caught in a lie. Shadow looked at her blankly.

"The roles of a consciousness will often shift or be rearranged in response to certain traumatic events, particularly if the individual must prioritize self-preservation," Dusk explained solemnly. "So perhaps before we delve into our current roles, it would be prudent to explain how that incident with Diablos and your parents affected our setup."

"Uh...okay," Shadow said awkwardly. He really didn't have an objection to this option, but it caught him by surprise at the same time.

"I am your dominant consciousness," Dusk explained calmly. "Meaning that, for most intents and purposes, I have the most influence over your personality and development, and make decisions based on the guidance and opinions of the other two. I am first and foremost a logical and serious individual. Twilight is an affectionate and compassionate individual, and Lumi is a fun-loving and pleasure-seeking individual."

"Meaning I'm the complete opposite of Dusk in almost every way," Lumina chimed in playfully. Twilight giggled, stifling the sound by placing the end of a ribbon in front of her mouth.

"Our evolutions further reflect this," Dusk continued, unfazed by Lumina's interruption. "An Espeon uses its mind and focus for its power, and in battle, an Espeon is frail and prefers to stay out of range, much like how I prefer to see things to the end from relative safety. An Umbreon is more aggressive and direct, and Lumi prefers to be very direct and...involved in things. Twilight is much more emotionally invested in situations that involve others, often prioritizing them over herself. A Sylveon is deeply attached to those that show affection to them, and surrounds itself with others."

Shadow blinked several times, glancing between each of the other Pokemon in turn. Lumina hadn't been kidding about the layers of symbolism surrounding them. More fascinating about the explanation was that he could EASILY see them as pieces of his own personality. He could be serious when the situation warranted it, but he loved the opportunity to let loose and be playful, and wanted little more than to be surrounded by those he trusted and cared about, sometimes to the point of risking his own safety on their behalf.

"When Diablos attacked you, he implanted a fragment of a dark soul within your heart," Dusk stated solemnly, and Shadow bristled. "It failed to bond with its intended target, and I admit that we were oblivious to its existence up until he removed it a week ago."

"Intended target?" Shadow repeated, confused. The imperial Espeon hesitated, and his eyes darted towards Lumina, causing Shadow to glance over at the Umbreon. "Why would he be targeting one of you?" he asked.

"I'm your overconscious, who manages your emotional desires," Lumina explained, but there was something in her tone that indicated that she did not relish the topic. "Dusk is logical and focused on self-preservation, but acting on emotions requires the willingness to take risks. I told you last time, if you don't have a means to vent those emotions, your mind becomes unstable, but reckless action is no wiser. If my desires became corrupted and vengeful...that'd be what Diablos wants, isn't it? So yes...I suppose I was the intended target."

"So...what did happen with that?" Shadow wondered, a mixture between concern and curiosity gripping his chest. His heart felt like it was attempting to break out of his chest, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer, but there was no real way around the subject.

"It latched onto Twilight," Dusk said quietly. "Again, we did not even realize this had happened until after the fact. It was not a perfect bond, and we thought her shift in mood was a result of the circumstances. She manages your bonds with others, and fearing for your parents was...very hard on her."

Shadow looked over at the Sylveon, and winced when he spotted silvery tears forming in the pink quadruped's eyes, and a ribbon delicately wiped the moisture away. He felt almost physical pain in his heart, as if the mention of his parents had reminded him of the loss all over again. Yet it made sense to him. Those first few days was nearly unbearable for him. He had to try to act like nothing was wrong for Leaf's sake, yet realistic fears plagued at his mind and heart in almost every waking moment.

"It was like a dark fog making up my entire world," Twilight whispered, looking at the ground. "Every time I tried to set it aside, even for an hour, I would be thrust right back into that cold, clammy despair. Even sleep refused to let me be...and I'd relive the experience again, keeping it fresh in my memory."

"The nightmares," Shadow said, his eyes widening. Twilight nodded sadly, and Shadow felt a tightness in his gut. The nightmares may have been a direct result of the soul fragment Diablos had planted inside him, and if his goal really had been to fuel Shadow's hatred and vengeful feelings towards the murderer of his parents...forcing him to relive those memories each night was a terrifyingly effective and clever approach.

The only reason it probably hadn't worked was because Twilight didn't manage that part of his mind. That also could explain Shadow's unsettling degree of fear involving Diablos - the intention could have been for the soul to trigger a sense of aggression or a similar emotion, but it had latched onto the wrong consciousness. Twilight was being tormented by recurring fear and sorrow, not anger.

It also explained to him why Diablos often made those pointed jabs to incite Shadow to retaliate - it was the approach he intended to use originally, and he hadn't realized he was playing on the wrong emotion.

"For Twilight, I was the illuminating ray that pierced the shadow, the light of hope that dispelled the fog of despair, the luminous moon shining through the darkest nights," Lumina stated, puffing herself up dramatically. The Sylveon stifled another giggle, but smiled gratefully at the Umbreon.

"Going back to the original subject, while Lumi may have informed you that I manage morality and logic, in truth, the role of your moral compass belongs to Twilight," Dusk said calmly. "Her compassionate personality and the innocent role of the subconscious is almost ideally suited to being the morality center. I temporarily took the duties upon myself during the time when Twilight was struggling to function."

"So...Twilight manages morality, Dusk handles logic, and Lumina handles emotions?" Shadow interjected, looking between each of the other Eons.

"At its most basic, yes," Dusk answered, his forked tail flicking. "I've already described our individual personalities, and you can see how that helps us approach our roles. However, the way a consciousness system functions varies drastically from person to person. In your case, it's your underconscious that is dominant, whereas in Leaf's case, his subconscious is dominant, and Nettles is emotionally driven, compared to my logical approach."

"Plus the dynamics of individual consciousnesses with one another affects a lot of things," Lumina added, her tail wagging. "According to Devine, Briar is Leaf's moral center, but he's passive, whereas Twilight handles your morality, and she's very involved...under normal circumstances, right?"

"This is probably a lot for you to take in," Twilight remarked, walking over to where Shadow was sitting, and loosely wrapped one of the ribbons around one of his forelegs. The contact alone had an immediate effect on the ebony Espeon, and he felt the tension disappearing from his body and mind, his silver eyes unfocusing.

Just when Shadow felt like he was about to doze off, he jolted back to alertness, but to his surprise, he was back in the real world, with the spring breeze blowing past his face, and the sound of running water rushing through his ears. He looked around in confusion, and then sighed. He had no idea if his loss of contact had been the result of one of them 'assisting' him back to the real world, like what Lumina had done to awaken him when he had visited during his sleep, or if snapping out of his meditative state had yanked him out of his mindscape.

As strange as it sounded, he actually felt like the sudden departure without an official farewell had been rude, even though the individuals he had been talking to were aspects of his own mind, and would probably know it hadn't been intentional of him to sever the conversation so abruptly.

On the plus side, it gave him an added incentive to get better at meditation and improving his mental focus. Now that he knew he could get such results, and that interesting information awaited him at the end of that effort, he had something to strive for.

And that thought made him pause. For well over a week now, Shadow had been asked about his future plans. Renard's concerns seemed to be about seeking out an agenda to keep him from going down a path of darkness and vengeance, whereas Frost's reasons for asking seemed to be to feel out the Espeon's ambitions or something. Maybe it was just from spending the past several days relaxing and training with Leaf in their old home, but for the first time, Shadow felt like he had a better answer to the question. It wasn't yet perfectly defined, but he was definitely aware of the shape of a burning wish forming within his heart and mind.

The problem was, he had no idea how long it would be until Frost returned, and he neither wished to set out to a distant destination on his own, nor require Leaf to come along with him. The Leafeon had still expressed some lingering desire to meet up with Bee-Bee again since their last visit to the forest, but Renard had advised against venturing into the forest until the chaos had resolved.

Shadow looked across the clearing to where Leaf was soaking in the sun, and a tiny smile flicked across his face. On the other paw, he had promised Leaf back at Solaceon Town that he would try to give his brother the chance to talk about what he would like to do, so getting Leaf's input on the subject would make it easier for him to decide on their next move.

He'd give the Leafeon a little more time alone with the sun before approaching him. Then they'd work out their plans together.


	87. Pulling into Pastoria

Although Adrian enjoyed having the opportunity to visit new or interesting locations, even he had to admit that the traveling itself was nowhere near as enjoyable as the rest of the experience. At its least offensive, traveling was dull and time consuming, and at its worst, it was stressful, expensive as hell, and frustrating beyond measure.

Adrian had always been a frugal youth, even in his early adolescence. His family was by no means wealthy. They lived a comfortable enough lifestyle, but there were times when it had been obvious that money was tight. Outside of holidays and the rare special occasion, there were few luxuries or other trivial expenses, and Adrian was raised to understand that if he wanted something, he needed to work for it.

In addition, it was easy to underestimate just how expensive Pokemon training could be. There was the need for supplies and medicines, for Pokemon and trainer alike, and the cost of lodgings or camping equipment, and one would be smart to have an emergency fund...the list went on and on. If money became an issue, being at an age where one could legally be employed, even for part-time work, was a necessity.

Adrian had worked at a couple of part-time jobs as a young teenager, in order to save up money for his journey, and even once he discovered that he didn't care much for the competitive scene of challenging League Gyms and striving to be a champion, he greatly enjoyed the experiences, and had a knack for bonding with Pokemon. Friends and family often commented on how Adrian had a gift for training Pokemon, but it wasn't until he was contacted by a section of the Pokemon Control Bureau that he realized how significant this truly was.

Being told that he was a gifted trainer had seemed much like telling someone that they were good at a specific sport - a kind compliment, but only worth so much because they had no ambition for pursuing it on the professional level. However, it seemed that being a skilled trainer was a talent that was VERY marketable in almost every area of society. Police officers often worked with trained Growlithe or similar, construction workers worked with the Machop evolutionary line, and even business professionals found themselves interacting with Pokemon of different species and roles. For Adrian, the Pokemon Control Bureau wanted to have him work with Pokemon that had been abandoned, mistreated, or otherwise engaged in activities that required rehabilitation before that Pokemon could be safely released or placed under another trainer's care.

Most of Adrian's earliest assignments had been building up the trust of Pokemon who had been raised and mistreated by novice trainers, not out of malice, but simply ignorance. Through Adrian's effort and documented reports on the subject, it was found that many starting trainers had a subpar education on how to properly raise their first Pokemon, and attending a basic Pokemon care class became mandatory in order to receive one's license. This didn't solve the problem entirely, but the number of similar cases took a nosedive following the introduction of this prerequisite, and Adrian was given a 'full-time' independent employment opportunity.

Years had passed since then, but Adrian still took on various part-time employment positions around the region, staying at each one for a couple of months before moving on to the next. Some might have gotten skeptical of his reliability as an employee upon viewing his job history, but all of his previous employers had nothing but praise for his honesty, work ethic, and overall nature on the job, and he never had any trouble finding work. These jobs helped pay the bills when his main job had a slow period, and he tried to conserve his money in case of needing to pay for property damage or other restitution costs due to the volatile temperament of the Pokemon under his care. Ember had been a prime example of why he needed that.

Adrian had passed on much of his advice for working and saving to his younger brother, Marcus, prior to the youth obtaining his own Pokemon license. For whatever reason, Marcus had wanted to challenge the Sinnoh League, as opposed to Johto or Kanto, and so before that journey could even get off the ground, Marcus had needed to save up enough to travel out to Sinnoh in the first place. There were times when Adrian wondered whether Marcus had chosen Sinnoh so that Adrian's positive reputation throughout Johto wouldn't create any preconceived expectations of Marcus' capabilities as a trainer before he had a chance to prove himself. He would never outright ask this question of his brother, but it seemed like a possibility that Marcus didn't want to be stuck in his shadow.

They still kept in touch regularly, with Marcus calling with an update every few days or so. More recently, talk had turned to Adrian dropping by Sinnoh to spend time with Marcus for a while, and get to see how Marcus worked with and interacted with his team, and even offer some extra support. Working out the details had been more of a pain, as Adrian needed to negotiate time off with his part-time job, and ensure that he had enough money to make the trip there and back, to say nothing of the hoops he may have to jump through for the Bureau to approve him taking his current team outside Johto.

Thankfully, he had gotten everything straightened out in a relatively timely fashion. He had submitted a polished article, giving him some bonus leverage for taking some time off, and had also sent the Bureau an up-to-date report alongside his request to travel out of the region, both of which made for a smoother process.

His work with the Bureau did have the added perk of discounted traveling services, but going to Sinnoh via boat was still so much cheaper than plane that Adrian naturally chose that option, even though it was significantly slower. It gave him some more time to relax and interact with or observe his Pokemon, while in his cabin of the travel cruiser.

There also was the small matter of the male Eevee that Adrian tentatively (and privately) labeled as Aureia's crush. The youth glanced over at the corner of the cabin, where the male Eevee was napping, its fluffy body almost completely hidden behind a makeshift shelter of bath towels. Despite all his playful teasing on the subject, part of him genuinely hoped that the Vaporeon really did have some sort of feelings for the male, even if she was firmly in denial about it. He had been raising Aureia for over two years now, longer than he had kept any other assigned Pokemon. He had long ago determined that she posed no threat to the public, and could theoretically be released at any time, but things weren't that simple.

Aureia had deeply ingrained trust issues stemming from her abandonment, and after being recaptured by another trainer, only for that individual to be involved in criminal activities and get arrested, and the Vaporeon confiscated, it was unlikely that she would ever truly warm up to someone else. This wasn't particularly unusual, either, as it reminded Adrian of a few cases he had read about involving the foster care system for human children. There were times when a foster child might get moved from one caretaker to another after forming a bond with the first, and this could add a layer of developmental difficulties involving trust and attachment.

With that in mind, even the smallest indication that Aureia was developing a positive relationship with a male Pokemon was a huge step forward in his book. Even if it turned out to be nothing, Adrian liked to believe that it might one day grow into a fully-fledged romantic relationship, although he couldn't really be sure whether Aureia was likely to be a Pokemon that valued such a relationship.

Pokemon relationships were fickle, to say the least, much like human relationships, when he stopped to think about it. Some chose a mate for life, others were more sporadic or polygamous, and some just didn't care for any sort of relationship at all, and only selected mates by instinct, impulsive attraction, or convenience.

Ever since Adrian had first seen Aureia and the wild Eevee together, he could tell that there was some sort of chemistry between them, but it was so much harder to observe them for long before Aureia became self-conscious or irritated, and she would definitely have caught onto his intentions if Adrian followed her regularly. She was stubborn and spiteful in the worst ways possible at times. As he had tried to explain to Marcus a few weeks ago, separating Aureia from the Eevee would upset her, but pushing them together would be just as bad, if not worse, because Aureia would probably reject the Eevee to spite Adrian's efforts of playing matchmaker. It was definitely better to let things develop naturally.

For this reason, Adrian had opted NOT to officially capture the Eevee. The male Pokemon seemed incredibly antsy and wary of humans in general, but not in the same way that Aureia had been, early into her time under his care. Adrian had even written down a few observations in his notebook about the Eevee, mostly for his own reference.

 _'Very cautious and jumpy, seems to dislike open areas, and seeks shelter behind or beneath objects when startled'._

 _'Update - the Eevee's wariness extends to things offered by me, including food or water, and he bristles if I attempt to initiate reassuring contact. Fear seems to be based on proximity, as he will approach food he sees me place down, so long as I'm either absent from the room, or visible, but confidently out of range.'_

 _'Update 2 - Aureia is exasperated by his flighty behavior if she is present, either because she finds the behavior annoying, or because he ducks behind her (Is this normal Eevee behavior when in the company of an evolved counterpart?). Further observations required.'_

He paused to re-read what he had written, and glanced around the cabin room. At the moment, Ember was the only one of his Pokemon out of her ball, and she was looking out the cabin window at the ocean surrounding the ship, her tail flame crackling softly.

Contrary to Adrian's expectations in the wake of Ember's skirmish with the Charmeleon, her mood had been relatively stable. In truth, this worried Adrian more than if she was moody or hostile, although it was still better than an outright relapse. She didn't seem necessarily depressed, but she was definitely...down.

"Ember?" Adrian spoke softly. The Charmander looked over, her expression neutral. "Everything all right, girl?" he wondered, gesturing for her to come over. The Charmander gave a shrug, but obediently walked over to where her trainer was sitting, although she was avoiding eye contact, as she often did when she was feeling embarrassed about something. Adrian gently lifted her chin up with two fingers, and smiled when she was looking up at him again. "If you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

Ember gave a silent nod, and continued to stand there awkwardly. After a few seconds, Adrian reached over and carefully lifted the Charmander onto his lap. This wasn't a difficult feat, as she was just a little over a third of his size, and weighed less than his travel bag. Avis was almost identically proportioned, in both size and weight, but she liked to perch on his shoulders, which could get tiresome if carried for a long period of time. Adrian took care to reposition Ember's tail so that it wasn't too close to his body or any other flammable material, and he gently wrapped his arms around the fire lizard, and began to stroke her smooth, scaly back soothingly.

The Charmander didn't resist, apart from initial confusion, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Adrian had long ago discovered that simple affection like a hug or embrace could be effective for cheering Ember up, as part of her craving for affection, but if she was too moody, the efforts would be rejected, so her lack of resistance and overall acceptance of being cradled was a sign that she was definitely feeling down, and was not aggressive.

This was also partial confirmation for Adrian's developing theory of what Ember might need to grow past her present issues. Such things still needed time to develop naturally, but it was still a good sign that there was hope for the Charmander in the future, despite how badly she had been thrashed in the recent battle.

It wasn't much longer before an announcement went out to the passengers that the ship was approaching the final destination, and Adrian set Ember down in order to gather together his things and make sure he didn't forget anything.

* * *

Brisk Sinnoh air greeted Adrian as he stepped off the ship, his travel bag slung over his shoulder, and a visibly anxious Eevee following at his heels. Other passengers on the same ship had already disembarked, and were trying to orient themselves in their new destination.

Sinnoh had a number of destination points when traveling by boat. There was the more well-known harbor of Canalave City, but that was more of a cargo port than a destination. There was also an area just south of Sandgem Town that acted as a common port for travelers, and then for the higher-end spenders, there was Pastoria City.

Pastoria was a small town, built at the edge of an enormous swamp, famously known as the Great Marsh. It was a major tourist attraction, a Pokemon preserve with a comparable gimmick to the Safari Zones made popular in Kanto and Hoenn several years back. Despite the high traffic of the City, there were restrictions on how often ships could come in and out of the harbor, to ensure that the noise, influx of people, and potential fumes of the engines wouldn't negatively impact either the City inhabitants or the Great Marsh itself, and if that wasn't enough, it was also home to one of the Sinnoh League Gyms.

Due to the high appeal of the destination, and the restrictions on the harbor, tickets for ships coming into Pastoria were potentially very expensive, and often hard to come by. That's where Rachel had lended a hand.

Adrian smirked to himself. He had still been the one paying for the tickets, but Rachel had been the one to pull a few strings in order to get the ticket reserved ahead of time. Her Ampharos, Noblesse, was something of a rising star in Pokemon stage performances, and as his coordinator, she enjoyed a small amount of celebrity status. It was not comparable to the level of models or human actors, but give it a few years, and who knew how her career might take off?

It was a good thing that the bit of fame never went to the girl's head, or she might think herself too good for him. Again, Adrian had to fight back a smirk. They had been close friends growing up, even dated for a year or two, and kept in touch regularly before their respective careers forced them to spend more and more time apart, so it was always nice to get back in touch and know that they were still close. They didn't have enough free time to start dating again or anything like that, but if they did, Adrian knew Aureia would just love the opportunity to claim that "turnabout was fair play" and give him hell over it. Ironically, the Vaporeon would only support the relationship for that reason; Aureia utterly despised Rachel, and made no secret of the fact.

Adrian paused and glanced back at the male Eevee walking in his shadow. Now that he had put enough distance between himself and the rest of the disembarking passengers, it seemed like a good idea to figure out where exactly he was heading from here. He knew that there was a tourist hotel not far from Pastoria, but the idea of paying an extravagant sum of money for a single night's stay left a sour taste in his mouth. When it came to expenses, camping out was infinitely cheaper and less crowded than a resort or hotel.

Stopping at the Pastoria Pokemon Center before making any decisions seemed like the best choice for now. He had visited Sinnoh previously, but he was not immediately familiar with the geography, and taking some time to gather information was probably for the best. He also wanted to try to get in touch with Marcus and arrange a rendezvous point of some sort. Wandering blindly around Sinnoh in the hopes of running into his brother seemed like a preposterously stupid thing to do.

The glass doors of the familiar red-roofed building slid open soundlessly at his approach, and Adrian had to gently nudge the Eevee with his foot so that the small Pokemon wouldn't hesitate so long that the doors would close on him. An Eevee was too light for the weighted sensors to detect, and the Eevee was clearly unfamiliar with how such doors operated. As was typical of most Pokemon Centers, the lobby had a large number of people and Pokemon idling around. Some were in line at the reception desk, whereas others were seated in the 'waiting room', some of them glancing up hopefully whenever movement behind the counter caught their eye. To the young man's relief, the phone was presently unoccupied, and he made his way over to that side of the building, practically herding the increasingly anxious Eevee with his feet until he was in range of the phone monitor.

Every Pokemon Center usually came equipped with a few video phones, so that trainers could communicate with family or friends across large distances, while still having visual contact with one another. This was a clever way to ease the pain of homesickness for some, and just overall a useful feature for a public service.

Adrian set his travel bag down on the nearby chair, and glanced down at the Eevee again. Considering how high strung the male was around other humans and open areas, he had a feeling it would be best to have one of his other Pokemon out with him, to at least TRY and calm his nerves. Avis was an obvious 'no', and while Aureia would probably have been ideal, he had a suspicion that Aureia would not enjoy being enclosed in a public area while Adrian used the phone, and would quickly get self-conscious or irritated by the Eevee's possible affection towards her. With that in mind, Ember really was the only option.

"Listen, little guy," Adrian said to the Eevee gently. "I'm just going to use the phone here for a little bit, but I'm going to let one of the girls out to give you some company in the meantime. Aureia...really doesn't like being out in public areas like this, so I'm thinking of Ember. That okay with you?"

The Eevee looked a little disappointed at the exclusion of the Vaporeon, but gave a small nod. With an apologetic smile, Adrian clicked open his Pokeball marked with a red icon, and the bipedal fire lizard reappeared in a burst of white light. It had been necessary to withdraw her when disembarking, especially considering her flammable tail and the potential damage that could inflict to the belongings of other passengers, but the risk was minimized inside the Center.

"Just going to use the phone, Ember. Mind keeping the little guy company for a bit? Ugh, I've got to get his name, though. It just feels wrong to talk about him exclusively in pronouns," Adrian sighed.

Another little life lesson from his time as a wandering trainer - even wild Pokemon tended to have a name and identity in some form, even if they were captured by a trainer afterwards. Many of them adapted easily to whatever nickname their trainer chose for them, but others visibly resented being called by their species name, or some name chosen by their new trainer. If at all possible, Adrian liked to find out whether a Pokemon had a preferred name for themselves. Whenever wild Pokemon were injured and brought to a nearby Center for treatment by a concerned trainer, the nursing staff often tried to document the Pokemon's given name on the patient chart, and if that Pokemon later became adopted by a trainer after being discharged, it would already have a name on file.

This procedure was the main reason that Adrian knew Ember's name. After intervening on the conflict, and hurrying the Charmander to the closest Pokemon Center, two years ago, one of the Chansey had asked and recorded Ember's name on the file, and when Adrian volunteered to take her in, it had been nice to know how to address the fire lizard from the start.

Ember raised a claw in response to Adrian's comment, and the young man blinked at her. The Charmander snorted a wisp of flame, then gestured pointedly towards the miniature blaze, even as it fizzled out a moment later. Adrian looked at her blankly, so the Charmander repeated the action, pointing more incessantly at the tiny flame before it sputtered out.

"Ember, girl, you know I suck at Charades," Adrian sighed. "Um...Fire? Heat? Wisp?"

Ember smacked her forehead with her paw in exasperation, then raised a claw and slowly and deliberately traced a vertical line in the air. She then proceeded to make two sideways humps in the same space. Adrian stared at her blankly.

"Are you writing that letter backwards, so it's facing me properly, or from your perspective?" he wondered. Ember slapped her forehead again, and Adrian rolled his eyes. He opened his notebook, turned to a blank page, uncapped his pen, and wrote out the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, spacing them reasonably far apart and using larger font so that it was clearly distinguishable from one another. "Point at the letters," he said.

The Charmander immediately pointed to the letter 'B'. Adrian circled it and wrote the letter at the bottom of the page. The Eevee peered over Ember's shoulder to observe, as the Charmander next pointed at the letter 'L'. Again, Adrian circled and wrote it at the bottom, placing it beside the previous one. This went on for three more points, and then Ember glanced inquisitively at the Eevee, who simply nodded.

Adrian chuckled to himself and turned his attention to the letters he had assembled. "Blaze?" he read, raising an eyebrow. The Eevee nodded, and the youth stared at him. "...how the hell does a wild Pokemon know the alphabet, and how to read its own name?" Adrian wondered in bewilderment. Ember shrugged, and sat down on the floor next to the Eevee.

Adrian tossed his hands up, and turned his attention back to the phone monitor. He could worry about the details another time. Either way, he got the information he wanted, and had a name to call the Eevee.

Glancing back at Ember, Adrian suddenly laughed. "You and Aureia are WAY better at Charades than me," he commented, using his hand to imitate the way Ember had blown a wisp of flame into the air earlier. "Blaze...good clue."

Ember smirked proudly in response, and Adrian turned away to dial his brother's number into the video phone, holding the receiver to his ear. The line buzzed once, then a second time. Just as Adrian was beginning to get antsy and wonder whether Marcus was busy with something or otherwise unable to reach his phone, someone on the other line answered.

"Hello?"

The voice was instantly familiar, and Adrian smiled brightly. The image on the monitor was blank, meaning that Marcus didn't have access to another video monitor at the moment, unlike when he had called Adrian a couple of weeks ago when Adrian was on his computer.

"Hey, Marcus! Little man, it's Adrian, what's up?"

"Adrian!" Marcus' voice brightened at once, and Adrian could practically see the grinning face of his younger brother. "Things are great! Where are you even calling from? I didn't recognize the number."

"Heh, I just pulled into Sinnoh about a half hour ago," Adrian replied, glancing down at Ember and Blaze again. Surprisingly, Blaze didn't seem particularly intimidated by the Charmander, and although he was keeping a respectful distance between them, they were definitely communicating with one another. One of Adrian's initial concerns when bringing Blaze on this trip was how Avis and Ember might react to another Pokemon, particularly a male, coming into their living space, but he was relieved to discover that there already seemed to be some level of familiarity between them. If he had to guess, he would say they had met him visiting Aureia on that evening he had sent them down to the lake to fetch her, before they had left for Ecruteak.

"You're in Sinnoh already?" Marcus asked, dumbfounded. "Where?"

Adrian chuckled. "Pastoria. Yeah, my ship just pulled in, and I went to the Pokemon Center to call you. Where are you now?"

"I just left Veilstone about an hour ago," Marcus replied, and his voice nearly jumped an octave as he added, "I finally beat the Gym!"

"Nice!" Adrian praised, lightly clapping his hands together before remembering that Marcus couldn't see what he was doing, and applauding louder than that might annoy some of the other people inside the building. "You've been working on that one for a while, haven't you? What gave you the extra push? A new team member, a different strategy?"

"Not telling!" Marcus replied cheerfully, and Adrian could almost perfectly picture the younger boy's mischievous grin in his mind's eye. "I'll show you when I see you next! Where do you want to meet up?"

"Is there a map around here somewhere?" Adrian wondered to the air, peering at the nearby table, before his gaze was drawn to the wall, where a large map of Sinnoh was prominently displayed. It took him a few moments to find where Veilstone City was located relative to Pastoria, although someone working at the Center had gone through the trouble of placing a colorful pin in the box marked 'Pastoria City'. "Um...what direction did you leave Veilstone from?" he wondered.

There was an awkward pause from the other end, and Adrian's mouth twitched in spite of himself. Marcus could be a touch careless at times, and not taking note of where he was going was exactly the sort of thing he might do.

"Um...to the east? No, the...wait, which direction does the sun set on again?"

Adrian had to stifle his amusement with his hand, abruptly grateful that Marcus couldn't see him.

"Never mind, dude," he said, swallowing his laughter the best he could. "Have you been on this route before?"

"Uh...yeah, I took it to get to Veilstone...oh! It leads towards Solaceon Town...or Celestic Town. Where even IS Pastoria...is that near Eterna City or...?"

"Marcus, buddy, I don't even want to TRY to guess what City you're mistaking Pastoria for," Adrian said seriously. Even if Marcus had been taking the southern route from Veilstone, it looked like a LONG journey until he'd hit Pastoria, and it seemed like a better idea to try to regroup from the other direction, rather than force Marcus to backtrack...and still take a long route to a mutual meeting point. "Tell you what, the next time you hit a City or town, just STOP, get your bearings, and call me. I'll probably make my way north towards...uh...Heart...home."

"Hearthome," Marcus corrected. Adrian squinted at the map, and then shrugged.

"Yeah, there. We'll work out the rest from there, all right?"

"Sure!" Marcus answered eagerly. "Anyway, I've got to run, so I'll call you the next time I find a city. Bye!"

"See you, little man," Adrian said, and disconnected the call. He let out a deep breath and reclined against the wall beside the phone. Ember gave him a puzzled look, and the youth chuckled. "I love my little brother, but sometimes he can be a handful. Rough being the older brother, you know?"

Ember continued to look at her trainer blankly, whereas the Eevee twitched uncomfortably. Adrian chuckled and crouched down to their level, absently rubbing the Eevee's ears. The smaller Pokemon bristled and pulled away, but not before Adrian heard the tell-tale purr.

"Anyway, we're probably going to get moving right away. You guys hungry now, or can it wait until later? I've got snacks in my bag."

Ember was about to reply, but her stomach growled noisily, causing her orange-scales to flush into a shade of crimson. Adrian laughed softly.

"Answers that question. All right, we can eat first."


	88. Return to the Forest

The feather-light caress of the spring air fanned across the grass, creating a gentle ripple of motion along the meadow, and a similar ripple passed through the golden-white fur of the fox Pokemon situated at the territory boundary. Mesmerizing red eyes gazed at the sky, as if observing the movement of the clouds, but the Pokemon's demeanor was absolutely serious, a sharp contrast to the normal behavior of someone looking for shapes in the clouds. Nine golden tails fluttered behind Renard's body, the sole sign that he was not an incredibly realistic statue.

Under normal circumstances, Renard preferred to let Astrid deal with the prospect of a hypothetical disaster. Her natural abilities were more finely tuned to the impending dangers of the universe conspiring against a hapless victim than he was, but that did not mean he was ignorant of the vibes and signs that often preceded an unnatural event. Two centuries of life had honed his intuition, and for this reason, he never doubted Astrid's disaster sense. She had detected something amiss within the Eterna Forest for over a week before the feelings intensified enough for her to investigate. On the surface, the events that had transpired that day should be sufficient evidence that she had been right in being concerned, and that the worst of the situation had passed.

Renard was not convinced. Regardless of how things looked on the surface, he felt that there was still something seriously amiss about the situation within the forest. It was an elusive feeling, and one that he'd struggle to articulate if questioned. Yet, as the week progressed, his apprehension of the situation intensified, and it was becoming clear to him that even if Astrid was aware of the same sense of impending catastrophe, it was unlikely she would arrive in time to avert it, and even less likely for her to arrive in time to discuss his concerns with her first. At this rate, it would be better for him to personally investigate the situation, but even that prospect filled him with a rare feeling of dread and unease.

Renard's ears twitched, picking up the sound of paws padding across the grass behind him. Even without turning around, he was able to distinguish that two different quadrupeds were approaching him, and considering the lack of a shift in the air temperature, a Glaceon was not among them. As the footsteps slowed to a stop behind him, Renard glanced over his shoulder at the source. Sure enough, Shadow and Leaf were standing behind him, the ebony Espeon biting his lower lip apprehensively, whereas Leaf was far more relaxed, visibly coming directly from a sunbathing session.

"Good afternoon," Renard stated solemnly, pivoting his body around to face the two brothers directly. Shadow's stance was confident, despite his nervous expression, clueing Renard in to the notion that Shadow had something on his mind to address with the Ninetales. It was not unusual for many Pokemon to approach Renard warily, and even those familiar with him often noted that he had a very intimidating presence. "What can I do for you?" Renard inquired, giving the two of them a gentle smile. Even in the aftermath of Echo's death, it filled the Ninetales with subtle happiness to see that his old friend's surviving kits were alive and healthy, and in surprisingly good spirits considering what they must have gone through.

"Um...do you have any idea how much longer Frost is going to be gone?" Shadow wondered. The way the Espeon's silver eyes darted away from Renard's face as he spoke made it fairly clear that he was among the list of Pokemon that found Renard intimidating, or that he found his question to be foolish in some fashion.

"I do not," Renard said plainly. "He did not share details of his destination, nor the projected length of his journey, and it would not surprise me if his return is delayed on Astrid's behalf. She wanted to visit another of our old friends that lives up in the mountains, and she has the unfortunate habit of becoming sidetracked."

"I was afraid of that," Shadow sighed, and he shifted into a sitting position. Renard studied the Espeon in silence for a moment, drinking in the little details of the Espeon's posture, tone, and matching it with the information he was already aware of.

"I take it that you wish to depart the area in the near future, and Frost's absence is hindering you?" Renard guessed, his tails fluttering idly. Shadow merely nodded, making no effort to contest the interpretation. "I see. Did you have a specific destination in mind?"

"Um...a little bit, yeah," Shadow admitted, and his forked tail twitched. "Since I've gotten a better grasp of my psychic abilities...I wanted to try to go back and get more tutoring. I think you mentioned that you're limited in what you can teach me."

"That is correct," Renard confirmed with a solemn nod. "I am not a natural Psychic-type, and the abilities I do have are atypical extensions of the root abilities. Hybrid skills, so to speak. For example, I can use psychic energy to produce a hypnotic effect, but I cannot extract or intercept thoughts. I can cast curses and create illusions, but I cannot directly manipulate enemies with a psychic assault."

During his response, Renard took note of the way Leaf's attention drifted in and out of focus, his eyes sometimes wandering gradually higher, his head swaying from side to side, before abruptly focusing on the nearest sign of movement, usually one of Renard's flicking tails, only for the process to repeat again.

"Then returning to my previous tutor is still my best option," Shadow murmured, and his silver eyes flicked up to meet Renard's gaze. "If Leaf and I leave...would you still be around to notify Frost where we've gone?"

"I cannot guarantee my constant presence, as there is presently another matter that may require my attention," Renard answered seriously. Shadow furrowed his brow in confusion, but before he could question the response, Renard continued, "But I would still keep an eye on the territory, and pass along any messages in the event of your friend's return during your absence."

"Okay, thank you," Shadow said slowly, and Renard raised an eyebrow.

"Did you plan to depart now?" he wondered.

"No," Shadow answered, shaking his head. "I might wait another day...tomorrow morning at the earliest. Leaf and I were just leaving to take a walk. He's been a bit restless, haven't you?" Shadow looked over at his brother at his last comment, and lightly tapped his tail against the Leafeon's side, jolting him back into alertness.

"Huh? Are we talking with normal words now?" Leaf wondered. Shadow smiled to himself, shaking his head with amusement. Renard chuckled softly, and smiled at the young Leafeon. It was understandable that Leaf struggled to fully comprehend his more formal speaking patterns, even if the words themselves were not particularly large or difficult. He was still at the age where not fully understanding everything someone was saying was overwhelmingly frustrating.

"Do you have a specific route in mind for your afternoon constitutional?" Renard wondered. Leaf let out a protesting whine in response, and even Shadow gave the Ninetales an annoyed glance.

"You did that on purpose," the Espeon noted flatly.

"Indeed," Renard agreed, his tails fluttering idly. "It may surprise you to know that, contrary to popular belief, I do have a sense of humor."

Shadow rolled his eyes and turned to whisper something to his brother. Leaf settled down, but he shot Renard a brief glare, suggesting that whatever Shadow was saying to Leaf included the detail that Renard had embellished his selection of vocabulary to tease the Leafeon.

"My poor joke aside, I ask because I plan to head over to the Eterna Forest to assess the situation there," Renard explained. "Depending on your destination, I can accompany you for part of the way."

Shadow blinked in surprise. "You're going to the forest? Why?"

"Astrid previously expressed concerns about potential catastrophe unraveling...my apologies, Leaf, but I'm not pulling your tail this time around," Renard said, flashing Leaf an apologetic smile as the Leafeon bristled, but Leaf turned up his nose and faced away from Renard, unambiguously pouting. Shadow rolled his eyes again and placed his forked tail around his brother, but his attention remained focused on Renard.

"You've mentioned these past few days that the forest is still chaotic," the Espeon noted seriously.

"Yes, and I believe it will remain like that for some time," Renard said solemnly. "However...as of late, I've felt more uneasy about the situation. To have the Hive engaged in a territory war, and to have a Sigilyph from Solaceon attack the site, and to have Diablos resurface again after nearly two centuries have passed...I feel that too much has happened in such a short span of time that it is unlikely not to be linked. Much as I would like to dismiss the events as unfortunate coincidence, my gut tells me otherwise."

Shadow's expression became more grim as Renard continued speaking, and once the Ninetales had finished, he nodded seriously. "It has seemed that every time we've gone to the forest, something terrible has happened," he mused.

"Nuh-uh!" Leaf countered. "I evolved, and that was a good thing."

"Leaf, the first time we went to the forest, we got attacked by a Beedrill, and I nearly died," Shadow deadpanned.

"But Bee-Bee saved you," Leaf pointed out. "And the second time, I got to train with Bee-Bee's brother, and we both evolved. Nothing bad happened that time."

"True, but right after we left the forest, that trainer came after us," Shadow countered. This type of back-and-forth arguing continued for another minute before Renard cleared his throat seriously, and they paused to look at him.

"That is why I wish to assess the situation personally," he said solemnly. "It is possible that there is something else at work within the forest: something that is inviting negative karma upon those that pass through. I could be mistaken, but that is my initial presumption. If you believe that to be a leap of logic on my part, bear in mind that my species is infamous for their ability to cast vengeful curses. It is not outside the realm of possibility that a similar power is at the heart of so much negativity within the Eterna Forest, nor unlikely for that curse to attract misfortune upon those that fall into its field of effect."

Shadow seemed about to argue, but stopped himself, gazing warily at the Ninetales' face. Renard blinked and shook himself, feeling a momentary wave of fatigue pass over him. There was an inherent risk to him talking at length about what a Ninetales was capable of, when it came to curses. Ever since his evolution, almost two hundred years ago, he had struggled with the impulse of using the malevolent power contained within his very soul. A Ninetales' ability to cast curses was not to be underestimated, as their vengeful desires rivaled even those of the most malevolent Ghost-type Pokemon. Living with the reality that his friends and loved ones would inevitably pass on before him was distressing enough, but to live life alone and friendless to avoid that pain was an even worse fate. Vengeance poisoned the soul.

"Is...is Bee-Bee going to be okay?" Leaf wondered, his eyes widening with anxiety. "If the forest is cursed or something, wouldn't living there be worse than just passing through?"

Renard nodded, "If there is something similar to a curse at work, I would agree that prolonged exposure to its influence would be inherently more-"

"Then I want to go with you!" Leaf interrupted desperately.

Renard froze, even his tails pausing their idle movements, but they resumed a moment later, as he regained his composure, aside from cocking his head curiously at the Leafeon. "Why?"

"Why not?" Leaf demanded, his tan fur bristling indignantly. "I've gotten stronger, and Bee-Bee's my friend! She's in the forest, fighting these mean bugs, and I want to help her!"

"I know your resolve is genuine, but that's not the basis of my concern," Renard said quietly. "Until I've determined what is at the heart of things, I cannot advise anyone else to venture into the forest foolishly. Even if there is no curse or other supernatural power at work, there is an active territory war going on, and getting involved as an outsider puts you at great risk."

"I know that," Leaf said earnestly. "But it's so hard to sit around and do nothing and worry about things. Even if I can't do much to help, I..." the Leafeon's voice cracked, and he fell silent, looking over at his older brother. It was clear from the young Pokemon's eyes that he expected Shadow to shut down the idea, or to reiterate what Renard had just said.

The silence stretched on for several seconds, and Renard frowned, glancing between the two siblings, unsure who among the three of them was currently expected to resume the conversation.

"Maybe we should go with you," Shadow said carefully. Both Leaf and Renard looked at him in surprise, and the Espeon blinked awkwardly. "I was just thinking...if it's too dangerous for us to go there on our own...shouldn't someone go with you, as backup? If you go alone, and something happens, how would we know if you need help or not, or even what happened, to be able to warn others of the danger?"

Renard smiled pleasantly. It was a rather touching sentiment in its own way, although he found it incredibly unnecessary. He was far older and far stronger than either of them, and perfectly capable of fending for himself, even if the situation turned sticky. On the other hand, Renard would normally have Astrid along for backup, if needed, and with her absent, it seemed practical to have others along, even if they were less qualified than Astrid.

"Very well," Renard stated seriously. "The two of you may accompany me if you consent to follow my directions. Particular emphasis must be given to any command for you to 'wait' or to retreat. Echo would be quite cross with me if I allowed his kits to be exposed to unnecessary risk under my watch."

Shadow glanced inquisitively towards Leaf, and the young Grass-type nodded fervently. Satisfied with this response, Shadow nodded. "That sounds fair," he said seriously.

* * *

Few words were exchanged en route to their destination, and a brisk walk from Echo's old territory to the lakeside bordering the Eterna Forest took a little under an hour to reach. Leaf and Shadow spoke to one another in undertones, and although Renard caught a few words here and there, it was not enough to discern exactly what subject they were discussing.

From what Renard had come to understand since Echo's death, their present location was considered the family's rendezvous point in the event of an emergency at their home. Had Renard been aware of the fact, he would likely have sent Astrid or gone himself to this area in order to confirm whether the siblings had survived and taken refuge there, but hindsight was always 20/20.

The three of them paused to take drinks, but it didn't take long for their attentions to shift towards the entrance to the Eterna Forest. Now that they were closer to the source, Renard could sense the apprehension of the elder of the two siblings. Shadow's silver eyes darted uneasily towards the darkness of the dense woods, and even Leaf's expression seemed unnaturally grim. The forest was not home to many fond experiences, and yet, they had resolved themselves to enter its winding labyrinth again.

"Before we proceed, do not forget the covenant you have forged with me," Renard said. Leaf gave an exasperated sigh, and Shadow rolled his eyes. "Too soon?" the Ninetales wondered, hiding a smile.

"Can't you try to make real jokes?" Shadow asked blandly.

"Only if you enjoy me making really lame puns," Renard suggested. Shadow cringed, but Leaf's ears perked up, and he began looking at the Ninetales expectantly. "What Pokemon has the most unbelievable stories?" Renard asked.

"Is this a joke?" Leaf asked uncertainly. At Renard's nod, the Leafeon brightened. "I give up," he answered eagerly. Shadow buried his face in his paw, clearly opting out of this riddle.

"A Ninetales," Renard answered simply. Leaf looked at him blankly. "It has nine tales."

"I don't get it."

"Can we just go into the forest now?" Shadow blurted out impatiently. Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "Never thought I'd say that."

Renard chuckled, his tails fluttering energetically. "Very well, if the time for levity has passed, let us proceed. Do not forget your agreement to comply to my instructions."

Without further delay, Renard led the other two to the edge of the forest, and peered cautiously ahead. The trees of Eterna Forest grew so densely that scarcely any rays of sunlight could penetrate the forest, casting the entire path into a veil of shadow. Wind rustled the leaves and bushes that grew all around them, and every sound seemed amplified, as if it were coming from every direction at once. Taking a deep breath, Renard stepped deeper into the forest, before using one of his tails to gesture for the others to follow him.

"Let's stick to communicating in a whisper for the present moment, so as not to draw unwanted attention just yet," he told them softly. Shadow nodded, and Leaf hastened to do likewise, the two of them peering around the gloom warily.

It didn't take long for Renard to notice that Shadow's eyes seemed to have adjusted to the dim lighting almost instantaneously, whereas Leaf was squinting and taking extra careful steps. An interesting detail, but perhaps not unusual for a feline Pokemon, despite an Espeon's famous affinity with sunlight.

Renard took another few steps into the forest, his ears twitching subtly, and he swiveled his gaze to follow the direction of any sounds that caught his attention. After a long pause, he turned back to the other two.

"It should be safe enough to proceed, but remain alert. Shadow, I'm tasking you with keeping an eye on Leaf in the event that I am otherwise occupied. Leaf, I request that you stay close to Shadow or myself, and do not wander off. Understood?"

They nodded mutely, and Renard smiled before turning back around and leading them down the forest path. His eyes flicked from side to side, taking note of any signs of movement, or sudden sounds. Even the rustling of leaves in the wind was not simply dismissed as nothing.

He could definitely sense the presence of other Pokemon in the shadows of the trees and bushes, but there was no vibe of hostility coming from any of them. They were simply wild Pokemon going about their lives and remaining hidden from Pokemon that they did not recognize. Of course, Renard did not expect immediate danger to converge on them at the forest's entrance, but there was no harm in being cautious. The Eterna Hive was located in the deepest and thickest section of the forest, and Renard had no intention of going that deeply into hostile territory.

Several minutes passed in relative silence, broken only by the sounds of twigs snapping under their paws as they walked, and the sounds of their breathing. The forest seemed to be growing darker all around them, with barely any light penetrating the thick veil of branches and leaves on all sides of them. A peculiar shiver raced along Renard's spine, and he paused, raising his paw to signal for the others to do the same.

"What's wrong?" Shadow wondered, his eyes darting about the enclosed area warily. Leaf peered around at the nearby trees, and even had the foresight to look directly up, as if something was going to ambush them from above.

"We've gone deeply enough for me to inspect the area for unseen energy," Renard explained simply. Leaf and Shadow exchanged puzzled expressions, and the Ninetales smiled. "That was the whole point in me coming here, after all. I wish to inspect whether some unnatural force is at work. It could be the remnants of a curse, or a vengeful soul, or any other such things."

"How do you look for things you can't see?" Leaf wondered curiously. Renard chuckled, even though there was nothing inherently amusing about the situation.

"Suppose that I cast a curse upon an individual. The exact details of what the punishment entails is not relevant, but how do you imagine this functions?" he asked gently. Leaf shrugged impatiently. "A curse is a collection of negative energy that imprints itself upon its victim. They cannot see it, nor can anyone else, but it leaves its signature upon them, and makes them a target for mischievous or malevolent spirits. It may be indiscernible to mortal senses, but it does exist."

Leaf sighed loudly and leaned against Shadow's side. Renard smiled gently but refocused on his current task. It came as no surprise that his explanation did not resonate with the young Leafeon. The subject was exceptionally abstract, and the great majority of people would have no ability to comprehend the notion of a plane of existence only inhabited by spirits, unless they were in close contact with Ghost-type Pokemon or even spirit channelers willing to explain things without visual aids. His mother had been the one to explain the concept to him when he was but a Vulpix, and it wasn't until he had evolved and gained the power to hex others that he really started to understand the nature of his abilities.

Renard inhaled slowly, and his eyes glowed with an ethereal blue light. He pivoted around slowly, observing as the objects around him seemed to be stripped away, revealing all that remained below the surface. If he had to describe the visual shift, it was like peering through an X-Ray version of the world. Illusions would be dismantled, ghostly entities would be exposed, and negative energy, whether it be emotional or imprinted, like a curse or ghostly possession, would be visible before his gaze.

And then it all ended. Reality snapped back into place, and Renard stumbled, nearly losing his balance. His entire body seemed heavy now, and his eyes struggled to stay open as drowsiness clutched at his brain. Leaf let out a startled yell, and he and Shadow started forward to prop Renard back onto his feet.

"Thank you," he told them wearily, shaking his head in an effort to dispel the fog washing over him. The true reason why he felt the company of others might be necessary for the trip here was the fact that viewing the ethereal matters of the world around him seemed to sap more of his energy than it had any right to do. It was his own fault, for not building up the stamina and resilience to tap into that ability frequently over the past hundred and fifty plus years. So long as he utilized it sparingly, he would be all right.

"Are you alright?" Leaf asked anxiously.

"I will be fine, thank you," Renard insisted with a smile. Shadow was watching the Ninetales warily, as if afraid he would keel over at any moment. "Unfortunately, I did not get to the heart of the matter here. There is definitely some sort of negative energy in the air, but it is faint at our present location. I will have to check again later to confirm whether it originates from the direction of the Eterna Hive, or in the opposite direction, towards Eterna City."

"Okay," Shadow said slowly. "So what do-"

The Espeon broke off as Leaf suddenly growled, his fur bristling and his eyes narrowed at something up ahead. Shadow blinked and followed the Leafeon's gaze, and Renard blinked in confusion. His current vantage point made it difficult for him to see what Leaf had noticed, but his scan of the area hadn't revealed anything particularly concerning.

"Step back," Renard ordered firmly, and Shadow hastened to obey, pulling Leaf with him. Renard stepped forward, his tails fluttering. Warmth flooded through his body and he coughed, a ghostly blue flame emerging from his mouth and rising into the air. Eerie blue firelight danced over the path, illuminating many of the shadows on either sides of the path. He spotted the source of Leaf's agitation at once, as the light exposed the crimson insect.

Its bipedal body was almost entirely encased in metallic armor, and its arms ended in vicious pincers, decorated with yellow and black markings. It raised one of its pincers to shield its eyes from the light of the blue flame.

"Thresher," Renard stated calmly.

"Renard," the Scizor retorted tersely. His eyes peered past Renard, searching for something that he evidently concluded was not present, and he spared the two Eeveelutions the briefest of dismissive glances. "Did Astrid tattle on me?" he asked the Ninetales snidely.

"It came up, but that's not why I'm here," Renard answered.

"Like I'm going to believe that," Thresher snorted, gesturing a pincer towards Leaf and Shadow, the Espeon tensing up and growling. "Those two tangled with the Wurmple twins last time, and now you're here with them, conveniently when we're mid-operation AGAIN. So where's the snitch and the blizzard maker? Copying my pronged offensive tactic?"

"You're fighting with the hive again?" Leaf burst out angrily. "Haven't you hurt enough of the bugs in the forest?!"

"Me? Ha, go have a talk with your little lackey friend about which side has really been hurting other bugs," Thresher sneered. "Then you might actually know what you're talking about."

Leaf growled and started forward, but Shadow held him back, hissing something into his brother's ear that stopped him. Thresher returned his attention to Renard, his expression deadly serious.

"I have an operation to oversee, so I'll be on my way," he stated curtly, and began moving down one of the side paths of the forest. "If you intend to interfere with me, I won't hold back."

And with that, he disappeared into the shadows of the dark forest, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his wake.


	89. Forest Ambush

Thresher's departure left an uncomfortable void in the air, as their minds worked to process the brief exchange. Renard's expression had grown troubled and introspective, whereas Leaf still wore a scowl, his brown eyes glaring after the Scizor, but the rest of his body was unable to follow suit, thanks to Shadow protectively curling himself around his brother.

"What was that about?" Shadow asked the Ninetales, preventing the silence from becoming excessive. Renard blinked and cocked his head inquisitively at the black Espeon. "Astrid never explained much about him, other than you used to be on the same team," he continued, frowning.

"That is correct," Renard said softly, his expression unreadable. When he gave no sign of clarifying further, Shadow scowled impatiently.

"Well? What happened between you all? Why is there so much tension between him and Astrid?"

"I don't know if now is an appropriate time to get into such matters," Renard said, still speaking in that same soft tone. "Judging by what Thresher said, the forest will soon become a battleground. It is best that we do not linger here, and press on."

"So we're just not going to do anything to stop it?" Leaf demanded, and Shadow flinched, alarmed by his brother's agitated tone.

"There is not much we can do to stop it," Renard answered plainly. "Territory hostilities are an endless and inevitable cycle, and the most positive result is most often a temporary ceasefire. Unless all the dissenters are completely eradicated, or the current leadership of the territory is toppled, it will never cease, and if the balance is upset to that degree, it only gives birth to a new power struggle."

"But we can do something, can't we?"

"Not while remaining neutral," Renard insisted solemnly. "To lend our strength to one cause will make us enemies to the opposing faction. We do not have the strength or numbers to devote to a conflict that we have no right to get involved in. I apologize, but the unfortunate reality is that you can't protect everyone. Not all conflicts can be resolved peacefully, or without casualties."

It was clear from his face that Leaf fully intended to argue against this, but Shadow leaned over and nuzzled his cheek, distracting Leaf long enough for Renard to begin walking again, leading them down the forest pathway opposite the direction Thresher had traveled in. Leaf was initially reluctant to follow, but Shadow's gentle urging won out, and the Leafeon trailed after Renard, his ears and tail drooping moodily.

The shift in Leaf's mood was a little troubling to Shadow. It thankfully wasn't as bad as when Leaf was deprived of sunlight, but it was more natural moodiness. Despite the times where he showed greater wisdom and maturity, fact was, Leaf was still young enough to be considered a kit. He didn't have the same grasp or understanding of the rest of the world and how things operated, and it was upsetting to see him when he was so disillusioned with reality, or if he felt that his feelings were being ignored. If Shadow was lucky, he would perk up again before long, but otherwise, he would stubbornly cling to his moodiness until the issue was either resolved or forgotten entirely. How uncooperative he was going to be during this time depended entirely on how much he could get away with.

To make the situation more uncomfortable for Shadow, he actually understood Leaf's viewpoint. Strange as it might sound to be siding with Leaf over a situation that could put them in harm's way, he understood why the situation bothered him. It wasn't just about Bee-Bee, but about all the other Pokemon living in the forest that may want little more than to go about their lives in peace and find happiness. The constant fighting and danger that consumed the forest put everyone at risk, even those that had nothing to do with the conflict.

At the same time, Shadow believed that Renard was making the correct decision in not getting involved. The two of them had gotten stronger over the past couple of weeks, but there was no way they were strong enough to get involved in conflicts with serious, life-or-death stakes, and mark themselves as enemies to another faction that far outnumbered them. As much as he'd like to try to explain this to Leaf, he knew that right now, Leaf did not want to hear it.

An unpleasant thought was beginning to work itself into Shadow's mind. As time went on, he was starting to notice that Leaf was developing an inclination towards protecting others. When they had first evolved, Leaf had expressed a wish to help Shadow protect him, and do similarly for his older brother, and that had been a sweet sentiment at the time, but it was becoming clearer that not only did Leaf truly mean what he said, he was becoming more adamant about pursuing this desire. When they returned to the forest last week or so, Leaf had convinced him to lend a paw to Bee-Bee's fight, and the Leafeon himself had fought extremely well.

But later on...despite being exhausted, sunlight deprived, and outmatched, the Leafeon had engaged Diablos on Shadow's behalf. He had insisted on continuing in a weakened state, despite Shadow's pleas, and even refused Frost's attempt to switch in for him. No matter what anyone said or did to discourage him, Leaf had fought on, insisting that he had to do his part to protect Shadow.

A shiver ran down the Espeon's spine as he recalled how that battle had concluded, and his stomach churned unpleasantly. He had yet to tell Leaf what had happened, partially because he didn't know how to approach the subject in the first place, since Leaf seemed to have no recollection of the event. How would one go about telling someone that one of their mental managers was able to usurp control entirely and direct them to act on vicious desires, with Leaf himself none the wiser?

Shadow made a mental note, that the next time he managed to access his mindscape again, to ask whether Devine's behavior was considered normal for a consciousness. Were there times in his own experiences that one of his own consciousnesses took over, with Shadow unaware of it happening?

Shadow was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice the others had stopped walking until he walked directly into Renard. The bulk of the fire fox's tails cushioned the impact, but he still received a brief glare from the Ninetales. The Espeon hastily backpedaled, giving Renard an apologetic look.

"What is it?" Shadow whispered, almost forgetting to speak with the reduced volume.

"I am again going to pause to inspect the energy of our present location. Stay alert and do not drop your guard," Renard explained. Without waiting for a response, the Ninetales stepped forward, and his eyes again lit up with an ethereal blue gleam. Leaf's eyes darted around at the trees around them, as Renard slowly swiveled his neck, scanning their surroundings. A moment or two later, Renard's eyes returned to their normal red coloration and he winced, but this time, did not stumble. It wasn't difficult to deduce from these past two examples that using that ability took a tremendous toll on the Ninetales' energy levels.

"Anything?" Shadow wondered, unable to keep the apprehension from his voice. He was beginning to feel uneasy in the pit of his stomach, and the absence of other Pokemon, in addition to the darkness of the forest, was not helping matters. He strained his ears, hoping to pick up some distant sounds that might indicate whether they were truly safe in their present locations, but very little stood out.

"Yes," Renard answered, his tone grim. "Many past battles have been fought in this area. Little physical evidence of those struggles remain, but there is a higher concentration of what I tentatively shall label as 'soul energy'. Fortunately, those souls do not still wander the battleground where they perished, but there remains the faint imprint of those lives."

The Ninetales inhaled abruptly, but his exhale was more drawn out and calm, veiling the momentary loss of composure. Shadow observed Renard carefully. Their previous conversations had touched upon the idea of Renard outliving his friends and loved ones, due to his species' longevity, but this moment confirmed to Shadow that he was not immune to the impact of death. No matter how numbly his eyes gazed upon the world, the sense of loss still touched Renard.

"Could...that be the source of the negative energy or whatever that you're hunting for?" Shadow wondered. Renard closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"The ongoing territory war is a symptom, not the cause," he answered, and as he reopened his eyes, Shadow noticed that the Ninetales appeared much older now. His body drooped slightly, as if burdened by many weights, and his gaze seemed worn and fatigued, as if he had been working on a demanding task for the entire day, with little pause. "However...it would not do to forget that the symptom is destructive in nature."

"That's why I'm saying we should help!" Leaf grumbled irritably.

"No. I agreed to bring you along, but on the condition that I would not put you in harm's way. Even if we wished to try to dissolve the conflict, we would be outnumbered, and Thresher's strength is far beyond either of you," Renard sighed.

"What about you?" Shadow wondered, before he could stop himself.

"I was never Thresher's equal in combat," Renard answered with a humorless chuckle. "Even when we trained together, my advantages came from age and experience, and of course, my Fire-typing. In this environment, however, an errant flame could engulf the entire forest. I would never risk using fire in here, and Thresher would know that."

"But...you used that weird blue fire earlier," Leaf protested in confusion. Renard shook his head.

"That was Will-O-Wisp," Renard explained. "It has fire-like properties, but it is in reality, ghostly flames. It does not ignite objects, but its use in combat are limited. The three of us combined are not enough to defeat Thresher, and even if we were, you must not forget that he is not alone."

"How strong is he?" Shadow wondered, frowning. He had been getting hopeful before that his and Leaf's improvements might mean that they might finally start becoming confident and capable of traveling freely without much fear and apprehension, but now he was starting to get the impression that there were always going to be opponents that were simply on a level beyond them.

Renard was silent for a few moments, his tails fluttering distractedly. "Thresher was the most dedicated battler on our former team. He constantly strived to surpass himself, and was very good at coordinating others by their strengths, or to compensate for their weaknesses. His greatest flaw is his ego, as it causes him to underestimate others, or to act rashly when agitated."

"So...pretty much exactly like Frost," Shadow deadpanned. Leaf laughed quietly, before remembering that he was supposed to be acting moody, and he hastily modified his expression to look unamused and aggravated. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"I can imagine a similarity," Renard agreed, pausing to survey their surroundings and gesturing with his tails for them to follow him as he continued down the path. "Although I can indeed be a match for him under more flexible conditions, I would confidently consider Astrid to his equal, but in practice, she has always surpassed him."

"Really?" Shadow said skeptically. He had thus far seen Astrid in battle twice, first when she handled the Sigilyph that he and Force had been struggling against, and again when she attacked Diablos, only to be beaten fairly easily. He got the impression she was a competent battler, but for Renard to speak of Thresher so highly, when Shadow had seen his battle against Frost, and then afterwards label Astrid as stronger than the Scizor...it felt like there was a severe disconnect between Renard's opinion and what Shadow had actually seen demonstrated from the Absol.

"Astrid is remarkably strong," Renard said softly. "Do not be misled by her personality or demeanor. When she needs to take a battle seriously, she is a dangerous opponent. Thresher respects her ability, and prefers to avoid a direct engagement."

Shadow glanced at Leaf, wondering if the Leafeon shared his skepticism, but Leaf was completely oblivious to the glance, instead focusing on the trees around them, a frown creasing his face.

"What's up?" Shadow whispered to Leaf.

"Isn't this close to where we got separated last time?" the Leafeon asked nervously. Shadow raised an eyebrow, and paused to take stock of his surroundings. It wasn't the exact point where the chaos had occurred, but it was definitely close to it. There was a greater abundance of broken branches and gaps in the trees, as if many different creatures had forced their way through the underbrush and hanging twigs. Another shiver of foreboding raced through Shadow's body, and he looked towards Renard anxiously, but the Ninetales didn't seem to have noticed their unease, as he was frowning and looking in a different direction.

"Something wrong?" Shadow asked, directing his words to the Ninetales.

"There is a far stronger vibe of uneasiness in this area," Renard said solemnly, and he gestured towards the surrounding plants and trees. "And greater signs of destruction, and not the typical brand I expect from battling Bug-type Pokemon. It's more...elemental in nature. Projectile attacks and blasts of energy."

"Maybe from when the Sigilyph attacked us," Shadow suggested. Renard nodded slowly, considering the idea. After a brief pause, the Ninetales' eyes lit up with the blue glow again, and he surveyed the area.

Sudden movement among the trees caught Shadow's eye and he turned towards the source, his forehead gem lighting up. A blur of gold erupted from the trees, cutting across Shadow's body and knocking the Espeon backwards. Pain exploded from his chest, and Leaf let out a startled cry.

The sound of buzzing wings filled the air, and the noise seemed suddenly deafening compared to the uneasy silence during the rest of the time spent in the forest. Shadow touched a paw to his chest, relieved to discover that he wasn't bleeding, despite the searing pain. Growling, he rose back to his feet, his silver eyes darting around the area in pursuit of whatever it was that had just ambushed him.

"What the-?" Renard blurted, the abrupt commotion undoubtedly interrupting his ethereal scan of the area, and as a side effect, appeared to leave him disoriented and fatigued. His red eyes were glazed and unfocused, and he was struggling to keep his eyelids open. Shadow's ears twitched, trying to distinguish where the buzzing sounds were coming from and locate the enemy.

His forked tail twitched, and Shadow hurled himself sideway, colliding with the trunk of the nearest tree as a consequence, but he spotted the glint of gold from the corner of his eye, as it swept through the space he had occupied a moment previously. The movement likewise caught Leaf's attention, and he growled, his eyes following the golden blur the best he could.

Unfortunately, the golden blur was moving too rapidly to identify or attempt to attack. Shadow knew it was useless from the beginning. Even with projectile attacks, the opponent was too fast to hit outside of pure chance, and in this sort of enclosed area, it was too dangerous to even consider with Renard and Leaf nearby.

Leaf evidently hadn't gotten the memo, because he immediately launched a flurry of leaves from his body towards the moving shape, each of the leaves glinting in the snatches of sunlight available. Renard cast the Leafeon a disapproving glare that went entirely unnoticed, as the leaves passed uncomfortably close to the Ninetales' body, while also coming nowhere close to the rapidly moving enemy.

"Don't shoot those so close to us," Shadow hissed in an undertone. Leaf winced, and glanced down at his paws guiltily, but Shadow had a far more pressing concern than whether Leaf thought he was being scolded. "What is that thing?" the Espeon demanded of the air.

"Ninjask," Renard answered solemnly.

"What? How can you tell?"

"Ninjask are absurdly agile Bug-type Pokemon commonly found in forests," Renard murmured. "Its familiar, darting movement pattern and golden coloration gives me enough information to identify it, even though I cannot see it clearly. However, I doubt it is attacking alone."

Shadow flinched, and his eyes darted about wildly, searching for some sign of another Pokemon preparing to ambush them. The golden blur had disappeared into the trees again, and even the sound of buzzing wings had faded away. The silence was even more unnerving than the sudden commotion of its appearance, but Shadow wasn't sure how to proceed. Moving seemed like it might prompt the ambush, but standing still was doing no good, either.

"Then...should we just leave?" Shadow asked hopefully.

"That is an option," Renard agreed, but he didn't move, his expression twisting into a solemn frown. "Yet the source of the negative energy is beyond here. Are they guarding it? Or is the ongoing battle-"

A loud crying sound echoed through the trees, and Shadow nearly jumped out of his skin, his heart rate accelerating so abruptly that he clutched his chest with one paw, convinced for a moment that his heart was about to explode. Leaf latched onto his brother so tightly that Shadow found himself contending with the possibility of breaking a rib in addition to his chest pain.

Renard jerked his head up at the sound, and swiveled around, his red eyes glaring into the shadows. Shadow followed suit, peering into the shadows around them, before finally looking over his shoulder to double check that nothing was sneaking up behind them.

"What the-?" he gasped, his mouth forming more words soundlessly as he stared at the colossal net of thick, white strands woven across the path behind them. It might have started as a simple fence near the bottom, but had grown much larger, criss-crossing through the path and even sweeping through the trees on either side of the path, forming a large barrier that prevented them from retreating. How had this appeared in such a short time without any of them noticing? When he peered more closely at the strands, he noticed that they were coated in a strange, fluid-like substance that he was immediately disinclined to touch.

"I see. Running will not be an option, after all," Renard lamented quietly. His red eyes flashed momentarily, and he faced forward again, before taking several purposeful steps. Shadow hesitated, unsure if he was supposed to follow or not, but the Ninetales gave no indication of wanting them to come after him.

He made it at least four or five paces before a shape burst out from the trees, and Renard leapt back with incredible agility, a feat that might have seemed impossible considering his age and the bulkiness of his tails. His eyes lit up with an intense, dark purple light, and the rapidly moving shape immediately veered off course, colliding with one of the forest trees with an unpleasant crunching sound. The impact was great enough to catapult the insect into the air, its golden body spinning like a discus before finally striking the ground and tumbling across the dirt path, where it stopped at Shadow's feet.

Now that it had stopped moving, Shadow could make out its features. It was definitely a Bug-type Pokemon, with a primarily black and gray body but its face and back were covered in a golden-colored armor that vaguely resembled a mask, and its exposed wings were white with red markings near the tips. Its legs twitched feebly, and one if its wings was bent at an unnatural angle, likely from its high-speed collision with the tree.

"Holy hell...what did you DO?" Shadow asked, his stomach squirming unpleasantly at the sight of the injured Bug-type. Even though it had attacked them first, the end result of the skirmish horrified him.

"Confuse Ray," Renard answered solemnly, looking over at the incapacitated insect with visible pity. "As I thought, it was a Ninjask. They are exceptional fast and capable of precise maneuvers even in such an enclosed space, but by disorienting it mid-flight, those traits cease to be an advantage."

"Is it going to be okay?" Leaf asked, tentatively peering closer at the insect.

"Doubtful," an unfamiliar, feminine voice stated.

Shadow and Leaf jerked their heads up, looking around wildly for the source, whereas Renard merely cocked his head to one side, surveying the surrounding trees with a hint of wariness. Shadow's fur bristled, and his forehead gem shimmered, readying himself for battle. The Ninjask at his feet twitched again, drawing his attention in time to see a white thread latch onto the disabled bug, identical to the ones that formed the barrier on the path. His gaze followed the thread upwards, into the treetops.

The thread grew taut, and then began reeling itself back into the trees, like a bizarre form of a fishing line, pulling the Ninjask at the end. Leaf craned his neck to follow the ascending insect, and then inhaled sharply as he spotted the source of the web line.

Shadow shifted his position to get a better vantage point of the tree branches, and after a few seconds of searching the canopy, he spotted a large arachnid perched upon an overhead branch. It was astonishingly difficult to see in the dark forest, because it had a purple-blue body, but its legs were yellow with blue stripes. It had vicious looking fangs where its mouth might be, and a venomous looking stinger above its eerie blue eyes.

The arachnid finished reeling in its line, and examined the injured Ninjask with a critical eye, like the winner of an arcade game examining its prize. Its eyes flashed, and it clicked its fangs with a distinct sound.

"You've met with a terrible fate, my darling," it crooned, as if speaking to a lover, but the tone was blatantly condescending. "I promise you, your efforts to our cause will not be forgotten, and your sacrifice will nourish me."

Shadow furrowed his brow in confusion. The confusion was instantly replaced with sheer, overwhelming horror as the arachnid sank its fangs into the unconscious Ninjask's fleshy underside, and proceeded to messily devour it. Leaf let out a wail and collapsed to the ground, burying his face in his paws in an effort to block the image from his mind, and the sound of distressed sobbing soon followed. Shadow wanted nothing more than to look away, but he stood where he was, transfixed, yet repulsed, by what he was witnessing.

Renard averted his gaze, his expression one of disgust mingling with grudging acceptance. "An Ariados," he murmured.

Shadow finally managed to break his focus away from the ravenous spider, swallowing forcefully in the hopes of keeping his last meal down. He was no stranger to the concept of hunting other Pokemon for food, but that didn't mean he found it pleasant to witness the feeding itself.

"Ahh...that's better," the Ariados crooned, and Shadow jumped as the lifeless husk of the Ninjask dropped to the ground nearby. It was now almost entirely grey, as if all its life had been drained from its body, leaving only an empty shell that had moments ago been a living creature. Before his eyes, the body seemed to be disintegrating into dust, as if it had never existed.

A surge of anger raced through Shadow's body, and he glared up at the blue arachnid, his silver eyes reduced to slits.

"Why did you do that?" he demanded, gesturing towards the disintegrating husk.

"Waste not," the Ariados replied simply, and its fangs clicked. "Even if he survived, a crippled wing is a death sentence. He cannot further my - or should I say 'our'- goals if he cannot fight or even fly, so why waste our resources to keep deadweight alive, when he can nourish me with his body, and nourish our cause with his soul?"

"His soul?" Renard repeated, bewildered. "Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Ariana," the Ariados answered pleasantly.

"Are you responsible for constructing that barrier of webbing across the forest path?" Renard pressed. His tone and stance were relaxed, but Shadow could practically feel the tension in the air. It was even stronger than previous times he had been in the forest, only trumped by the situations where he was face-to-face with Diablos.

"Of course. I apologize for any inconvenience, but it is my right to question travelers straying too closely to my nest," Ariana murmured. "Specifically, those two little ones."

"What? Why?" Shadow demanded, baring his teeth at the spider. She answered with a strange, hiss-like snicker, and dropped off of the branch she was perched upon. Rather than falling normally, she descended at a slower rate, suspended by a line of webbing produced from her back end. Once she was within range, she latched her hooked legs around the next branch and pulled herself onto this new perch, gazing intently down at the two Eeveelutions.

"You've both been flagged by my associates," Ariana answered simply, and clicked her fangs. "So I will need to determine whether or not you are enemies. And if you are..." She let the sentence trail off, and her blue eyes glowed ominously.

"I won't allow you to harm them," Renard warned, stepping forward and fixing the Ariados with an intense glare that caused an involuntary shudder to run through Shadow's body, and he wasn't even the one the glare was directed towards. Ariana, however, seemed more amused than intimidated.

"I only harm my enemies," she murmured silkily. "But unfortunately, an ally of my enemies is likewise an enemy. Are you sure you want to play that game with me?"


	90. Poisonous Conflict

The situation was quickly taking a turn for the worse.

The brief pause in conversation allowed for Shadow to catch the distant sounds of fighting occurring elsewhere in the forest, and he gritted his teeth. They had lingered too long in the forest to fully escape the ongoing conflict, but all the same, their primary concern was now the Ariados perched above their heads.

With thick spider webs sealing off their escape route, the only path available to them was to turn their backs to the spider and go forward. The entire atmosphere of the forest was consumed by tension and fear, a sensation that Shadow experienced deep within his gut.

"I am not playing games with you," Renard said sternly, addressing the Ariados, his eyes focused into an intense glare. "They are under my care, and any threat to their safety will be dealt with as necessary."

"How scary," Ariana replied in a sing-song voice, and she ended the comment with a hiss-like snicker. Leaf growled in reply, and Shadow scanned their surroundings, searching for some way out of this predicament.

There was something incredibly off about the arachnid, apart from her vaguely unnatural blue coloration. The dark color helped her to blend in with the darkness of the forest, and the darkness was only becoming more complete as black clouds gathered in the sky overhead, barely visible through the tiny gaps in the branches that formed the canopy of the Eterna Forest.

The Espeon glanced inquisitively towards Renard, and the Ninetales gave a subtle nod, wordlessly communicating for Shadow and Leaf to take shelter behind Renard. Shadow nudged Leaf, and began inching nearer to Renard, but as soon as he started moving, Ariana fired a line of webbing from her mouth with alarming velocity. The line latched onto one of Shadow's hind legs, and he felt his body pitch forward when the captured leg refused to move properly in sync with the rest of his body. His face was the first thing to hit the dirt, and he yelped in surprise and pain.

Leaf growled with alarming aggression, spinning to glare up at the Ariados.

"Not so fast, darlings," Ariana crooned, using her fangs to clip the other end of the web line, and she swiftly tied it to the branch she was presently perched upon. She relaxed her grasp on the branch, and descended to the next branch, bringing herself closer to the ground.

Shadow struggled to free his leg from the webbing, but the more he twisted and pulled, the more tightly the spider's silk seemed to cling, and with the other end secured to an overhead branch, he was unable to create enough slack in the line to stand back up. It was the most frustrating and humiliating form of helplessness he had experienced to date, with one of his hind legs forcibly elevated, and a dangerous enemy perched out of his reach.

Leaf flicked his head, and fired off several razor-edged leaves at the suspended web line, but the special fluid coating the web line deflected the projectiles by a hair, leaving the strand unscathed. The Leafeon blinked in surprise, now regarding the line with greater concern.

"Now, little darlings, I understand that the two of you assaulted some of my associates during our operation last week," Ariana murmured, clicking her fangs and crawling along the tree branch, now positioned directly above the two Eeveelutions. "Care to shed some light as to your motives in doing so?"

"They were attacking other bugs!" Leaf snapped, his tan fur bristling. "And one of them was my friend!"

"Oh?" Ariana's eyes lit up with an ominous blue glow. "So you admit to being an ally to my enemies. How unfortunate."

"Now wait a second," Shadow interjected angrily, and the Ariados' attention shifted to him instead. Despite his awkward positioning, the Espeon was still able to look up at the arachnid overhead. "We're not even involved in your stupid conflict here," he growled seriously. "You can't just label Leaf as an enemy because he has a Beedrill friend, and then justify attacking us over that. He's barely older than a kit!"

"And what's your excuse, then?" Ariana asked silkily. Shadow blinked, a little taken aback by the question. The shiny Ariados clicked her fangs to punctuate her statement before continuing, "You fought with my associates as well. Even if I forgive the transgressions of the littlest one, the label of an enemy can still be applied to you for your actions. Is that not so?"

"That's enough," Renard said sharply, stepping forward, and Shadow shivered at the audible coldness in the fox's voice. He really wasn't playing games, and his tone reminded him of when Renard had told him what he was capable of doing with his curses. "They are not a part of your territory war, and you will allow them to leave the forest unharmed."

"I might have considered it normally," Ariana countered pleasantly, her attention shifting to Renard. "But the timing is so convenient - coinciding with another of our operations, and then to have them march so boldly in the direction of my nest. I cannot afford to let them wander free, when they are allies of the Hive's loyalist scum..."

As if the last words of the sentence was a cue, a buzzing sound filled the air, and a flash of yellow and black burst out from the trees. The large hornet Pokemon drew back one of its vicious stinger forelegs and stabbed it at the shiny Ariados.

Ariana's reaction speed was so great that it bordered on precognitive awareness. Her fangs parted and a thick strand of webbing launched from her jaws, striking the Beedrill squarely in the abdomen. For a moment, it seemed to have almost no effect on the impending strike, but a moment later, a massive surge of electricity passed through the Beedrill's entire body. It let out an inhuman shrieking sound and tumbled to the forest floor, where it crash-landed, twitching and convulsing in obvious agony.

Leaf let out a surprised cry, either at the sudden appearance of the Beedrill, or the speed at which it was taken out. Shadow continued to tug vainly at the web line securing his leg, hoping to make some sort of progress at freeing himself while the Ariados was distracted.

"An adorable effort," Ariana crooned mockingly to the fallen hornet. She clicked her fangs and her attention flicked towards the other trees around her. "But it's doubtful you were anything but a decoy to create an opening for your kin."

An idea suddenly occurred to Shadow, and he glanced upwards, towards the branch that the web securing his leg was attached to. If he tilted his head at just the right angle...

The Espeon took a deep breath and focused, directing energy to flow through his body and gather within the gem affixed to his forehead, which began to glow softly. Leaf spotted the glowing and hastily retreated a few paces, and as soon as the Leafeon was clear, Shadow released the stored energy, a psychic pulse erupting from his body and spiraling up into the trees. Ariana jerked as the psychic projectile soared past her, and she glanced up in time to see the branch above her break apart with a loud snapping sound. The branch toppled sideways, remaining connected to the tree trunk by a thin strip of bark, which snapped off when subjected to the strain of gravity.

Ariana recognized the danger in time to scuttle out of the way, as the broken branch collapsed upon her former perch, creating more than enough slack in the web line for Shadow to hastily climb back to his feet and back away before the severed branch fell to the forest floor with a loud crash. Leaf quickly helped him dislodge the rest of the line from his foot, and both of them looked back up at the tree.

"That was close, darlings," Ariana commented, sounding a little miffed by the sudden turn of events. Renard fanned out his tails and launched a purple wisp of flame from his mouth towards the Ariados. Her eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, and purple waves of energy emanated from her body, swallowing up the Will-O-Wisp and promptly extinguishing it. "Tossing aside all pretense of being my enemies? Lovely, that makes things much easier," she mused.

"If you insist on endangering us, that leaves us little option but to strike back at you," Renard replied coldly.

"And I'm not going to just stand by while you hurt other bugs!" Leaf growled, his fur bristling outwards like a feral beast. Without waiting for a response, he flicked his head and launched another barrage of razor-tipped leaves towards the Ariados.

"How foolish," Ariana hissed. She lowered her head, better exposing the wicked barb upon her forehead. The poisonous horn glowed purple and she launched a thick, poisonous purple wad of gunk from it. Upon contact with the Razor Leaves, the gunk erupted into a thick cloud of poison, as if detonating an explosive of some kind. Any leaves that passed through the cloud fluttered back to the forest floor harmlessly, acidic holes devouring the green flesh and dulling the razor edges.

When the cloud dispersed, Ariana was no longer perched where she had been moments earlier, and Leaf flinched, his eyes darting around at the neighboring trees all around them. Shadow gritted his teeth, his gemstone glowing faintly in the darkness of the forest. His eyesight was fantastic, but Ariana's blue body blended in well with the shadows and leaves of the trees, and if she could disappear like that, it would be nearly impossible to keep track of her in combat.

Renard swiveled around slowly, his eyes scanning their surroundings, and he slowly made his way nearer to where Leaf and Shadow were standing. "Stay alert," he warned them solemnly. "I doubt she'll stick to the branches the whole time...while it keeps her out of range, her maneuverability will suffer for it."

"Ambush us from the shadows, then?" Shadow murmured, peering into the darkness among the trees on either side of the path. His ears twitched, straining to catch some sound that might indicate movement, like the scratching of claws against leaves. There were sounds in the distance, but barely anything closer by, apart from the occasional twitches from the downed Beedrill as it passed in and out of consciousness.

Leaf abruptly sat down and began to lick his paw idly, as if preparing to groom. Shadow cast him a blank look, which soon became a bewildered stare as the young Leafeon paid no attention to his older brother's confusion. Just when Shadow was about to object to Leaf doing something so pointless, he noticed that a pale green aura was beginning to surround the Leafeon's body, energy becoming drawn from the surplus of grass and trees in the vicinity. After a few moments, the Leafeon was positively glowing with natural plant energy, and the light was illuminating many of the shadowy areas around them.

"She's over there," Leaf whispered from the corner of his mouth, casually wiping his paw against his ear. Shadow looked at him blankly, and Leaf repeated the motion, more urgently, until it clicked that Leaf was using the motion to disguise the fact he was pointing his paw at something.

Shadow followed the gesture with his eyes, until his gaze rested on the shadowy space partially hidden from view by the fallen Beedrill on the path, and by focusing his gaze, he could barely make out the shape of the poisonous spider. How Leaf had even spotted the Ariados was anyone's guess.

Not wanting to waste time by questioning the matter, Shadow focused his energy and propelled a sphere of psychic energy across the path towards the partially hidden Ariados. Unfortunately, the shot went wide and detonated against the nearest tree, but it was enough to flush Ariana out of hiding. She scuttled forward with alarming speed, and spat another thick glob of poisonous gunk towards the Eeveelution brothers.

Shadow's body tensed, and a translucent barrier formed in front of his face, intercepting the Sludge Bomb, and causing it to detonate on impact. The cloud of purple smoke filled the air, and Shadow gagged from the scent alone, nearly losing his focus on the barrier.

Renard dashed forward to meet Ariana in the middle of the path, and his eyes glowed with an ominous purple light. His tails fanned outwards as if blown by a non-existent breeze, and a ring of black energy erupted from his body, expanding outwards like ripples in a pond. The black energy engulfed the Ariados' body and shoved her sideways, nearly causing her to go belly-up before she regained her footing. Hissing, she spat a line of webbing at the Ninetales, but he sidestepped it with surprising agility. Before she could respond, he spun around and several of his tails lashed against her body like a whip.

Ariana scuttled backwards, clicking her fangs aggressively, her blue eyes flashing with annoyance. At that moment, two more yellow and black-striped hornets burst out from the trees, on either side of the path. Leaf did a double-take at the sight of one of them.

"Bee-Bee?" he gasped. If the Beedrill acknowledged him, Shadow couldn't understand her, as the two Beedrill launched themselves at the Ariados. Renard blinked, but his attention didn't seem to be on Ariana, nor the new arrivals. Instead, he was touching a paw tenderly to the thicker fur defending his chest.

Ariana scuttled sideways, narrowly avoiding one of the Beedrills' stabs, and Bee-Bee slashed one of her forelegs like a sword, forcing the Ariados to back away another few steps. Her blue eyes gleamed, and her fangs parted. A line of webbing launched from her mouth, forcing the two Beedrill to scatter to evade, but as they did so, waves of dark purple energy emanated from the Ariados' body and encompassed Bee-Bee's entire body. The Beedrill buzzed violently, but the energy coursing through her body seemed to be making her movements sluggish, and she hit the ground once her wings were moving too slowly to keep her airborne.

"So, are these the best assassins the Hive can send my way?" Ariana mocked. She glanced at Bee-Bee and clicked her fangs threateningly. "I'll take care of you in a moment, darling," she whispered.

"Bee-Bee, are you okay?" Leaf asked, dashing over to the fallen Beedrill before Shadow could stop him. Ariana pivoted and launched a spear of webbing at the Leafeon, but Leaf dove forward onto his stomach, the webbing soaring just above him. He winced a little as he slid to a stop closer to his Beedrill friend, and Ariana was forced to avert her attention to the remaining Beedrill as it dashed towards her.

"Loyalist scum like you aren't worth devouring," Ariana hissed, and her forehead barb propelled another poisonous blob at the attacking Beedrill. It stabbed its tail stinger into the projectile, skewering it like a toothpick into an olive, and then drove one of its forelegs into Ariana's abdomen.

Ariana let out a shrill screech of pain, and her eyes glowed. Waves of energy expanded from her body, and sent the Beedrill reeling backwards as if it had been punched. Its red eyes seemed to glow for a moment, but Ariana scuttled forward with impossible speed and drove her forehead barb directly into its midsection, where its upper body met the striped abdomen. The Beedrill let out an inhuman screech, not unlike the disturbing sound that its already fallen kin had made when electricity had surged through its body, but Ariana wasn't finished. The visible section of the barb glowed with purple energy, and the Beedrill's screech broke off abruptly as its torso literally burst open as if a bomb had detonated within its stomach, and the two halves of its body fell to the grass, leaving the hornet's fate graphically unambiguous.

Leaf was shaking in horror, but Shadow could see that Bee-Bee had extended her foreleg, shielding his view of the carnage. The sound of the Beedrill's scream had been another matter, and even Renard appeared shaken by what they had witnessed and heard.

"Delicious," Ariana remarked, clicking her fangs with a noticeable smacking sound, as if she had just enjoyed a real treat. Shadow growled, and started forward, but Bee-Bee gestured fervently for him to stop, and he hesitated. "Your turn, sweetie," Ariana added, turning her attention to Bee-Bee next.

Bee-Bee launched herself forward, her wings emitting a roaring sound that seemed to perfectly encapsulate her rage at seeing her comrade fall. Ariana scuttled to the side, only to cock her head in confusion as the Beedrill flew right past her, and stabbed one of her foreleg stingers into something amid the other Beedrill's remains.

Rising back into the air, Bee-Bee made a flourish of gestures amid angry buzzing, and Ariana clicked her fangs in amusement. Renard started to back up, moving out of range of the immediate conflict.

"What did she say?" Shadow asked Leaf uncomfortably. The Leafeon's expression was serious, with traces of anger within his eyes, yet he was backing away from the two aggressive Bug-type Pokemon.

"She said not to get in the way," Leaf answered quietly. "This is her battle."

Shadow opened his mouth to object, but Bee-Bee made another series of gestures and buzzing, the motions much more aggressive and angry. Leaf winced and averted his eyes uncomfortably, nuzzling against Shadow in a silent bid for comfort. Confused, the Espeon pulled Leaf closer to himself, and stroked the Leafeon's fur.

"What now?" he wondered.

"She's so angry. I...I don't like seeing her like that," Leaf whimpered. Shadow couldn't think of anything to say that might reassure his brother, so he remained silent, observing the two Bug-type Pokemon apprehensively. Renard was gradually making his way over to where the two of them were sitting, keeping a wary eye on Ariana and Bee-Bee.

"What are you waiting for, darling?" Ariana asked tauntingly, her blue eyes shimmering with amusement. "Aren't you going to avenge your allies? Or are you as spineless as all the other lackeys serving the Hive Queen, with no desire or purpose of their own?"

Bee-Bee lunged forward and stabbed her forelegs at Ariana, only to be sniped in the chest by a shot of webbing. Electricity surged through Bee-Bee's body, and she shrieked in pain. Leaf let out a wail of horror as Bee-Bee tumbled to the ground, sliding for a few seconds before going still. The Leafeon started forward, but Renard blocked the path with his tails.

"Move!" Leaf growled and actually snapped his teeth at one of the offending tails. Renard's eyes flashed in momentary anger before his expression relaxed again, and he shook his head. "I need to help her!" Leaf insisted.

"She's fine," Renard murmured. Leaf looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel, only to pause as the Beedrill's wings buzzed to life, and she rose back into the air. "She did that fall on purpose to wipe off the Electroweb," the Ninetales explained softly. "She's still in this fight."

"Clever trick, darling," Ariana murmured, her eyes glinting as she observed the Beedrill closely. "Your devotion to a selfish ruler is quite astonishing, but ultimately, you are just another life the Queen deemed expendable," she continued mockingly.

Bee-Bee whipped both foreleg stingers forward, each one glowing white, and launched a barrage of small, white needle projectiles at the Ariados. The blue eyes of the arachnid glowed brightly, and a wave of dark purple energy expanded from her body, intercepting the needles and dissolving them without a trace.

"The queen adores the loyal subject only for their mindless obedience," Ariana hissed, her tone filled with as much venom as her fangs. "She holds no delusions about the chances of you succeeding on this mission. You are meant to die."

Bee-Bee buzzed angrily in response, and Leaf cringed, leaving Shadow more confused than ever. Interacting with the Beedrill in the past had been frustrating and bewildering, due to how Leaf would verbally respond to statements or questions that Shadow couldn't understand, but this was far worse, because Leaf's reactions barely even hinted at the context, and the Leafeon was so distraught by how things were developing that asking for a translation felt insensitive.

"Can't we...do something?" Shadow asked Renard. "Or even just...leave while we have a chance?"

"She insisted that no one interfere. To intrude would be to disrespect her wishes, and this conflict appears more deeply personal," Renard murmured softly, his expression melancholy. "And I can already tell that your brother will not cooperate if we tried to leave. For all intents and purposes, we are stuck here as unwilling observers. However, I do have one trump card in reserve should the situation call for it."

Shadow glanced at Renard inquisitively, but it was clear that he wasn't going to receive any better answer than that right now. He wasn't sure he saw the logic of sitting back and just allowing the situation to unfold without doing anything to help, because if Bee-Bee lost, then Ariana's focus was sure to return to them, and her attention had not been favorable in the first place.

Why did he keep ending up in situations like this every time he went anywhere near the forest? Was every visit to the forest going to result in some sort of mad scramble to keep his life? He was averaging four for four now, if he counted being attacked by that Pokemon trainer immediately after his second visit here.

Maybe Eterna Forest really WAS cursed.


	91. Spider Bites and Bee Stings

Black clouds loomed over the forest like death itself, casting a shadow that few of the forest occupants would even notice, and the ominous rumbling of the sky was barely audible over the constant drone of the Beedrill's wings.

Ariana's blue eyes glittered in the darkness, and angry red eyes glared back at her. Light was all but non-existent at this point, save for a few small purple wisps of flame that the Ninetales had produced earlier, but even those failed to properly illuminate the arachnid's blue body, or many of the details around them. In such a dark environment such as the Eterna Forest, Ariana's unnatural coloration was an absolute blessing.

"Are you sure you want to play this game with me, darling?" Ariana murmured, her words almost inaudible when matched against the buzzing of Bee-Bee's wings. "I've shown you mercy once already. I offer it to you once more now, but it will not be given a third time. You need not perish at my fangs like your fallen allies."

Bee-Bee buzzed indignantly, incorporating a number of choice phrases into her response, with the gist being that she had no intention of fleeing from Ariana.

Ariana clicked her fangs disapprovingly. "You still don't understand," she hissed softly, and her eyes glowed intensely. Her shadow extended across the ground, almost imperceptible in the darkness. Once the black spot passed beneath the Beedrill, Ariana struck, moving so swiftly along her shadow's path that she almost appeared to have teleported, and she pounced upon the Beedrill. Bee-Bee only had enough time to reflexively jab a foreleg stinger at the Ariados before Ariana latched her sharp legs onto the hornet's abdomen.

Bee-Bee thrashed impressively, shaking her lower body in a desperate attempt to dislodge Ariana before she could complete her attack, but this was wishful thinking at best. Without wasting another moment, Ariana bit into the Beedrill's abdomen, relishing the shriek of pain that accompanied her action, and then released her grip entirely, dropping back to the forest floor.

Fluid seeped from the hornet's wound, and although Ariana imagined that it was extremely painful, it was neither a crippling nor fatal wound. That said, it would undoubtedly hamper the Beedrill's ability to continue fighting, and that was overall her true aim.

"Do you understand now, darling?" Ariana whispered, her blue eyes gazing intently at her injured opponent. "Coming after me is naught but a suicide mission, and ordered by a leader who understood it to be so. She has stronger soldiers at her command, yet sends out lesser drones, throwing away countless lives with nary a care. Wasteful tyrant."

Ariana spat the final words with as much venom as she could, literal flecks of poison escaping her mouth in the process. Despite the pain plainly visible on Bee-Bee's expression, she remained airborne, her wings buzzing with as much life and vibrancy as ever before. Clearly, the hornet wasn't ready to back down yet, even when already wounded.

Bee-Bee darted downwards, nearly impaling her rear stinger into the ground in doing so, and launched herself forward like a missile, her wings whining in protest. Ariana cursed internally and focused, purple energy gathering around her body, but she had misjudged how swiftly the Beedrill would be upon her, and she shrieked as Bee-Bee stabbed her abdomen multiple times with her foreleg stingers, each jab piercing deeply enough to draw fluids from the wounds.

Unable to concentrate her energy long enough to counterattack properly, Ariana let out a shrill shriek so loud and high-pitched that a multi-colored shockwave erupted from her body, physically forcing Bee-Bee backwards. The hornet cringed from the sheer intensity of the sound, and Ariana noticed the cry had a similar effect on the three onlookers, with the two Eeveelutions actually covering their ears with their paws.

"You're in trouble now, darling," Ariana hissed venomously, her blue eyes narrowing to slits. "Devotion to the queen brings only death and pain to you, and to the other mindless drones enslaved to her will. Extending mercy to you was a waste of my charity."

"You're no better," Bee-Bee retorted, her own words sounding as venomous as Ariana's, and the Ariados blinked as the Beedrill glared at her more fiercely than ever before, only her blazing red eyes standing out from the darkness of the forest. The sky rumbled again, and Ariana could just barely hear the pattering of raindrops upon the forest canopy.

"No better?" Ariana repeated scornfully. "What is that even supposed to mean, darling?"

"You have no moral high ground at all!" Bee-Bee spat, gesturing violently with her foreleg stingers. "You send your allies to fight our Hive, while you sit safely away from the fighting, letting others die for you, and claiming the lives of those that fight against you. Isn't that exactly what you say our Queen does?!"

Ariana hissed, but Bee-Bee slashed her foreleg through the air, cutting her off before she could retort.

"You call the loyal soldiers of the Hive 'expendable', but treat all other creatures in the forest the same way!" Bee-Bee continued venomously. "Anyone who opposes your 'great cause' is an enemy, and if someone isn't useful to you, you'll let them die!"

Ariana clicked her fangs, her momentary surprise and anger fading into composed amusement. "I don't seek to rule over my allies. They follow me not out of blind obedience, but because our cause will benefit their lives-"

"SHUT UP!"

Ariana flinched, genuinely taken aback by the sudden rage exhibited by the opposing Beedrill. Wounded or not, her drive to continue fighting was genuine. She truly believed that Ariana was just as bad, or even worse, than the Hive Queen. Words and reasoning no longer held any weight.

So be it. Then she would deal with this enemy the same way she dealt with the others.

Ariana's blue eyes narrowed upon the hovering Beedrill, only for her attention to be arrested by an unexpected pulsing light. It hovered to one side of the hornet's body, and seemed to swing unnaturally in time with the Beedrill's movements. The glowing was rhythmic, and as Ariana squinted at it, she realized that the light was coming from a bauble dangling from one of the Beedrill's forelegs. How the object had remained attached throughout the battle was a mystery for another time, and the Ariados' eyes slowly widened as she realized, with a jolt of genuine horror, what the object was.

"When did you get...?" she sputtered, and in her mind's eye, she replayed the moment, early into the battle, when Bee-Bee had veered off course and stabbed her foreleg stinger into the remains of the Beedrill that Ariana had eliminated. As she replayed the scene again in her mind, she could clearly see how the female Beedrill had hooked the bauble's chain onto the stinger, and then she must have used her vicious gestures to reposition the dangling chain further along her foreleg, so that it could rest close to her body without as much danger of coming free or interfering with her attacks. It had been so easy to miss what she had not been looking for initially.

The moment of panic faded quickly, and Ariana snickered, her eyes glittering with cruel amusement. It didn't matter that Bee-Bee carried that forbidden power, because she was unlikely to have the training or knowledge on how to properly wield it. The fallen Beedrill that had possessed it before his untimely death had been male - a female drone would never have been entrusted with that sort of power. Any female that could feasibly threaten the queen's rule was more often eliminated, never empowered.

"You should have accepted my mercy when you still had the chance, darling," Ariana crooned mockingly, her eyes glittering. "For now that I realize what is in your possession, I have an actual incentive to eliminate you. Claiming the Hive's fabled weapon for our cause will drastically tip the scales in our favor, wouldn't you say? And I'd hate to waste such an excellent opportunity to finally see the end of that wretched Hive."

Ariana parted her fangs and launched a thick strand of webbing from her mouth, but Bee-Bee zipped underneath the thread and propelled herself forward with incredible speed. This time, Ariana was prepared for the maneuver, and just when Bee-Bee was almost upon her, the Ariados darted forward and drove her poisonous horn as hard as she could into the Beedrill's body.

The momentum of Bee-Bee's strike was enough to displace the raw damage of being struck with Ariana's horn. Instead of a single, deep puncturing wound, she received a longer, shallower gash across her entire abdomen, and Ariana herself received a similar cut across her back, as Bee-Bee passed over her. Fluids leaked from their respective wounds, and pain flashed through Ariana's brain, nullified only by the immense satisfaction she felt at inflicting such great damage to her opponent. Just a little more, and she would be one step closer to the utter eradication of the Eterna Hive.

"Those wounds are getting nasty, darling," Ariana taunted. "At this rate, even if you survive our encounter, a dying drone has no worth to the Hive, and it's not like they expected you to survive anyway."

"Shut up! I won't give up...I won't let you keep threatening the Hive! I won't let you...keep endangering my friends, my family, and my home! I won't..." Bee-Bee's words were coming out more sluggishly as she struggled to articulate through the pain and rage that was gradually taking its toll on her body. Ariana seized this opportunity to launch another spear of webbing from her mouth, striking the Beedrill's wing and knocking her from the air entirely. Before she could recover, Ariana swiftly secured multiple lines of webbing to the Beedrill, ensnaring her in a grounded net of her adhesive silk. The Beedrill thrashed impressively, but fatigue and the wounds were making this a far more daunting task than it otherwise might have been, and Ariana's webs were far more durable than they appeared to be.

"It's a shame you're so blinded to the reality of our conflict, darling, because that passion would be much better served on our side," Ariana mused, scuttling slowly towards her trapped prey. "It's so wasteful to end the life of a capable female drone, but unfortunately, you are not intelligent, so I suppose I'll get over it."

Bee-Bee's response was unambiguously crude, using terms that Ariana was genuinely taken aback to even hear, much less have thrown in her direction. It didn't take long for Ariana to conclude that she REALLY didn't need to acknowledge the specifics of what Bee-Bee was saying, nor did she need to defend her various family members that Bee-Bee had besmirched with her rant.

"Wow, you are the worst influence on a kit's developing vocabulary that I've ever heard," Ariana commented snidely. "Do you kiss the queen with that mouth?"

Bee-Bee buzzed angrily, and her eyes flashed intensely, despite her vain struggles to free herself from her web prison. The stone hanging at her side glowed more intensely, and Ariana froze in place, sudden doubt grasping at her mind. Even now, when she was determined to slay her foe, she was still showing mercy towards her. Every other Beedrill she had dispatched recently, she had done so almost instantaneously, inflicting a fatal wound at the first opportunity, and never allowing her opponent a chance to be 'cornered'. Experience had long ago taught her that a cornered foe was the time when they were at their most dangerous - when desperation and instinct insisted they use every available means to survive and fight back.

By cornering Bee-Bee now, Ariana feared that she was sealing her own demise. The pulsing stone was responding more intensely to the approaching threat, feeding off the hornet's anger, fear, and hatred towards the shiny Ariados. Even with no experience or prior knowledge of the stone's abilities, it was possible that in a cornered state, Bee-Bee would instinctively use its power to turn the tides in an instant.

The Ariados' blue eyes met her foe's blazing red ones, and a shiver of apprehension raced through her body, causing a fresh wave of pain to erupt from her recent injuries. All the same...to make a tactical retreat now seemed like folly. Allowing the Beedrill to live meant sacrificing the chance to claim the Hive's Beedrillite and use it against them. It meant risking the lives of her allies again in future battles, and giving the Hive another chance to use the stone against the rebellion, with potentially more favorable results. The previous wielder had been eliminated before he could even use its power.

That settled the indecision in Ariana's mind. Regardless of the risks, she needed to seize the stone. She clicked her fangs and started forward, only for a faint green light to illuminate her body. A split second later, she was no longer standing where she was a moment earlier, but further back along the path, yet still within the barrier she had created with her web lines.

Disoriented, her eyes darted around the surroundings, before finally settling on a bipedal crimson insect, standing roughly in the space Ariana had occupied a moment earlier. Its arms ended in vicious pincers, and its body seemed to be covered in metal. More bewildering to note was that Thresher had taken a defensive stance, his attention securely focused on the ensnared Beedrill.

"Fall back, Ariana," Thresher stated clearly, and Ariana blinked rapidly, before narrowing her eyes into venomous slits.

"What are you talking about?" she hissed. "What are you even doing?"

"This lackey has a Beedrillite," Thresher said, his tone alarmingly solemn, a far cry from his usual dismissive attitude.

"I know that!" Ariana hissed impatiently. "If we could claim it, then-"

"The risk is far too high for that. You are already injured, and you have no chance of defeating her if she Mega Evolves. Fall back," Thresher interjected, applying a layer of firmness to his words, as if he was issuing a direct order.

"What?!" Ariana screeched indignantly. "She's taken heavy injuries, and I doubt she has any practical experience with-"

"You're so stupid sometimes," Thresher hissed under his breath, but if he intended for that to go unheard, he failed miserably. Ariana narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her tone soft, but the venom in her voice unmistakable.

"This is neither the time, nor place, to discuss the matter. Fall back, and return to the nest," Thresher insisted.

Ariana hissed in annoyance. "What about them?" she demanded, jerking her horn in the direction of the three quadrupeds, all of whom were observing the turn of events with a mixture of confusion and wary curiosity.

"Leave them, they're irrelevant," Thresher said dismissively, stepping to the side and pivoting so that he could keep on eye on her and the Beedrill simultaneously. Ariana hissed again, her frustration at the Scizor tactician growing stronger with each passing moment.

"And her?" Ariana pressed, now jerking her head towards the struggling Beedrill.

"Leave her," Thresher answered, the promptness of his response betraying his impatience with the Ariados' persisting questions.

"What? Why?!" Ariana screeched, loudly enough that the black Espeon cringed. "I've trapped her, she's wounded, she has a Mega Stone that could give us the firepower to take out the Eterna Hive, so what sense does it make to let her go?"

There was a tense silence following her outburst, and Thresher gazed at Ariana with an expression that she had difficulty reading. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

"I don't like the situation any more than you do," he said bluntly. "But you were reckless enough to confront multiple potential threats with minimal backup, and without taking the time to properly evaluate the threat they might have posed, and that drew the attention of Hive enforcers. Attacking neutral parties is a surefire way to breed your own enemies, Ari."

Ariana hissed, almost seething with indignant rage at this point. Thresher was the only one of her allies who ever dared use a short-handed version of her name to her face, even knowing how much she despised being addressed in that manner.

"All this time spent lecturing me could have been better used to eliminate that mindless drone and-"

"You're not listening!" Thresher snapped, cutting her off mid-sentence, and gesturing forcefully as he spoke. "You have no idea who they are, and how many other allies they might have had in the forest. You recklessly endangered yourself and the entire operation by confronting them."

"That has nothing to do with her, though," Ariana countered, gesturing towards the Beedrill, and her eyes glowed ominously. "That stone is the key to eradicating the Hive with minimal casualties. For a tactician, you are remarkably slow to grasp the bigger picture here. I must acquire it for our cause now, lest it be used against us in a future battle."

"If Mega Evolution to you is an instant-win button, you should focus your sights on acquiring a stone for my use," Thresher countered. "We have a single Beedrill ally, with no training or experience in how to wield that power, nor a Key Stone to manage the unstable energy."

"Then we are in the same position that she is now," Ariana replied silkily. "But she is currently at our mercy."

"No, her position is far favorable," Thresher said seriously. "We don't have a Key Stone available for our use. She does."

"What?" Ariana squinted at the Scizor, trying to determine whether or not he was pulling her leg. There were times when Thresher made teasing remarks or comments, but considering how seriously he had been acting throughout this argument, she had a hard time believing that he was cracking jokes now.

"Renard is in possession of a Key Stone," Thresher said, gesturing towards the Ninetales without looking at him. "Had you let him pass through the forest unhindered, the proximity of a Key Stone would not factor into this situation. Regardless of the lackey's experience, the Key Stone can neutralize the unstable energy, at least long enough for her to kill you. If not for my intervention, the threat you posed to her life would have undoubtedly triggered the Beedrillite to activate."

Ariana's eyes twitched, and she glanced at the Ninetales, who was calmly observing the interaction, then back at Thresher. She no longer doubted the truth behind the Scizor's words, because she had already suspected that the Beedrillite was on the verge of activating, but for it to be revealed that the risk of using the unstable evolution method was reduced by the Ninetales' presence...that was something she could not have foreseen.

"How unfortunate," the shiny Ariados murmured, and her gaze hardened. "Do not mistake this departure as showing mercy, darlings," she hissed, her words brimming with more venom than she carried within her entire body. A poisonous purple aura gradually encompassed her body, as if the venom of her emotions was leaking from her very core. "No matter what price I must pay to achieve it, I will see to it that the Eterna Hive is utterly eradicated, to say nothing of the queen's loyal maggots!"

Ariana concluded her diatribe by spitting her venomous saliva on the ground, and she practically vanished into the darkness of the forest. Tension filled the air, as all the Pokemon present seemed convinced that the Ariados was still there, lurking in the shadows or within the trees, ready to strike at one of them the moment an opportunity arose.

Thresher was the first to relax, and he crouched down by the ensnared Beedrill. "Okay, slow movements now, moving my arm towards the web line," he said, slowly and clearly narrating precisely what he was about to do before proceeding, but it didn't take long for Bee-Bee to issue a number of unflattering statements to the crimson insect. "That's nice sweetheart," Thresher replied indifferently. "But apart from me, your options are Renard using fire at point-blank range, or...I dunno, that Leafeon launching razor leaves at your face."

Judging by Bee-Bee's response, she much preferred those options, and Thresher shrugged, immediately backing off and gesturing for Renard to take his place. The Ninetales smiled momentarily, striding forward and examining the web lines. Leaf and Shadow glared at the Scizor warily, but he paid them little more than a passing glance.

"I suppose Astrid is another option," Thresher mused, speaking more to Renard now than any of the others.

"She's not even with us," Renard answered, carefully producing a wisp of flame from his mouth and directing it to one of the web lines, melting through the strand with relative ease.

"Seriously?" Thresher asked, his tone skeptical. "Where the hell is she, then?"

"She's escorting Frost through Mt. Coronet, partially because she wanted to meet up with Blizzard. She told me as much following her encounter with you last week," Renard answered solemnly, his flame melting a second strand of webbing.

"Ah, can't forget about little Snowglobe," Thresher chuckled. Renard cast the Scizor a disapproving look, but made no comment. The Scizor crossed his arms with thinly disguised annoyance. "But that figures. Astrid's absence, but you showing up, made me so paranoid that when Ari started screeching, I practically flew back here. As you might have noticed, Ariana's a bit...unstable."

"Just a bit," Shadow deadpanned. "Just a tiny, itty-bitty, little bit."

"A lot more than that," Leaf argued, oblivious to his brother's sarcasm. Shadow gave his brother an exasperated look, but evidently decided it wasn't worth getting into an argument over. Thresher gave them both the briefest of indifferent glances, then did a small double-take.

"Wait, who even ARE you two?" he asked, frowning at the siblings.

"None of your business," Leaf snapped, earning a surprised look from his brother. Thresher rolled his eyes and waved his pincer dismissively.

"They're Echo's kits," Renard answered, melting a third strand of webbing and creating enough freedom for Bee-Bee to burst out from her prison. Her wounds were still present, but they had started to heal over during the time of inactivity when secured to the ground. The Beedrillite was still pulsing gently from its place on her foreleg, and a similar glow began emanating from Renard's chest, the source of the glowing mostly concealed by the thicker fur present there.

"I didn't know he had a second one," Thresher commented, sounding genuinely interested for the first time. He gestured towards Shadow. "So you're Shadow? Heh...the black fur threw me off, but the play on your name is just fantastic."

"I get that a lot," Shadow muttered.

"What's your name?" Thresher asked, pointing towards Leaf, who turned up his nose indignantly. Thresher rolled his eyes, focusing on Shadow instead. "What's his name?"

"Leaf," Shadow supplied dully. Thresher stared at him, then at the young Leafeon.

"I feel like Echo is not amused by this," the Scizor chuckled. A pained expression crossed Shadow's face at comment, something that did not escape Thresher's notice, because he sobered up almost immediately. "Wait, don't tell me..."

"Unfortunately so," Renard said somberly, his eyes gazing numbly at the Scizor. "Echo and Rio were killed a few weeks ago. Astrid sensed it, in her usual fashion, and I confirmed it."

A peculiar expression crossed the Scizor's face at these words, and when he spoke, his tone was tightly controlled and almost stoic. "So that's why she was so adamant about protecting me, and why she wanted to meet with Blizzard so soon afterwards," he murmured, more to himself than any of the others present.

"Possibly. She did not elaborate as to her reasons, but I daresay you are likely correct," Renard answered. Leaf wandered over to where Bee-Bee was hovering, and the two began conversing, almost unnoticed by anyone else.

Thresher was silent for a few moments. "And A/C?" he inquired.

"I have not seen her recently, but-" Renard began, but Shadow jerked his head up, his silver eyes widening in bewilderment, the sudden movement catching the eye of the Ninetales.

"Wait...you know A/C?" he asked. Thresher looked over at the Espeon in poorly-concealed surprise.

"YOU know A/C?" Thresher asked, incredulously, but then paused. "Well, I suppose it's possible Echo introduced you..."

"Not likely. Echo rarely strayed from his territory except during the winter," Renard said, shaking his head.

"I met her a couple weeks ago. I needed tutoring for my psychic abilities after evolving," Shadow explained awkwardly.

"I see. Was she the tutor you were referring to earlier today?" Renard wondered. Shadow nodded, and the Ninetales smiled faintly, his tails fluttering. "Yes, we know A/C. She was on our trainer's team as well. There were six of us. Myself, Astrid, Thresher, Echo, A/C, and Blizzard."

"Uh...don't think I've met Blizzard," Shadow said doubtfully.

"Highly unlikely you would have. She's a female Glaceon," Thresher said dismissively. "Lives up in the snowy mountains these days."

"Is she related to Frost?" Shadow wondered aloud. From what he remembered, Frost had mentioned growing up in the snowy mountains, and he was a Glaceon. Plus, he had made vague references to making appointments to meet with family or something up in the mountains, so it was possible.

"Possibly," Thresher shrugged. "Glaceon are exceedingly rare Pokemon to see in general, with your overconfident friend being the first male of the species I've ever encountered. Other members of the evolutionary line are unlikely to have settled that far up north, so unless there's a pod of Glaceon somewhere, they might be related."

"A question for another time," Renard said seriously, his eyes scanning the area around them. "While I appreciate the assistance you've provided, hesitant as I am to label it as such, I think it is best if we departed swiftly. The forest remains far too hostile."

"Agreed," Thresher said idly, pointing down the path with his arm. "That's the swiftest way out of the forest. Although, I cannot imagine what drove you to come here in the first place, if not intervening on the territory war."

"We were investigating the vibes surrounding the forest. There has been an alarming pattern of conflicts surrounding the forest in recent weeks and maybe months, and I've been sensing something amiss," Renard explained seriously. "We came to examine the area and try to find the source, but your Ariados comrade intercepted us."

"She has her reasons, but I'm afraid she often lets her hatred of the Hive interfere with her judgment," Thresher lamented, shaking his head. "She is intelligent and capable, but woefully incapable of making tactical decisions. That is why I serve that role, but this situation demonstrates that she is a bit unstable and reckless."

"Perhaps the negative energy surrounding the forest is taking its toll on her as well," Renard murmured. "We did not ascertain its origins, only that it is located further up ahead."

Thresher scoffed. "Just about the only thing up ahead is the Old Chateau," he said dismissively. "It's an old, abandoned mansion, but remains the subject of superstition; almost everyone in the forest believes it to be haunted or cursed."

"Cursed?" Renard repeated. From beside him, Shadow's eyes widened, as if Thresher's mention of the old mansion had struck a deeply unpleasant chord with him.

Thresher shrugged impatiently. "Being haunted is the more popular rumor. Ghosts and malevolent spirits, and just the whole eerie atmosphere at work. No one's lived there for years."

"I'm surprised that no forest inhabitants have taken residence there," Renard commented. "If it has such a reputation, it could probably be one of the safer places to take temporary refuge."

"...Plasma."

All eyes turned to Shadow, as he had abruptly spoken to the air, his brow furrowed as he tried to recall something. Even Leaf and Bee-Bee had broken off their conversation to stare at the Espeon. However, Shadow didn't say anything further, appearing lost in thought.

Thresher cleared his throat. "You lot should probably get moving if you want to get out of the forest. I have other matters to tend to," he said seriously.

"Of course," Renard agreed with a solemn nod. "I pass no judgment as to the role you serve within this forest conflict, but I hope for your continued safety."

Thresher smirked. "Noted," he said dismissively, before looking past Renard and focusing upon Bee-Bee. "Oh, by the way...to me, you are still little more than a simple lackey for the Hive, but Ariana will see you differently. She will prioritize hunting you, either in pursuit of that stone, or for her own satisfaction. So if you are going to carry the Beedrillite, learn to use it, for your sake, and the sake of those you fight for."

With that note, the Scizor departed down the path, pausing only to sever the web barrier Ariana had constructed earlier, and soon disappeared into the darkness.


	92. Foreboding Departure

There was a sense of urgency about the group's departure from the forest. Bee-Bee was understandably paranoid, her eyes darting around at the shadows lining the path, never dropping her guard for a moment. Renard walked briskly, his expression stern and intimidating. Leaf and Shadow did their best to keep stride with the other two Pokemon, with Shadow keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

The forest was almost silent all around them, apart from the pattering of rain and the buzzing of Bee-Bee's wings. Occasional forks of lightning parted the sky, illuminating the shadows of the forest path, only for the light to recede in time with the roar of accompanying thunder. Water soaked into Shadow's thin fur, sending shivers along his spine. His fur was ill defense against the elements, and he was already dreading the eventual winter months, if spring posed this much difficulty for him and Leaf.

No one spoke, but this was almost a blessing, for it allowed the Espeon a chance to focus his train of thought. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, puzzling over the unknown significance of the Old Chateau. Once Thresher had mentioned the building, he had felt an odd sense of familiarity, but the meaning had eluded him. It wasn't until Renard had mentioned Pokemon taking shelter there that Plasma's name had risen to the surface of his recollection.

Plasma...that had been the name of the chipper electronics possessor that he and the others had met on this very path the previous week, accompanying Force and Iris. However, this understanding provided little information of consequence. At the time, Shadow's attention had been focused more intensely upon the suspicious Riolu, and he had paid the Rotom almost no notice in comparison. Soon afterwards, the Sigilyph's attack had separated the group, and more pressing and memorable concerns had come to light.

So what was bothering him now? So what did it matter to him if some eccentric little ghost Pokemon resided in the Old Chateau? That was the only time he had ever met the Rotom, and if it lived nearby to where they had met, it wasn't really a suspicious circumstance.

And yet...something he couldn't quite place loomed over his brain, like a long shadow cast down a corridor, its features blurred and lengthened, until it barely resembled the form that was casting the shadow. Maybe he was just tired. It had been a long day, and so much had happened all at once that his brain hadn't had time to process it all. This also seemed like something he wouldn't remember normally, but instead would randomly hit upon the answer in the middle of the night.

Bee-Bee's buzzing abruptly broke through the silence, and she gestured towards something to the side of the path. Even if she was speaking slowly enough to be heard, Shadow was too far away from her to comprehend her words, but Renard seemed to understand just fine, because he turned to look in the direction she was indicating. Concerned that she had spotted something threatening that he couldn't see from his current angle, Shadow picked up his pace, drawing level with the rest of the group.

They had stopped in front of a crumbling stone wall, just high enough to discourage trying to climbing over it, and a gate set between the two sections of the wall. Rust clung to the surface of the metal bars, and the gate creaked noisily in the wind, as if the obstacle was in pain. Lightning split across the sky and Shadow felt his breath catch in his throat, his gaze drawn towards the silhouette of an imposing building standing beyond the gate.

A worn path marked the way from the gate to the front doors of the large building, more than twice the size of any of the buildings he had glimpsed back near Solaceon Town. The front yard of the property was overgrown and unkempt, while paradoxically giving off the vibe of death and decay. Broken twigs and mounds of brown, frayed leaves lay all around the yard, and wilting weeds sprouted from whatever narrow crevices they could worm their roots into.

The house itself was a foreboding ruin of a place, similar to the Solaceon Ruins. Ivy clung to the walls, slithering up like serpents rising out of a pit, and the windows were all blanketed with thick drapes, if one's eyes could even penetrate the fog of dust and mildew upon the glass. Shadow inhaled through his nose, half expecting a musty, decaying scent to invade his nostrils, and his gaze slowly focused upwards, upon the highest section of the structure.

Shingles were missing from the roof, and rain pattered against the rugged surface, yet something about the place...called to him, in some deeper, imperceptible manner. Something drawing his fascination, despite everything about the mansion chilling him to his core. Without conscious thought, he focused his energy, gradually expanding his awareness beyond his other five senses, and attempted to reach out to the house.

"Shadow?" Renard's voice shattered his concentration, and Shadow jumped, turning towards the Ninetales, who was regarding him with a look of concern. "What are you doing?"

"I...don't really know," Shadow answered, his cheeks flushing as he realized that this response was one-hundred percent honest. Unwilling to make eye contact, he glanced over his shoulder back at the mansion, a shiver racing down his spine.

"So...this is the Old Chateau that Thresher mentioned," Renard mused, speaking barely above a whisper, his own gaze passing over the house. "I can see how it acquired its reputation."

"There's something so... _off_ about this place," Shadow said, apprehension gnawing at his stomach, yet he struggled to look away from the crumbling ruin. "I get such a weird feeling from it..."

"The vibes of negativity are definitely stronger around here," Renard agreed solemnly, and his eyes glowed with the same eerie, ethereal blue light that he had used earlier within the forest. Shadow watched the Ninetales warily, observing as the Ninetales' gaze passed over the house.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Renard recoiled as if he had been stabbed, his expression twisting into a look of confusion and surprise, and his entire body stiffened. The light faded from Renard's eyes, and the Ninetales almost immediately buckled, struggling to get his footing in the immediate aftermath of using the ability. Shadow started forward, but Renard needed no assistance in righting himself, although his expression was more distraught than Shadow ever recalled seeing before.

"It is far worse than I feared," the Ninetales breathed, shaking his head.

"What is it? What did you see?" Leaf asked anxiously. Renard took a deep, cleansing breath, and then another. Only after the third breath did he fully regain his composure, his eyes again appearing numb to the world around him.

"There is an overwhelming source of negativity within the mansion," Renard answered solemnly. "It emits an ominous aura that spreads outwards, seeping into the forest around us. It is not the malevolent energy of a curse, as I originally suspected, but something far more potent."

The Ninetales gazed up at the mansion again, his red eyes narrowing. Seconds ticked by in silence, long enough for Shadow and Leaf to exchange uncomfortable looks, but before either of them could interject an opinion, Renard turned back towards them.

"In spite of this discovery, I must conclude our investigation here," he announced. The confusion must have been evident from their faces, because Renard smiled faintly. "It is unwise for us to linger in the forest any longer."

"But what's the next step?" Shadow wondered, perplexed. He certainly didn't intend to argue in favor of remaining in the forest, but he was nevertheless concerned about what the future might hold, now that Renard had confirmed that something about the Chateau was having a negative influence on the surrounding area.

"There is no next step," Renard said firmly, and the Espeon blinked, convinced for a moment that he had misheard the Ninetales.

"What do you mean?"

"I came to the forest only to assess the situation, with the initial impression that a curse or malevolent spirit might have been at work," Renard explained solemnly. "My assessment is complete. It is not the work of a curse, but of something far more powerful. It would be immeasurably foolish of me to pry deeper into the matter at this time."

"So...you're not going to do anything?" Leaf asked, sounding stunned, and even a little indignant. "If it's hurting the forest, and making the fighting worse, then-"

"Do not mistake my caution as indifference, little one," Renard answered sharply, and Leaf cringed away from the fox Pokemon. Renard took a soothing breath, and shook his head slowly, beginning to step away from the Chateau and back onto the path leading the way out of the forest, the others following in his wake. "You do not grasp this matter the same way that I do. The negative energy present here has a corrupting influence. It amplifies pre-existing negativity, but it does not create any."

Shadow's eyebrows shot up. "It's _amplifying_ negativity?" he repeated, barely able to keep his voice from shaking. "With a _corrupting_ influence?" he pressed, placing more emphasis on the key words of those statements, almost desperate for Renard to catch onto his meaning without having to say it himself, as if his conclusion was a jinx.

"Yes, that is the impression that I-" Renard abruptly stopped speaking, and Shadow could practically see the gears turning in the elder Pokemon's brain. Even his tails stopped fluttering, although Renard did not pause his stride. Nobody spoke, although the awkwardness of the silence was almost tangible. Finally, Renard glanced over his shoulder, his intense gaze focused upon Shadow. "Are you suggesting Diablos is within the Old Chateau?"

"I think it's possible," Shadow said, all but fidgeting beneath the Ninetales' piercing attention. "Last time we were in the forest, I felt something off about that area...an intense, gripping fear with no logical cause. Until recently, I've had a broken fragment of Diablos within me, and whenever I was close to him, it would resonate with him...and fear would overwhelm me."

"Forgive me for asking, but why would it trigger fear, specifically?" Renard wondered, slowing his walking pace so that he could talk more easily to the Espeon, but still leading them away from the Chateau, and nearer to the forest exit. Leaf quickened his own pace, listening and watching Shadow from his opposite side.

"It's...complicated," Shadow answered honestly, but he doubted the Ninetales would be satisfied with such a non-answer. He frowned to himself, reflecting quickly on the different things he had learned today, from his meditation session, and how best to translate that information into an answer that could be better understood. "Maybe because, deep down, I knew that our parents were gone, and that he was the reason for it. I wasn't strong enough to fight him, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing the last of my family, the only one left in my life that I truly cared about..."

Tears stung at Shadow's eyes, and his voice cracked. The words had flowed so easily from him, without him even meaning for them to come out like that. The answer had come so readily, as if he had been waiting in anticipation to answer that question. Renard did not comment, and in the moment's silence, Shadow was acutely aware that Leaf was staring at him, his soft brown eyes practically a mirror, reflecting the same tearful emotion that Shadow felt within his heart.

The group emerged from the trees into an open area, in sharp contrast to the restrictive labyrinthine pathways of the Eterna Forest. Shadow exhaled in relief, feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted off of his body, allowing him better mobility and freedom. Much as he normally loathed being exposed within an open area, the forest had been worse. At least in the open, he could see potential dangers before they got close, whereas the narrow paths and looming shadows concealed potential ambushes at every turn.

The sky was solid gray, and a light rain descended upon them. The darkest of the storm clouds still hovered over the Eterna Forest, but from the direction the wind was blowing, those clouds were going to move towards the west, and away from them. The path they had been traveling upon split apart further ahead, one of the branches weaving its way to the north, towards what Shadow expected to be rockier terrain, and likely an entrance to one of Mt. Coronet's many caves. He had never traveled upon this specific route when coming from Eterna Forest, but he could see the outline of Eterna City's buildings, and Mt. Coronet itself was such a massive landmark it wasn't difficult to orient one's position based on that.

The other branch continued onwards in the direction of those buildings, but very little in the way in terms of shelters or possible Pokemon territories. If he had to guess, he supposed that most local Pokemon in the area either lived within the forest or up towards the caves, at least in this specific section of Sinnoh.

They continued to walk away from the forest, as if to put as much distance between themselves and the trees as possible, before Renard finally stopped and turned back towards them, and gestured for them to settle down across from him. With some reluctance, Shadow sat down on the grass, doing his best to ignore the rain trickling down his neck. There wasn't really any better spots to take shelter from the rain around here, and it was a light enough rain that he could endure the cold for now.

As if he was reading Shadow's mind, Renard busied himself with preparing a small fire, fueling it with a number of stray leaves and twigs in the immediate vicinity. Once a steady flame was burning, Shadow huddled closer to the fire, basking in the gentle warmth that it offered. Leaf followed his brother's lead, but was visibly more wary of how close he was to the flame. Bee-Bee hovered nearby, seemingly unbothered by the drizzle, and making no effort to get closer to the burning flame.

"I will be frank with all of you," Renard stated solemnly, making eye contact with each of them in turn, his focus lingering for the longest on Bee-Bee. "The situation at the forest does not bode well for anyone. Although I have determined where the negative vibes are coming from, confirming the source itself is a far trickier matter, and should not be rushed into."

Bee-Bee buzzed something in response, still speaking too quickly for Shadow to decipher her words, but Renard seemed to have little difficult understanding her words, because he nodded attentively as she buzzed and gestured.

"Yes, this excursion began as a means to confirm my suspicions about the forest unrest as of late," Renard explained formally. "I suspected that the ongoing territory war is a side effect of an unknown source of negative energy within the forest, such as a curse or a malevolent spirit inviting negative karma upon the forest inhabitants."

"A curse?" Bee-Bee repeated, her tone tainted with skepticism, and it took Shadow a moment to realize she had spoken clearly this time. "Meaning no disrespect, but that sounds like something my little brother would suggest."

Renard smiled gently. "No offense taken," he said, bobbing his head politely. "I am, however, a Ninetales, and my species is well-versed in the subject of casting vengeful curses. I went into the forest with the understanding that I might produce nothing of consequence or interest. I do not mean to simplify the undoubtedly complicated political and social motivations of the Hive or its enemies by labeling the conflict as the result of a curse."

Bee-Bee was silent for a few moments, then she buzzed in an affirmative fashion, gesturing for Renard to continue his explanation.

"The Old Chateau appears to harbor the source of some...alarmingly intense negative vibes. As I mentioned before, the energy I detected has a corruptive influence. It is not producing negative energy of its own, but rather, latching onto those within its range and amplifying their pre-existing emotions. The longer one remains within that field of effect, the more they can be influenced, and the more noticeable the effects may be," Renard continued seriously.

"How long might it take to affect someone?" Shadow wondered, frowning to himself. He hadn't really felt like his emotions were being tampered with when they were standing just outside the Chateau, although he had felt uneasy and uncomfortable, but nothing stronger than these basic vibes.

"An excellent question, and one I am in no position to answer," Renard answered. "I gathered only a glimpse of the energy source, and that is not long enough to uncover every detail of its functions. Longer than a few minutes, that is for certain. Even curses and malevolent spirits rarely take effect in drastic doses, because the caster of a curse, or a wicked spirit wreaking havoc, takes greater pleasure from uncertainty surrounding their methods."

"Am I missing something?" Shadow asked, his forehead creasing in uncertainty. "Didn't you earlier agree that it could be Diablos inside the Chateau?"

"I consider your theory to be credible, but as it has not been confirmed, I do not wish to prematurely label him as the cause," Renard answered. "It has been roughly two centuries since Diablos has last surfaced in my lifetime, and I cannot immediately recognize the signature he leaves behind. Just a few minutes ago, Shadow, you said you had carried a broken fragment of his power within you?"

"Um...yeah," Shadow answered, puffing his chest out defensively. "He apparently put it in me when he attacked me originally, but it didn't bond properly or something. He removed it last time we were in the forest, though."

"I did not sense it within you when we first met within your territory," Renard said somberly. "That concerns me just as much as the idea of Diablos lurking within the Old Chateau. To think that a fragment of his power completely escapes my ability to expose unnatural energy...he is not an enemy any of us can afford to take lightly."

"I don't understand," Bee-Bee interjected, looking at each of them blankly, her wings droning noisily. "Are you saying there is someone else affecting the territory war?"

"Rough theories at best, I'm afraid," Renard sighed, shaking his head. "Diablos is...what I understand to be a Spiritomb, with a fascination with the darkness within a person's heart. That is to say, the most primal and intense desires that drive a person's ambitions and goals, and push them to overcome adversity in dire moments. It is power inherent to an individual's soul that carries the risk of corrupting and twisting a person's desires if they do not master control of themselves. If Shadow is correct, and Diablos is the source of the negative energy within the Old Chateau...then it stands to reason that his influence has been gradually corrupting the desires held by the forest denizens."

"By amplifying pre-existing negativity," Shadow added.

"...such as hatred for our Hive?" Bee-Bee wondered. Renard and Shadow exchanged looks, and Leaf looked up, his eyes widening in sudden understanding.

"Quite possibly," Renard conceded. "He is not the spark igniting the fire of rebellion...but his presence might be fanning the flames."

"So what do we do now?" Bee-Bee demanded, her wings buzzing urgently. Renard cocked his head at her curiously. "I want the war to end, for the sake of the rest of the Hive, and the lives that have been lost in the conflict thus far. If there is something prolonging this war, I need to do something about it!"

Renard studied the Beedrill intently, but then sighed and shook his head. "I fear that this is a matter beyond your capabilities."

It was immediately obvious that Bee-Bee did not care for this particular opinion, because she immediately reverted to indecipherable buzzing sounds and forceful gestures, her red eyes narrowed with anger. Shadow cringed away from the Beedrill, and Leaf's ears drooped, but Renard did not even flinch, merely listened to the hornet's aggressive tirade in silence.

"I do not doubt your resolve, miss, but you are clearly a young, relatively inexperienced Beedrill," Renard said calmly. Bee-Bee settled down a little, but she was still giving the fire fox a death glare. "Like I said to your young Leafeon friend before, do not mistake my caution as indifference, or my criticism as being condescending. Diablos is an enemy unlike anything you've ever faced before."

"I've faced him before," Shadow pointed out. Renard shot the Espeon a dirty look, and he cringed. "Not saying you're wrong, just...inaccurate."

"I fought him, too!" Leaf added with a hint of a scowl.

"A Spiritomb is said to have one-hundred eight souls imprisoned within its base," Renard deadpanned, but his tone got increasingly cold, as if he was repressing a surge of rage. "You've had experience fighting ONE of those souls inhabiting the body of an unevolved Pokemon, and my understanding was that you've always been on the losing end of that match-up. Less than one soul was enough to kill Echo and Rio at the same time. They were loving parents, fighting to protect their kits from harm. Can you honestly say any of your motivations is more powerful right now than theirs was? Or that any of you are stronger than two fully evolved Pokemon, one of which was trained by the same one who trained Thresher and Astrid?"

Renard growled quietly and turned away from them, his breathing shallow and ragged, and he was holding his head nearer to the ground than normal, as if all the confidence and pride had been torn from his soul, right in front of them. Shadow, Leaf, and Bee-Bee awkwardly gazed around at their current surroundings, avoiding one another's eyes, and especially trying to avoid looking at Renard directly.

Minutes passed in awkward silence, but finally, Renard straightened up, regaining his composure, but pointedly avoiding their gaze.

"I apologize. This is not the first time in my life I've had those close to me taken away," he said softly. "I always hoped the pain of loss would lessen in time, but it never gets any easier. Try as I might not to cling too tightly to the past, my wounds endure the passage of time. That is why I cannot permit Diablos to roam about Sinnoh unchecked, but I would be little more a threat to him than you are."

"I understand," Shadow said weakly. "But if you aren't able to beat him, then what can any of us do?"

"That, I'm afraid, is something I cannot answer for you," Renard said with a sigh. "I urge you all to avoid the path of vengeance and hatred, for the abyss will devour you. If you seek to become stronger, do so for the sake of your own passions and desires, and not in pursuit of fighting Diablos. If your first instinct in hearing that Diablos may be in the Chateau is to confront him, then you have lost before you even started."

"Can anyone fight him and win?" Leaf wondered. Shadow watched the Leafeon from the corner of his eye. This conversation was again reminding him that he may eventually need to address the events of the last forest confrontation with his brother, as Leaf definitely remembered fighting against Diablos, but it seemed that the outcome of that match escaped his recollection.

"I have no idea," Renard said solemnly. "I am not familiar with the full extent of Diablos' capabilities. Even if his powers remain sealed to some degree, confronting him carelessly can easily backfire. Forgive me for cutting this discussion short, but it is starting to get late, and it would be best if we made headway on our destinations before dark. Considering our present location, did you wish to return to the territory with me, or would it be of greater benefit to start towards your other destination...Solaceon Town, if I'm not mistaken?"

Shadow bit his lip and looked towards Leaf inquisitively. They originally hadn't planned on traveling until tomorrow, in case Frost returned, but this plan had been made before they had journeyed through the Eterna Forest, and Renard had a point in noting that their current location made starting out towards Solaceon a more practical option.

"Um...where's Bee-Bee going?" Leaf wondered, looking over at the Beedrill. She tittered in amusement, her response the usual indecipherable buzzing and gestures. "Aww, you're not coming with us?"

Shadow rolled his eyes at his brother's protest, but found himself smiling faintly in spite of that. The Beedrill had already made comments indicating her concern for the forest's situation. Even if she was paranoid and wary of lingering within the forest right now, it was unlikely she would willingly abandon her family, friends, and home to travel aimlessly with them.

"It occurs to me, miss, that I could offer you some assistance in using that stone you're carrying," Renard said, nodding his head towards the Beedrillite hanging from Bee-Bee's foreleg. The hornet glanced at the dangling bauble, then focused upon Renard again.

"How so?" she wondered, her words spoken slowly enough to be understood.

"As Thresher said earlier in the forest, I am in possession of a Key Stone," Renard answered, touching his paw to his chest. For the first time, Shadow noticed a pale, almost translucent chain around the Ninetales' neck, and a small, marble-like stone attached to the end of it, resting upon the fire fox's chest fur. "It will allow for safer application of your Mega Stone's power. That is not to say it will be an easy process, but the risks of its use will be minimized until you have better control over it."

Bee-Bee's only response was a humming sound almost indistinguishable from the droning of her wings, but her body language suggested she was seriously considering the offer. Shadow lightly nudged Leaf, reminding his brother that they still needed to make a decision about their own destination.

"Huh? Oh, um...I guess we can start traveling early," Leaf mumbled.

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Shadow said, his forked tail twitching. "Just don't forget to say a proper good-bye to your friend."


	93. Amity Enmity

**Apologies for the delay on getting this chapter out.**

 **Was struggling to decide if any details from last section needed to be tied up, before concluding that the things that might benefit from being tied did not have enough going for it to justify a chapter at this time. And then this chapter was bugging me until I realized that too much of my recent focus had been on events and/or info-dropping, but if I stepped back a little bit to move a little slower, but have better character interactions and developments leading into the events, it would be more enjoyable to work with all around. That's the approach I used for the majority of the story, anyway.**

 **And I might have recently gotten Breath of the Wild, which has devoured much of my remaining free time. And will probably continue to do so for quite some time, but hopefully I'll still find enough time to write more.**

* * *

Hearthome City was a magnificent, sprawling center of commerce, but its natural beauty was not to be understated. The city was home to many blossoming families, and the host to visitors from all over the region, and its radiance was most apparent upon the first touch of dawn. The sun's rays was the cue for many residents to rise and start their days, and some took special care to savor the gentle hours of the early morning.

The singing of birds could be heard from the surrounding trees, and the polished paved streets were empty, save for the occasional morning joggers, or those taking their Pokemon towards Amity Square before the rest of the city awoke. Depending on the weather, the number of pedestrians would increase over the next couple of hours, but it wouldn't be until mid-morning that the city's activity would reach its peak.

With that in mind, Aureia had no idea what had possessed Adrian into believing that now was the absolute best time to wake all of his Pokemon up and insist on leaving the hotel they had been staying at.

In spite of Adrian's preference for cutting costs whenever he could, there were occasional situations when this was not possible, for one reason or another. The young man often set money aside when traveling, for precisely these types of situations, and from what Aureia had gleaned from the previous evening, Hearthome had a strict policy forbidding humans from setting up camp within a certain range of the city limits.

She doubted there was a strict policy about kicking clients out of their hotel rooms before seven in the morning, because that was the only acceptable reason she could think of for being awake and walking through the City right now.

The Vaporeon yawned widely, and even a bit obnoxiously, if only to remind her trainer that she was not happy to be active, nor did she intend to appreciate the view of the rising sun if that was what his goal was. Avis was not making things any easier, as the grass lizard was probably the only one of the group that was fully alert, and she was delightedly basking in the morning sun. Ironically, she was also the laziest of the four, considering she was presently draped around Adrian's shoulders like a living scarf.

Adrian was leading the group with purposeful strides, pausing only to confirm that his pace was not leaving them in his dust. He was unquestionably alert and in great spirits. Aureia followed a half dozen paces behind him, making no secret of the fact she was still tired and more than a little irritated by the situation. Blaze followed dutifully on her left side, his smaller strides easily matching her shuffling, reluctant steps, and Ember trodded along on her right side. The Charmander was keeping pace easily enough, although her cerulean blue eyes were unfocused and weary, and her tail flame burned at half its usual vibrancy, a tiny fire that needed to be rekindled.

It really begged the question as to why they were all outside their Pokeballs. Adrian rarely kept them all active when traveling, and withdrew them if they were obviously tired out. Furthermore, Sinnoh didn't seem to encourage keeping Pokemon out nearly as much as Johto's culture did.

The answer became obvious enough as they approached the northeastern side of the City, where a decorative archway designated the upcoming gate as one of the entrances to Amity Square. Aureia rolled her eyes, but refrained from making a comment. She should have guessed that Adrian would opt to visit the park at least once before leaving the City, and it was only a shame he chose to do so while it was still considered sinfully early in the morning.

Adrian stopped just before the gate and turned to face them, doing a momentary double-take when he remembered that Avis was perched on his shoulders. Blaze immediately withdrew a half-pace, watching the youth warily.

"We've still got some time to kill before meeting up with Marcus," Adrian explained, a fond smile gracing his expression. "Knowing him, anyway. So I thought it'd be as good a time as any to come out to the Square and relax a bit. Sure as hell beats that swamp," he added, with the faintest trace of venom in his tone as he looked beyond them towards the southern route. Aureia couldn't resist a smirk, in spite of her present irritation.

Adrian had spent the better part of yesterday attempting to navigate the route between Pastoria City and Hearthome, and had severely underestimated how delightfully damp and waterlogged the entire area had been. He had completely soaked the legs of his pants within ten minutes, and his mood had only spiraled downwards from there. From what Ember had said, their trainer had eventually been forced to withdraw the Charmander entirely, because almost every step they took splashed enough liquid to pose a constant hazard to her tail flame.

Blaze had adamantly refused to let Adrian carry him, but the Eevee hadn't found the route any easier to navigate, so he had also gotten completely soaked, to say nothing of the struggle of simply walking in such an environment. Adrian finally relented and sent Aureia out of her ball specifically to aid Blaze in traversing the route. He was not amused to discover that Aureia absolutely _loved_ the marshland, and his annoyance at the time only further bolstered Aureia's good mood, enough that she didn't even care that Blaze essentially had to cling to her tail the entire time. To his credit, the Eevee had been apologetic and embarrassed after the fact.

The situation probably factored into Adrian's lack of complaint about staying in one of Hearthome's hotels that night. He had needed to wash his clothes and shower after that ordeal, and wouldn't have been inclined to camp out on the marshy route even if doing so had been permitted by the city.

As bonus entertainment for that evening, Adrian had also insisted that Blaze get a bath of some sort, because his fur reeked of the marsh water, but the Eevee was so paranoid of Adrian that this plan likely would have devolved into a pathetic game of tag, and an even greater ordeal to follow for all involved even if the youth succeeded in bringing Blaze anywhere near a tub of soapy water.

Aureia had resolved that situation by sarcastically offering to bathe the Eevee, reminding him that she could melt into water to become virtually intangible and invisible. This delightfully made him so paranoid to the opposite extreme that he allowed Adrian to wash his fur without much fuss, but first needed to confirm that Aureia was fully solid and in the other room before he would consent to being put near the water.

For some bizarre reason known only to the likes of the idiots running human society, entry into a park evidently required receptionists sitting behind counters, the sole purpose of which seemed to be forcing a conversation with prospective guests before entry would be permitted. No money was involved, so this requirement made even less sense to Aureia than most examples. Did cities really employ people just to sit in a small room and talk to visitors?

Perhaps the content of the conversation might have revealed the reason for employing people for this purpose, but Aureia was too tired and indifferent to listen, and even Adrian seemed minimally interested. After what felt like several minutes too long, Adrian gestured for them to follow, and led them through the gate into the park proper.

Aureia wasn't one to get her expectations too high, but even to her, the park wasn't that impressive. Sure, it was nice enough. The grass was vibrant and well-kept, a number of trees towered over the area, and apart from a number of lighting devices and benches scattered about the area, the park seemed almost devoid of artifical objects typical of most cities. The finest detail in her eyes was that there was a pool of water in the center section.

Adrian gently prodded Avis with his finger, and the Snivy got the message right away. She hopped gracefully from his shoulders onto his arm, only to immediately spring off and do an entirely unnecessary flip in mid-air before landing softly on the grass. She sprang upright into a triumphant pose, arms stretched skywards.

"Ta-da!" she squealed, red eyes scanning theirs for approval. Ember seemed mildly amused, Blaze was staring incredulously, and Aureia yawned widely. Adrian raised an eyebrow at the Snivy, but smiled and shook his head afterwards, guiding them along the walking path.

A number of other humans, accompanied by one or two Pokemon of their own, could be seen walking along their own routes, with a sense of familiarity, as if they came here every day. Probably did, if they lived in the city.

Aureia stuck to the side of the path, savoring the damp grass beneath her paws and tail. The only conceivable advantage to coming so early in the day was that the morning dew still lingered, and the moisture eased her into a more alert, yet relaxed, mood. Not quite as good as an early swim or soak, but it would do for the moment.

After a few minutes of walking, Adrian sat down on one of the park benches, and gestured for them to move about freely, cautioning them to stick close, as the Square did not permit Pokemon to roam freely from their trainer. He was probably bending the rules by bringing in four at once, if Aureia had to guess.

The Vaporeon started moving closer to the pool of water she had spotted earlier, only for Adrian to immediately call her back to him, earning a sour look from the water Eeveelution. He smiled, but his expression remained stern. "Sorry, girl, no swimming allowed," he explained, pointing towards a nearby sign clearly expressing as much.

"That's a stupid rule," Aureia grumbled, retreating back to the grassier section, and flopping herself down on the damp grass. Suddenly, the morning dew didn't feel as good as before, because she knew it couldn't compare to what she was being denied. Blaze cocked his head inquisitively at her, but she ignored him.

"Is she okay?" the Eevee wondered in a loud whisper to their other companions.

"It's just that time of the month," Avis said sagely, making no effort to conceal her words from the Vaporeon she was slandering. Blaze looked at the grass lizard uncomprehendingly, and Ember grimaced, clutching her forehead with her paw as if she had suddenly been struck with a migraine.

"Do you even know what that means?" Aureia demanded, part of her wanting to immediately follow that question by inquiring where Avis had even heard that phrase before, because it certainly didn't apply to any of Adrian's Pokemon, nor did it seem like something Adrian would ever say about a human female.

"Um... _yeah_ ," Avis retorted, crossing her little arms across her chest and flashing a smug smirk at the Vaporeon, receiving naught but a deadpan look in return. After a few moments, when it became clear that the Snivy's knowing demeanor was not enough to convince Aureia, she giggled and uncrossed her arms. "That you're almost in heat, right?"

Aureia blinked several times, too surprised to be offended. She couldn't technically fault the Snivy's answer, because it did match up, at least contextually. Still begged the question of where Avis had heard the phrase, or why she thought to apply it here, but at least she confirmed that Avis technically knew what her words meant. Although it could probably be argued that her use of the phrase was implying heat came about on a monthly basis, which was too awful a fate to think about, while also not being a subject she really wanted to get into an argument over.

"No, I'm not," she answered blandly.

"But it's mid-April!" Avis insisted, quickly counting the tiny digits of her paw. "The...nineteenth, right?"

Aureia glanced at Ember inquisitively, and the Charmander gave a helpless shrug. With a sigh, Aureia sat up and gave Avis an annoyed look. "How do you even know what the date is?" she asked.

"I've been reading Adrian's notebooks!" the Snivy explained happily. "He dates all the entries! And the last one I read was three days ago, on the sixteenth! Besides, he's said before he has to cycle you off the roster next month."

"...is this a normal conversation for you guys? Girls, I mean?" Blaze wondered awkwardly.

"No, not even remotely," Aureia answered blandly. She suspected that the Eevee knew perfectly well that it was an awkward topic for everyone, and was just trying to draw attention to the fact so that they'd change the subject. Then again, she was probably giving him too much credit.

"I don't think anything we talk about really qualifies as a 'normal' conversation," Ember mused dully, sitting down on the grass and starting to stretch her arms and neck.

"That's just because when you two are moody, every conversation feels like a hidden mine field," Avis pointed out. Ember shrugged, although Aureia noted that the fire lizard drew her tail closer around herself. It was a subtle movement, one that might have gone entirely unnoticed if Aureia hadn't picked up on many of Ember's quirks during the two years they had known one another.

"Um..." Blaze's eyes darted around their surroundings, indicating that he was becoming more uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading in. "To be fair, I haven't really seen all of you at the same time very much, so I don't really know if it's normal or not."

"Avis is the one making things weird," Aureia said pointedly. Avis pouted at the remark, but recovered her composure almost immediately, even stifling a giggle in response. "And we usually prefer to interact one on one with each other. Keeps things simple."

"Yeah, I guess," Blaze said doubtfully.

"Ooh! Can I ask you something?" Avis asked, closing the distance between her and the male so abruptly that she was practically nose to nose with him before he realized what had happened. The Eevee recoiled, his fur bristling, but this reaction didn't seem to faze Avis at all, because she merely cocked her head at him, wearing the same casually curious expression she had when first meeting the Eevee.

"Mind his personal space," Adrian called out from the bench, frowning disapprovingly at Avis. Aureia blinked at her trainer, but made no comment. The promptness at which Adrian had reacted to Avis suggested that this was not the first time that Adrian had witnessed that sort of interaction.

"Whoops," Avis giggled, in a thoroughly unconvincing fashion, and her red eyes flashed subtly at the Eevee, for some reason sparking a twinge of aggravation within Aureia's gut. She was thoroughly mystified by the flicker of emotion, as it passed too quickly for her to identify. Anger? Defensiveness? Jealousy? It did not really matter, she supposed.

"What?" Blaze asked, eyeing the Snivy warily. His stance did not relax, although his fur was no longer bristling.

"I just was noticing..." Avis continued with a playful cooing tone, moving slightly nearer to the defensive quadruped. "That Aureia first introduced you as being chipper, flirty, and socially outgoing...but you're none of those things lately."

"Huh?" Blaze squeaked. Ember paused her stretching and looked up, frowning a little bit at the Snivy, but the Grass-type appeared almost oblivious, her eyes never leaving Blaze's face.

"I noticed it almost right away, when we first met," Avis continued, and Aureia took note of a strange tone to her words, as though they were carefully constructed with a hidden danger, like a thorny vine growing through a thick forest. Innocent at a glance, but painful if prodded. "You greeted us cheerfully, but then became nervous. Sure, I know they'll just say that I was making you nervous, or that you were being put on the spot, so I didn't think too much of it at first."

"Does this have a point to it?" Aureia interjected irritably. Her discomfort could probably be chalked up to simply being paranoid or in a poor mood, but Ember had similarly tensed, so it probably wasn't just her.

"I just was wondering," Avis protested, her eyes widening innocently. "See, it's a common trick to try to bluff your opponents into thinking you're bigger, scarier, and stronger than you really are. You put on a show, make yourself look bigger, all those things. You win by avoiding a fight all together, right?"

"Are we still on the same subject?" Blaze asked, bewildered.

"Yes," Avis answered promptly, fixing the Eevee with a gentle smile, but Blaze did not relax, and instead he retreated a partial pace further away. "But then I was thinking...you're doing the opposite."

"...the opposite?" Blaze repeated, furrowing his brow in bewilderment, and glancing around the area, as if seeking a place to hide.

"Mm..." Avis murmured with a nod. "When I first asked you about flirting, you claimed to be bad at it. If Aureia claims you're so socially outgoing, how come you're always so quiet, and nervous? I'm just wondering if you only act that way around me."

"No, he's pretty jumpy around Adrian," Aureia pointed out dully. "I'm sure that's in a bunch of his notebook entries and you've just missed them."

"I just think it's interesting," Avis insisted. "Almost everyone instinctively hides their vulnerability and insecurities behind a mask, a strong face they show to the public. But you...you're different from the others somehow. I just can't quite place how..."

The Snivy fell silent, gazing intently at the Eevee, stroking her chin absently. Adrian cleared his throat, breaking up the awkward tension, if only for a moment. Blaze moved away from Avis and closer to Aureia, although it would be more accurate to say that he was hiding behind Ember, as the Charmander ended up between him and the Snivy. Avis giggled, and waved her paw casually, as if the whole discussion had no importance to her.

Adrian caught Avis' eye and gestured with a finger for her to come over to him, which she did, albeit with playful flourish. Judging by the young man's stern expression, and how softly he spoke to her, it was definitely a reprimand of some kind.

Blaze inched closer to Aureia, and brushed against her foreleg, before recoiling as if expecting her to lash out at him. She blinked at him, but permitted the contact without complaint, averting her eyes nevertheless and gazing restlessly around the rest of the park.

What currently troubled her about the enigmatic conversation was that she already had a hint as to what Avis was puzzling over, in regards to Blaze. It was easy enough to follow the comparison of individuals concealing their vulnerability behind strong fronts, in an effort to protect themselves. Hell, Adrian's entire line of work revolved around caring for Pokemon who had developed such an impenetrable mask that it might never slip off, and the individual's insecurities and past wounds never willingly exposed to the world. For herself, the pain of abandonment and the insecurities it developed within her heart. For Ember, it was the wound not of being abandoned, but of having an emotional bond betrayed.

The idea of Blaze hiding his pain and insecurity behind a facade of his own was not only natural and expected, but Aureia knew with certainty it was true. She did not know the details, not at all, but she had seen the mask slip once before, the same evening she and Blaze had first met. When his compliments had rung hollow, and she had verbally lashed out at him, the mask had fractured for a moment, and within the Eevee's eyes, Aureia had glimpsed agonizing pain and hatred the likes of which she had only ever glimpsed from Ember.

There was the moment, several days ago, down at the lake, when she had inadvertently triggered his panic attack, but his eyes did not betray the same pain and hate she had glimpsed once before, although it did remind her of the original incident. More importantly, it reminded her of Ember, and the way she used to lash out.

Blaze was evidently not yet ready to reveal the nature of his past experiences. He had told her that he had been traveling alone, ever since being abandoned by his previous trainer for not being as strong in battle as desired, and that was enough for Aureia not to pry too deeply into his past. She could relate to that situation all too well, and had confided as much, creating a mutual agreement not to touch those subjects too much.

But what of Avis' own insecurity and vulnerability? If everyone hid their weakness in such a way, how was Avis doing it, and what was being hidden? To Aureia, the Snivy remained an absolute mystery. There was no clear sign of trauma or instability in the way she carried herself, but there was a disconcerting mixture of intelligence and child-like delusion in her words and thought process. She could pick up on things others seemed slow to grasp, and delighted in getting under people's skin, seemingly for the sake of harmless amusement, but the way she spoke to Blaze just now...it bothered Aureia more than she would ever admit. There was a peculiar tone to her words, like a snake creeping towards its prey. Most baffling was that, throughout the miniature discussion, Avis' playful mannerisms and innocent gestures seemed entirely forced and phony.

What did this mean about her?


	94. Waiting for the Call

This was not one of Blaze's better mornings.

It had started off with a hint of promise, but those hopes were long since dashed, and he felt the ever familiar brewing of emotions within his gut. He hated feeling so vulnerable, and hated having to act a certain way to get the approval of those around him.

This was why he hated the clan. That wretched system of having the young, ambitious Eevee queue up and try to catch the eye of their evolved counterparts, just to feel accepted and respected...it always felt so wrong. So phony and deceptive, and overall just a disgusting way to live.

Apologies were always the worst examples of the system at work. When an Eevee acted inappropriately, the leaders would often force them to publicly apologize to those they had wronged, and the apology had to be up to the leader's standards, or else it didn't count. The person who had been wronged had little to no input as to whether the apology was considered sincere or genuine.

Following Adrian's private chat with Avis, the Snivy had come over and delivered an elaborate and overly formal apology to Blaze, but it was immediately obvious to the Eevee that Avis was only apologizing because she was being forced to by her trainer. Even if she genuinely regretted her behavior, she was still going through the motions purely for her trainer's approval, and little more than that.

The grass lizard seemed more smug than apologetic when she smiled at him, and in spite of the anger brewing in his stomach, Blaze forced a smile on his face and nodded in acceptance. It would do him no good to reject the Snivy's gesture, just as it had never done him any good in the past. Those who wronged him would always wrong him again, and complaining about it would only make him look bad, rather than the perpetrator. In the eyes of the clan, he was always worse than those that harassed, abused, and bullied him and Celes. It was viewed as their own fault for making it so easy to provoke them.

All he could do back then was bury that rage inside him. Just as he buried his feelings now, hiding them beneath phony cheerfulness. The sole consolation now was that Avis was making a point to give Blaze significantly more personal space in the wake of her trainer's scolding, and things had settled down more since then.

Ember was occupied with some sort of stretching or exercise routine, and Aureia had finally stopped drawing attention to her displeasure at being awake. Avis remained in the vicinity of the others, but appeared much more interested in what Adrian was up to. The human had extracted a notebook and pen from his traveling bag, and was flipping through the pages of the book.

The peace and quiet was welcome, as it gave Blaze a little more time to gather his thoughts and consider how to approach the present situation. Avis' earlier comments unnerved him almost as much as her blatant invasion of his personal space. From the first day that he had been brought to Adrian's apartment, Avis had acted strangely towards him. She made a point of invading his personal space when speaking to him, and made little gestures to unnerve or unbalance him, usually in line with making physical contact that seemed innocent on the surface, or shifting the tone of her behavior abruptly to make him feel more on-edge or disoriented.

From Blaze's experience, his best guess was that Avis felt threatened by his presence somehow, but he struggled to articulate exactly what it reminded him of. Something like an older sibling shortly after a new kit's hatching. Jealous of attention shifting to the newborn, and intent on maintaining a higher position in the hierarchy. Perhaps her earlier comments were just another extension of this subconscious or irrational desire, except instead of demanding submissiveness from Blaze, she wanted Aureia and Ember to be suspicious or uncomfortable around him.

It hadn't appeared to be an effective tactic, if that was what the Snivy was aiming for. Ember and Aureia had seemed more aggravated at Avis than suspicious of Blaze, but it was a concerning angle to consider, especially for the future.

The Eevee sighed heavily, and leaned against Aureia's side, resting his head near her shoulder. The simple contact was soothing for him, better than even the softest cushion. When he was younger, and the actions of his peers or the clan leaders upset him, he could find solace from his sister. She would seek him out, wherever he had gone to hide from the judging eyes of the clan, and would listen to his rants, and comfort him with little nuzzles and cuddles.

He was older now, and his past buried in the darkest recesses of his mind, but the simple comfort provided by another was undeniable. He craved affection more than food, or even water. It was the greatest relief for sorrow or loneliness, just knowing that someone was there to support you and be in your life. He sometimes wondered if Aureia appreciated his company because he provided similar relief to her unhappy or lonely existence, but her lips were always sealed on the matter.

"Did you sleep okay, Ember?" Aureia asked abruptly, her words spoken softly and with her usual flat tone. Blaze looked up at the Vaporeon in mild surprise, but made no comment. It was rare for her to initiate conversations, at least when the two of them interacted. Ember seemed far less surprised, so maybe it wasn't as unusual as he thought.

"It was okay, I guess," the Charmander answered with a shrug, pivoting her body to stretch her back muscles, but then winced, pausing to massage her shoulder muscles with one paw. "Ugh...I take it back. The chair wasn't nearly as comfortable as I'd have liked."

"Least that one had a cushion this time," Aureia pointed out, the ghost of a smile gracing her muzzle. Blaze's ears perked up, and he looked over at the fire lizard curiously.

"Why do you sleep on chairs?" he wondered.

"It's an isolated, elevated surface," Ember answered, rotating her shoulder before continuing to massage the muscles there. Blaze squinted in confusion. From what he had seen during that first night in Adrian's apartment, Ember slept in one of the side rooms, curled up in a padded basket of some sort that she had repurposed into a 'nest', to use Aureia's words. With that context, he didn't understand why she had chosen one of the hotel room chairs instead of the softer bed, or the more spacious floor.

"I don't follow," he said finally. "Why does that matter?"

Ember snorted, but she didn't seem bothered by the direction the conversation was taking. She straightened up and faced Blaze directly before answering, "I don't know why it matters, it just does. I can't relax if there's anyone else in my sleeping space, and I hate being on ground level. I don't have to be at the highest point of my surroundings, but I need to be higher than most of them."

"Oh!" Blaze practically squealed, sudden understanding striking him like lightning. "So it's a personal sleeping preference? Sort of like how some people sleep better on their stomach, or on their side, or need a certain light level?"

"Something like that, I guess," Ember responded with another shrug, now flexing her claws. Her blue eyes flicked in the Eevee's direction. "Do you have preferences like that?" she wondered.

"Erm...I like to cuddle?" Blaze answered, smiling sheepishly at the Charmander. Even without looking up, he could tell that Aureia was rolling her eyes, just because of the subtle shift of her weight as he continued to lean against her. "I don't really know how to explain it. I just feel safe and relaxed. I'm similarly happy with just being near someone I trust. It's...soothing."

"Hm, I suppose that's fair enough," Ember murmured, almost too softly to even be heard, and she gazed at her claws, flexing them absently. "I can at least relate to the comfort of trusted affection, but it can only be platonic, at least for me."

"That's fair," Blaze agreed, his tail wagging a little bit. "Honestly, I prefer it that way myself. You can't really mix comforting someone with flirting. It sends a mixed message, and just feels dishonest, you know?"

"So how do you define the way you act towards me?" Aureia interjected blandly. "You compliment and nuzzle me more often than not."

"That's usually me flirting," Blaze admitted.

"No one ever did answer me what the difference is between flirting and coming onto someone," Ember mused. "Other than Avis citing 'intent' as the main factor."

"Uh..." Blaze fidgeted awkwardly. He wasn't sure if he was even expected to provide an answer to that comment, but the fact Ember had brought it up again suggested that it was something she genuinely wondered about on a relatively frequent basis. "Intent...probably sums it up the best," he admitted.

"Yeah, but how do I judge intent in real time?" Ember asked, her tone noticeably annoyed by the ambiguity of the Eevee's response. She snorted, expelling a wisp of smoke from her nostrils. "Because I personally would think nuzzling falls under the latter category."

"Well, that's more a matter of personal boundaries and familiarity," Blaze protested, his cheeks flushing. Aureia cleared her throat quietly, and the Eevee instinctively stepped away from her, thinking it was her signal that he was overstaying his welcome in her personal space.

"Ember, why is this subject so important to you?" the Vaporeon wondered. A shadow passed over Ember's face, and she clenched one of her paws into a tight fist.

"Because I want to know the difference," she responded crisply, and Blaze noticed that her tail flame had flared up slightly. "I want to know if a male is making a pass at me, or just being friendly. I want to know how I should express interest if someone ever catches my eye, without overcompensating and giving the wrong impression. Who am I supposed to get this type of information from?!"

Aureia's body tensed noticeably, but she otherwise remained passive, merely observing Ember's mild outburst with a hint of concern. Blaze twitched, disquieted by the sudden shift in the fire lizard's demeanor. Ember growled softly, breaking eye contact and glaring at her claws instead.

"Avis knows next to nothing, and you didn't have to do anything special to catch someone's eye," Ember murmured. "Sorin didn't win anyone over, so what resource is left for me? Am I supposed to follow _her_ example?!"

Blaze blinked. The Charmander had placed the most peculiar and venomous emphasis on the pronoun, yet Aureia seemed to understand its meaning without issue, because she looked deeply pained.

"Ember...it's not..." the Water-type paused, clearly unsure how to phrase her argument without further upsetting the Charmander, but before she could form another word, the aggression was sapped from Ember's stance, so rapidly that Blaze nearly got whiplash.

"Not a race. I know," she murmured quietly, in a resigned tone that nearly made Blaze's heart ache. "But in the end, I'm nothing but an extension of her. An ember yet to be fanned into a real flame, but wait too long and it'll burn out."

"Ember, you're barely two years older than me," Aureia deadpanned. "There is no way your biological clock is ticking already. Also, you're part-dragon, so you'll probably outlive us all. Take a breath and slow down. If you have the mindset that you need to rush into a relationship, then you're probably not ready for one. I'm not exactly throwing myself at Blaze right now."

"And I'd appreciate if you kept it that way," Blaze chimed in. "I like you, but I don't want to rush, either."

"Hey, everything okay over here?" Adrian asked, walking over to the three of them, his attention primarily on Ember. She avoided his eyes guiltily, but he seemed to already know how she was feeling, because he sat down on the grass beside her, speaking softly and stroking her back soothingly. Seeing this as a cue for them to look somewhere else, Blaze turned towards Aureia.

"Is she okay?" he wondered, jerking his head subtly towards the fire lizard. Aureia was silent for several moments, long enough for Blaze to question whether the Vaporeon had even heard him, or if she was ignoring him. Aureia finally sighed and looked over at him, her eyes betraying a hint of sadness that otherwise rarely manifested.

"Every so often, she gets in one of these moods," the Vaporeon murmured, speaking barely above a whisper. "All things considering, this one was rather tame, and Adrian's already taking care of it, so I wouldn't worry too much."

"Okay," Blaze sighed, studying the grass beneath his paws, and only glanced up again when movement caught his eye. Adrian seemed to have gotten the situation under control, as Ember seemed to have calmed down again. However, Adrian still called Ember back inside her Pokeball, and made his way back towards the bench. "Was it something I said or did that set her off, though?"

Aureia squinted at the Eevee in genuine confusion. "No, not really," she shrugged. "Like I said, she gets in these sort of moods sometimes. It's hard to predict what will trigger her reactions."

Blaze fidgeted uncomfortably. "But...she was asking about flirting and such, and I just...don't think I was giving her good answers. And she said you didn't have to do anything to get a male's attention, so I was just thinking that...you know..."

Aureia snorted. "That she's jealous of your attention? Doubtful. You're not her type."

"That's not fair," Avis interjected with a giggle, her sudden approach causing Blaze to flinch. "I wouldn't label him as your type either, but here we are."

"What would you label as my type?" Aureia deadpanned. Avis seemed to consider the question seriously for several seconds.

"Empathetic, cute, kind of a pushover, but willing to take charge and lead conversations and...oh wow, he probably is your type," Avis mused, her eyes widening in genuine surprise.

"You been working on my dating profile for a while, Avis?" Aureia asked sarcastically.

"Nope, just came up with it now," the Snivy chirped. "Want me to try Blaze next?"

"Money's on a verbatim description of me," Aureia muttered from the side of her mouth. Blaze grinned, in spite of himself, and Avis seemed to take that as an affirmative, because she squinted at Blaze for a few seconds, noticeably keeping her distance.

"Patient, soft-spoken, more dominant, but not oppressive. Affectionate...maybe a bit adventurous and playful," Avis mused, tapping her chin with a paw, then looking over at Aureia. "...I dunno, that COULD match you, if you warmed up a bit. Or downed a couple Sitrus berries," she added with a giggle.

"How do you even come up with these?" Blaze wondered. He had never before even considered the ideal qualities of a prospective soul-mate, so he wasn't sure if Avis' ideas were even close to his own vision, but he couldn't immediately say any of her descriptions were wrong, either.

"It's in your eyes," Avis said simply.

Further discussion was interrupted by Adrian's phone buzzing to life, the sudden sound drawing their gaze. The young man answered by the second ring, and immediately rose to his feet, gesturing for them to follow him as he headed back towards the Amity Square gate.

"Hey! Marcus, little man, you finally awake?" Adrian asked.

Avis darted after him, springing off the ground and catching onto his travel bag before scaling up to her perch on their trainer's shoulders. Aureia rolled her eyes, but trudged after them, Blaze practically jogging to keep up.

"Yeah, man, I've been up for hours now. Aureia's been irritable about that all morning, let me tell you that," Adrian chuckled, still speaking into his phone. "I thought being a trainer was supposed to teach you the value of starting your day early. Uh-huh...yeah, okay. So, where do you want to meet up?"

"Does he ALWAYS give updates on my mood?" Aureia wondered aloud to no one in particular.


	95. Meeting with Marcus

If any complaint could be made about Sinnoh, it was that the spring weather was nowhere near as pleasant as back in Johto. It hadn't taken very long for Avis to make this observation, and the only consolation was that the problem wasn't so severe as to be painful.

In Johto, the clear, sunny skies indicated a very pleasant day. The sun would be out, bathing her body in its warm rays, and a cool, idle breeze would fan over her until sleep seemed inevitable. In Sinnoh, clear skies seemed like a myth, and even if the sun was out, there was a constant cold front washing over the region.

Little wonder that Adrian was constantly wearing a jacket out here, and the cool air wouldn't have bothered her so much if not for the fact it made it more difficult to observe things around her. Adrian still allowed her to ride on his shoulders, but now she was doing it mostly to leech some of his body heat to counteract Sinnoh's brisk atmosphere.

Blaze was presently the greatest source of fascination to the Snivy, especially since Ember had been returned to her Pokeball. There was something slightly off about the Eevee, but exactly what was wrong seemed to elude Avis. It was as though his behavior and mannerisms didn't align with his emotional motivations. Avis hadn't been given much opportunity to observe Blaze for longer periods of time, because Adrian seemed to believe she was deliberately harassing the male, and avoided leaving them together whenever possible.

Avis knew this much from reading Adrian's notebooks during the past week. The youth made occasional observations about the Eevee's behavior, but the focus was primarily on how Blaze interacted with the other Pokemon, and how they reacted to him and his presence. He was not officially under his care, so she supposed Adrian didn't find it necessary to record all his findings.

That said, Avis found those sections fascinating to read, but particularly the section dedicated to Ember's interactions with the Eevee. To Adrian's pleasant surprise, it seemed that Ember got along perfectly fine with the male Pokemon, and that he was considerably less on-edge around her than when around Avis, or even Aureia, although the latter remained the only one of the three he showed affectionate interest in.

There was one section in particular that Avis found especially entertaining, as it seemed to have been written during the boat trip to Sinnoh, when Adrian was primarily keeping Ember outside her ball, likely to observe and work with her more in the wake of the unfortunate encounter, as previous pages indicated that the youth was very concerned about how that event was going to affect the Charmander.

 _"Ember shows surprisingly little objection to the Eevee's presence, but still shows the usual amount of tension if he wanders into the range of her nest (the cabin's bed, and the chair if I'm using the bed). No outward hostility yet observed if he remains oblivious to the faux pas. His anxious and flighty behavior does not seem to annoy her the way it does Aureia, and he shows a respectful wariness of her personal space. His tendency to take shelter behind or beneath other objects makes it unlikely for him to encroach on her sleeping space enough to trigger an aggressive response."_

Unfortunately, Avis hadn't had much opportunity to read Adrian's notes since then, but she was intrigued all the same. Since Adrian kept denying her the opportunity to observe Blaze directly, she would need to rely on his notes more often than not to figure out whether she was onto something or not.

"Aww, it's so cute!" a female voice practically squealed, jolting Avis from her thoughts. A quick glance around confirmed that they were back within Hearthome City, which was much livelier and crowded than when they had walked through the first time. The speaker was a young human female, probably not much older than a pre-teen, but judging human ages was notoriously difficult, even with her past exposure to so many humans of different shapes and sizes.

The girl was looking up at Avis with wide, awestruck eyes, and Avis straightened up with a giggle, providing her admirer with the most innocent, adorable smirk she could muster. Adrian paused his stride, smiling at the young girl and exchanging a few words that Avis ignored in favor of basking in the attention.

"Are they also yours?" the girl asked, pointing at Blaze and Aureia. The Eevee flinched and inched closer to the Vaporeon. Adrian answered with an affirmative, prompting the girl to praise him for raising them so well, and similar sentiments. After about a minute of this, Adrian thanked her and continued on his way.

"Hearthome is famous for its Contest Hall," Adrian explained, once they were out of earshot. "They see trainers and coordinators from all over the region, and even other regions, who have raised and groomed their Pokemon with utmost care and attention. I suppose I should take that as the highest compliment, if you three caught her eye."

"I'm just that adorable," Avis giggled, reclining across Adrian's shoulders and fanning herself with her tail leaf. Aureia rolled her eyes and made no comment, whereas Blaze didn't bother craning his neck far enough to see her, and just shrugged in response to her statement. A real shame, because the combination of the statement and pose was crucial to fully appreciating her smug satisfaction.

"She seemed local, so she probably sees most of the Contests here," Adrian continued, talking more to himself now than any of them. "Maybe an inspiring coordinator herself, or has a family member that participates."

"No one cares," Aureia deadpanned. Adrian glanced back at the Vaporeon with an annoyed expression, but otherwise gave no indication that he understood what she said. Adrian's ability to understand the gist of most of what Aureia said was particularly fascinating to Avis. While she was definitely familiar with the concept of trainers developing enough of a bond with their Pokemon that they could communicate clearly despite the language barrier, Aureia tended to make incredibly insulting or sarcastic remarks, and sometimes spoke literal gibberish, yet Adrian seemed to catch onto what she was doing almost immediately.

Granted, in this particular example, it wasn't hard to guess what had Aureia said based on her tone and obvious disinterest in the subject, but in other cases, Avis found it a more remarkable feat. She supposed that Adrian had a gift for reading a Pokemon's body language and tone and used the combination of these factors to pick up the details, but it was impressive for a human, especially a human that wasn't active in the competitive scene, where there would be much more exposure to Pokemon both in and outside their natural habitats. Observing a wild Growlithe in its natural habitat was an entirely different game than observing a trained Growlithe in battle, or a Growlithe employed by police officers, and that wasn't even counting outlier cases where a Growlithe was bred, and then released.

Avis smirked to herself. Such keen observation skills were crucial lessons in her earliest education. It was just a shame that she hadn't had the time to fully master them before the...incident.

The Snivy's smirk faltered, and she adjusted her position on Adrian's shoulders, peering up ahead. Adrian had made his way purposefully towards the eastern side of the City, practically the opposite corner from where they had started from, and he paused only to confirm that Aureia and Blaze were keeping pace with them. There was a definite vibe of excitement radiating from the youth, a barely contained ripple of enthusiasm running through his body, as if he had consumed just a little too much sugar or caffeine.

His mood was almost contagious, and Avis found herself fidgeting restlessly as they approached the archway leading out of Hearthome City. She hadn't been under Adrian's care long enough to really know anything about his brother, and her mind was buzzing with expectations and curiosity. She knew basic details, mostly information gleaned from Aureia or Ember, or from eavesdropping on Adrian's phone conversations, but nothing really compared to seeing the reality with her own eyes.

"Whoa there, settle down, girl," Adrian chuckled, as Avis moved around so much that she nearly fell from his shoulders. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her against his chest, still chuckling to himself about the Snivy's antics.

The eastern outskirts of Hearthome had a very different environment than the southern route. Instead of humid marshland, the path was surrounded by thick forests and lush, grassy sections, the picture perfect place for a picnic. Avis giggled hysterically to herself as the thought passed her mind, earning herself a bemused look from Adrian. Brilliant blue streams cut through the route, with wooden bridges carefully constructed to allow passage over them.

"Yeah, go ahead, just keep up, okay?" Adrian called, glancing over his shoulder at Aureia. Although her position in Adrian's arms physically prevented her from looking, she could almost picture Aureia eyeing the stream longingly. It amused her to think that Adrian was so attuned with his Pokemon that he could almost tell what they were thinking, even when they were literally behind his back. Sure enough, as Adrian started across the first bridge, Avis heard a distinct splashing sound. The water didn't appear especially deep, although her angle wasn't the best for judging something like that, but it was sure to satisfy Aureia's wishes.

Once across the bridge, Adrian paused and turned around, enabling Avis to see that Blaze had chosen to stay dry, and was hurrying across the bridge after them, but Aureia was blissfully swimming in the water next to the bridge. With some reluctance, she climbed out once she reached the shore, the water droplets glittering in the sun as they rolled down her skin and dripped to the grass below. The male Eevee's cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but Avis smirked. Her vantage point allowed her to see that he was constantly glancing in Aureia's direction, the furtive looks more damning evidence of his interest than if he had been staring intently.

More entertaining was that Aureia seemed completely aware of this, because she said something to him in an undertone, and gestured for him to walk ahead of her on the path. Adrian seemed likewise amused by the interaction, but soon faced forward and led the way further on. At each subsequent bridge, Aureia chose to swim across the water rather than cross on foot, but seeing as Adrian did not pause to confirm that Aureia was keeping pace with them, Avis missed the opportunity to see whether Blaze was still sneaking glances whenever the Vaporeon left the water, or if he had been intimidated into averting his gaze.

"Almost there," Adrian announced. With the stream and bridges now behind them, the path turned to the north, and in the distance, Avis could see the looming shape of some sort of tower structure, but the trees around them were too thick to better judge how far they were from it, or what purpose the building had.

Adrian slowed his pace and peered around at the trees lining the path. It didn't take Avis long to figure out what her trainer was focusing on. There were several indications of previous encampments on the side of the road, including small bundles of burnt wood, doused with water, and scuff marks in the dirt from something being dragged from one spot to another. Now and again, Avis caught sight of a glint of silver, from a utensil or trinket forgotten by its previous owner. Clearly, this section of the route was often used by travelers, likely those unable to get affordable lodgings in Hearthome.

Avis squirmed restlessly in Adrian's arms. As much as she enjoyed being held, or otherwise allowed to use as little energy as possible when traveling, the restriction of mobility was starting to grate on her nerves. Adrian shifted his hold, initially thinking she just wished to adjust her positioning for greater comfort, but she persisted in squirming until he set her down on the grass.

"That better?" he asked with a chuckle, and she responded with a formal salute. "All right, should be right around...there! Hey, Marcus!" Adrian shouted the greeting, waving one of his arms enthusiastically. Avis whirled around to see where Adrian was looking, and soon spotted another human male, sitting in the shade on the side of the path. On hearing Adrian's shout and seeing the wave, the other human scrambled to his feet and hurried over to where they were standing.

Adrian met him halfway and the two embraced like they hadn't seen one another in years. Avis couldn't make out much of what they were saying, as they were constantly talking over each other and saying things that sounded like gibberish, but might have been greetings or comments on the other's appearance, because Adrian made gestures that might have indicated his brother had grown several inches taller.

Aureia sat down beside Avis, observing the reunion with idle boredom, and she seemed to be whispering advice or commentary to Blaze from the corner of her mouth, because the Eevee visibly relaxed, as if he had been given a reassurance of some kind.

Finally, the brothers separated, and made their way back over to where the three Pokemon were waiting.

"And...time for the introductions," Aureia deadpanned, whereas Avis brightened, peering at the new human with unabashed interest.

The first thing the Snivy noticed was that the resemblance between the two siblings was almost uncanny. Marcus was definitely the younger of the two, but many of his facial features resembled Adrian's. He had a boyish, youthful face, and chestnut brown eyes that matched his hair, although Avis was quick to note that, compared to Adrian's neatly groomed appearance and clothing, Marcus' hair was untidy, and his clothes were wrinkled, as if he routinely stuffed them into a bag.

"Okay, this is my brother, Marcus," Adrian told the Pokemon, gesturing to the smaller youth, who grinned in response. "Well, you've definitely met Aureia before," Adrian added with a wry grin.

"Hey there, Aureia, remember me?" Marcus asked, kneeling down to the Vaporeon's level and grinning. She responded by fixing him with a dull, unblinking stare, as if focusing on a point directly behind his head.

Silence followed, long enough for Avis to feel uncomfortable, and then stretching for several seconds longer. She began to glance around in bewilderment, as Marcus seemed determined not to let Aureia off without some form of acknowledgement, and Aureia seemed equally intent on not giving him any. Even Blaze and Adrian seemed perplexed by what was going on, but neither interrupted.

"Anything, yet?" Marcus ventured teasingly, after the silence had stretched out so long that it was almost painful. No sooner had the words left his mouth than Avis could almost see Aureia's self-restraint snapping like an overstretched rubber band. Her dull eyes narrowed, and she launched a jet of water from her mouth at point-blank range. The powerful spray of water hit with enough force to bowl Marcus over and completely soak his clothing.

Aureia ceased the water assault after a moment, and looked over her handiwork with the faintest hint of pride, and not even the slightest hint of shame or remorse. She even cast Adrian a challenging glare, as if promising him that a scolding would result in him facing the same consequence as his brother, before turning her full attention to Blaze, who instinctively cringed. Avis found she couldn't really criticize the Eevee for that response under the circumstances. Furthermore, it seemed that Aureia was so intent on metaphorically flipping the two humans off that she started grooming Blaze's fur.

Avis stifled her giggles the best she could, but that was a losing battle in itself. Blaze's look of confusion and awkwardness was already priceless, but the best part was how completely out of left field Aureia's actions were. Avis could imagine that, in the Vaporeon's mind, she was doing little more than keeping herself occupied, to express her utter indifference to the possibility of facing consequences, but it was hilarious to see. On account of the Vaporeon's aloof and indifferent demeanor, there really wasn't a lot she could make a point of focusing on after lashing out at Adrian's brother. Blaze happened to be the most convenient and available option, but Aureia was just making herself an easy target to be teased in the future.

 _Or maybe,_ Avis mused to herself. _That's the point. Adrian teases her plenty on the subject of Blaze, so making herself a target in this moment is the biggest 'screw you' message she can express. She's doubling down._

Avis turned her gaze back to Marcus. The young man sputtered and coughed a little bit on the water he likely ingested , but evidently his dignity has suffered the worst fate, because he got back up with little trouble, and seemed far more amused than anything.

"Okay, let's move on," Marcus suggested to Adrian, although his focus lingered on Blaze for a few moments. "Wait, when did you get an Eevee?"

"Ahh...he's not actually mine," Adrian began, rubbing the back of his head. "He's traveling with us, but he's not registered to me."

"Oh! Is he the one you mentioned-"

"Don't say it. Don't," Adrian warned in an undertone.

"What? I wasn't going to-"

"Just let's move on again, okay?" Adrian insisted, making furtive motions with his head. Avis doubted the movements themselves meant anything, because Marcus just shrugged, choosing not to question the situation further. "You haven't actually met Avis before," Adrian said, gesturing to the Snivy.

"This isn't going to be like when I first met Ember, is it?" Marcus wondered, eyeing the Snivy apprehensively. "Where I get close, thinking she's so cute, and she scratches the living daylights out of my arm?"

"No, nothing like that," Adrian said seriously. Marcus knelt down closer to Avis' level, but still watched her warily. The Snivy giggled and waved.

"She is really cute," Marcus noted, tentatively reaching over to stroke the grass lizard's head. Avis cooed in delight, basking in the attention. "How long have you had her?"

"Mid-January," Adrian answered, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he observed Avis' reaction. "Only a few months. Haven't made as much progress as I'd like, to be honest."

"What happened to get her assigned to you?" Marcus wondered, phrasing the question as delicately as possible. If Avis had to guess, the younger boy had experience with his curiosity being met with less than favorable reactions from the Pokemon in question. Probably why Ember had allegedly scratched his arm up.

"I'm actually not allowed to disclose that information at this time," Adrian said seriously. "It's a sensitive legal issue." Marcus blinked, and looked up at Adrian, his eyes searching his brother's face for some sign that he was being teased.

"Wait, are you serious? Why not?" Marcus wondered.

Adrian sighed softly. "One thing you've got to remember about my job, little man, is that sometimes, I just have to play with what I get dealt. Not every Pokemon I take in is documented and psychologically evaluated already. Sometimes, my job is to look after it and see whether any problematic behaviors surface. Honestly, the toughest cases aren't the openly violent, disobedient Pokemon. They're the Pokemon that seem mostly normal, but are considered high-risk because they were raised or trained in an environment that produces volatile results. They might be able to function normally, but they might also freak out randomly. Knowing what triggers the response is crucial to teaching them how to cope and manage the issues so they can function in a more stable and independent manner."

"Right, I know that," Marcus said, frowning a little.

"Okay, good. That's pretty much where I stand with Avis," Adrian said. "She's the product of a questionable upbringing."

"Just say it already," Avis complained. "I was illegally bred."

"Illegally bred?" Aureia repeated, bemused. She had stopped grooming Blaze around the time Adrian and Marcus had shifted focus to Avis instead, but his fur still showed improvement. "How can you be ILLEGALLY bred?"

"Well," Avis giggled. "When a male and a female love each other very much..."

"Please tell me she's not really doing this," Blaze protested, burying his face in his paws. Aureia rolled her eyes, and fixed the Snivy with a deadpan look. Avis giggled again. That reaction was all she had really been aiming for.

"Some could say illegal breeding is when a male and a female didn't love each other very much...but were, ahem...coerced," she continued cutely. "Repeatedly. For human profit."

Aureia frowned thoughtfully. "That makes...a lot more sense than I'd like it to have, based on what I know about you," she sighed. "But you say it so cheerfully, I still feel like you're messing with me."

"Uh-oh, she's onto me," Avis giggled, flashing a smirk at the Vaporeon. "It's true...I have crafted an elaborate, phony backstory for myself to serve no purpose but to mess with you specifically. My real name isn't even Avis. It's Siva, future heir to the throne in Unova. I have deceived you because my true past is murky with dark secrets. Secrets that must never be shared! Which is why I shall list them. My father was a power-hungry backstabber...impressive feat, considering he's a Serperior, and has sired innumerable illegitimate heirs...a bit less impressive, because he's a Serperior. See what I did there?"

"I've stopped listening already," Aureia deadpanned.

"Aww, story was just getting good, too," Avis lamented, turning her attention back to the two humans. Marcus had stood up properly, and it appeared as though Adrian had just finished explaining the reason for Ember being in her ball.

"Your turn, little bro," Adrian said, looking at his brother expectantly. "Still waiting to learn your secret to beating the Veilstone Gym. How's your team been doing?"

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't forget," Marcus said, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. "But how about I just show you my team, Trainer-style?"

Adrian seemed momentarily confused, before adopting a deadpan expression. "I should have seen that one coming. You want to battle."

"Yeah! Can we?" Marcus pressed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I really want to see how far I've come since leaving Johto, and you can probably give me some pointers afterwards. It'll be great!"

Adrian considered for a few moments, studying his brother's enthusiastic expression, and then shrugged. "Okay, fine. How many Pokemon do you actually have?"

"Three," Marcus answered, holding up three minimized spheres between the fingers of his right hand. "So we can have a battle with three Pokemon each. Single battle. Right?"

"Sounds fine," Adrian agreed, smiling faintly. "However, you know all of my Pokemon already, and I'm mostly in the dark about yours, so to be fair, you should send out your first Pokemon before I do."

"Fair enough," Marcus agreed, but then hesitated, looking down at his wet clothes. "How about we take five or so to finish preparations? I should probably change into dry clothes first."


	96. Sibling Spar - Part 1

Fifteen minutes later, once all preparations were finalized, and Marcus had changed into a fresh change of clothes, the two trainers stood across from one another, on opposite ends of the clearing. Ember had been let out of her ball during the interlude, to fill her in on what was going on, and to provide her the opportunity to stretch and limber up as needed. She was the most competent battler on Adrian's team, and there was little doubt he would be relying on her strength in this fight.

Aureia and Blaze sat on Adrian's left side, the Vaporeon as inexpressive as usual, but the Eevee seemed surprisingly curious. Ember sat on Adrian's opposite side, flexing her claws idly, and occasionally glancing up to confirm that she hadn't missed anything yet. Even when she was not participating right away, she liked to observe ongoing battles, and learn as much about her opponents as possible before being called upon.

"You ready, little man?" Adrian asked with a smile. Marcus nodded, his body shaking with excitement. Ember held her paw in front of her face, as if examining her claws, but gazed beyond them towards the younger human, watching him carefully. It had been a while since she had last seen Adrian's brother, but if he had indeed earned three of Sinnoh's gym badges, then he was probably a stronger trainer than his boyish enthusiasm let on. She was looking forward to seeing what his team consisted of.

The two humans took a few moments to clarify the rules of their battle. It was going to be a single battle, with three Pokemon per trainer, and for whatever reason, they had agreed beforehand that Marcus would send out his first Pokemon before Adrian was required to do the same. In Ember's opinion, the most interesting rule was that, for this match, switching was not allowed. A Pokemon sent out had to remain active until defeated, and calling it back was going to be treated as it conceding, disqualifying it for the duration of the match.

That was an interesting twist. Maybe that was a standard rule for competitive or tournament battles, but Ember wouldn't really know. If she had to guess, such a restriction was made to encourage the trainers to commit to a Pokemon and strategy without interrupting the flow of the battle by swapping their active Pokemon constantly.

"Anything else before we begin?" Adrian asked his brother.

"Nope, all good!" Marcus responded. He reached into his jeans pocket and took out a minimized Pokeball. With a quick tap, the sphere enlarged to several times its initial size, and the young trainer lobbed the ball into the air. Just before it reached the peak of its ascent, the ball burst open, and a beam of white energy emerged from inside, swiftly forming the shape of a quadruped. The light faded a moment later, revealing a feline Pokemon of some sort.

It stood at a height slightly smaller than Aureia, with blue fur covering most of the front half of its body. It had electric yellow eyes with a pair of matching bands encircling its forelegs. Its face was surrounded by a mane of black fur, and its hindquarters were covered in the same black fur. A sleek black tail flicked behind its body, the appendage ending in a peculiar, four-pointed star of some sort, and small sparks leapt from its body as it shook its fur.

The electric lion peered across the clearing at Adrian, its yellow eyes narrowing at each of the Pokemon sitting nearby, and its gaze even briefly darted upwards to take note of Avis perched upon her trainer's shoulders.

Adrian reached into his jacket and extracted a small red device that Ember recognized, although he used it far less frequently than many other items he carried with him. Avis peered over at the screen as Adrian pressed one of the buttons, and Ember knew it was displaying an image of the opposing Pokemon, as well as several lines of text.

"That's a Luxio," Adrian murmured, looking up at Marcus again and smiling. "So this must be the one you named 'Sparky', right?"

"Wait, you're using a Pokedex during battle?" Marcus asked incredulously.

"Is that normally not allowed?" Adrian asked, in genuine surprise. "I've never heard of any rules restricting it...although I am out of the loop regarding the competitive scene."

"It's not against the rules, it's just...never mind, it's fine. Just caught me by surprise," Marcus said quickly, his enthusiasm evidently overriding his momentary indignation. "Who are you sending out?"

"It's an Electric-type," Adrian mused, now speaking more to himself than anyone else. In spite of his thoughtful tone, it was pretty much a no-brainer who he was going to send out first. Aureia had a blatant disadvantage, and Ember was probably the strongest battler, and therefore not ideal for the first pick. Sure enough, Adrian craned his head to look over at Avis. "You want to give it a shot, girl?" he asked the Snivy.

"Okay!" Avis giggled. She slid herself off of his shoulders, as if attempting to use his torso as a playground slide before discovering the descent was too steep. Adrian acted on reflex, catching her with his arms before she fell too far, and carefully set her down on the grass. She giggled again and bounded forward, taking her position opposite the Luxio.

Her bizarre and child-like antics seemed to confuse the Luxio, judging by the uncertain looks he was casting her way, but Avis merely waved cheerfully in response to this attention, and Sparky eventually just looked over his shoulder at his trainer, awaiting a command.

"Everyone ready, then?" Marcus asked, and Adrian nodded. Sparky faced forward once more, and Ember sat up straighter, watching both Pokemon with a practiced eye. It was a rare event that Ember had the opportunity to see Avis in action against an opponent she didn't know very well.

"Good luck, have fun!" Avis chirped, and then her eyes widened cutely. "Wait! I'm Avis! What's your name?"

"Um...Sparky," the Luxio answered, already sounding a little annoyed by her demeanor.

"Nice to meet you, Sparky! Okay, now I'm going to wish you good luck, and have fun!" Avis said, without losing any of the brightness from her voice. The Luxio grunted, and Ember distinctly heard Aureia mutter something along the lines of 'I told you, it's not just me'.

"Sparky, use Tackle," Marcus called. Ember immediately noticed that the youth's tone was firm, but it sounded more like a suggestion than an order. In the rare occasions where she had sparred against another trainer's Pokemon, many of them gave unambiguous commands to their Pokemon, like a master to its subordinate. Those Pokemon usually responded just fine to battle commands issued in that way, but it always stood out to her that Adrian never spoke to her, Aureia, or Avis like that. She wondered privately whether Marcus' approach was learned from his brother's example, or if that was how he was most comfortable directing his team.

The Luxio charged towards Avis, but the Snivy didn't bat an eye. Just when Sparky was practically upon her, she nimbly dodged out of the way. A vine extended from her collar, and she whipped it across the Luxio's thigh with a sharp cracking sound that caused both Adrian and Marcus to wince.

Sparky yelped in surprise and pain, and pivoted to face Avis, his eyes narrowing. Avis merely giggled, as if she had played an innocent prank on the electric lion, but it was her smirk that seemed to really get under Sparky's skin, because he immediately barreled towards her again.

"Avis, use Leaf Tornado," Adrian called out. Avis spun on her heel, her leafy tail sweeping the air around her and producing a sudden gale of wind that spun towards Sparky. The Luxio recognized the danger, but his momentum forced him closer, until his body became enveloped by the miniature gale. Green energy swirled around Marcus' Pokemon, almost blocking him from sight.

"Dispel it with your Shock Wave!" Marcus urged. Electricity crackled from the middle of the tornado and then erupted outwards in a large ripple, tearing through the winds of the gale apart and freeing Sparky from its embrace. Avis hunched over in discomfort as she took a residual blast of electricity to her stomach. "Quickly, hit her with Crunch!"

"Mirror Coat!"

"What?" Marcus practically yelled, looking over at his brother in absolute confusion. "Against Crunch?"

Avis' body glowed with a faint green light, and her smirk widened as she looked up at Sparky, who had lunged towards her, fangs bared and ready to strike. She spun on her heel again, and energy from her body slammed into Sparky at point-blank range. It wasn't enough to knock the Luxio down, but it caused him to stumble and almost lose his footing. Avis seized this opportunity to spring into the air and land upon Sparky's back. Before he even realized where she had gone, she slid down his hindquarters, and tugged on his tail playfully.

Needless to say, Sparky did not appreciate her doing this. With a roar of rage, he spun around, and lunged at her, snapping his teeth fiercely at the Grass-type. Avis giggled hysterically, retreating each time so that he just barely missed his target, and each near-miss combined with her constant giggling incited him to bite at her again.

"You fight so aggressively, almost like you're overcompensating for a sense of weakness or inadequacy," Avis giggled, strafing out of the way of yet another vicious attack. "Adrian's dex thing says your species live in groups, and forge rivalries, so I'm betting you rushed to achieve your evolution. Probably on the heels of a defeat or humiliation, judging by your temperament. Evolution is not all about strength, you know."

"How would you even know? You haven't evolved," Sparky retorted.

"I haven't," Avis agreed with a smirk. "But you're mistaken if you think I'm not strong enough to. I will evolve when I'm satisfied that I can grow no further in my current state. If you rushed into evolution in pursuit of strength or respect, you'll get neither."

Sparky launched a bolt of electricity from his tail, and Avis pivoted, allowing the stray electricity to pass by her harmlessly. The frustration was evident on the electric feline's face, and Avis was smirking more widely than ever.

"I bet you feel even more inadequate now, losing to an unevolved female," Avis giggled.

"I'm not losing!" Sparky snarled.

"Sparky, calm down!" Marcus urged his Pokemon desperately. The Luxio hesitated, only to snarl again as Avis gestured tauntingly in his direction.

"Easier said than done," Avis giggled, dancing just out of Sparky's range. "He's a competitive male Pokemon. He can't allow himself to get totally emasculated in front of a male Eevee. That would hurt his pride. Assuming he HAS pride."

"Shut up, just shut up," Sparky growled, sparks flying from his fur.

"Make me," Avis retorted petulantly. Sparky lunged, and Avis yanked one of her arms back, in a tugging motion similar to the one used when trying to start a lawnmower. Strong, thin vines erupted from the grass underneath Sparky, and tightened around his paws. He had not even gone two paces before his legs were yanked out from beneath him, sending him face-first to the grass in an undignified heap.

"Sparky! What happened?!" Marcus shouted, running out onto the field and kneeling beside his downed Pokemon. "Ugh...yeah, I'm calling him back. Just give me a second," he told Adrian.

It was during this momentary lull in action that Ember caught sight of Adrian's expression. He was looking at Avis with a perplexed and mildly concerned look. Even without the context of knowing exactly what words had been exchanged, it must have been obvious that Avis had been deliberately provoking her opponent, and had set a trap for his inevitable reaction.

"Thanks for the battle, I had fun," Avis told the Luxio smugly. His reply was too muffled to make out, but Avis covered her mouth to stifle her giggling. "Well, can't deny I'd enjoy that," she replied with a smirk. "But I've got to finish the other battles first."

"Laura will kick your obnoxious, unevolved tail," Sparky spat.

"No, she won't," Avis chirped, a moment before Marcus withdrew Sparky back into his Pokeball. The human looked at the Pokeball with a sigh, shaking his head before returning it to his pocket.

"Sparky's been having a rough streak lately," he told Adrian with an apologetic smile. "I don't really know what it is, but he takes losing really badly, and that just makes it easier for him to get riled up and lose in the next match, and ugh...it's a vicious cycle."

"Understandable," Adrian acknowledged, with a hint of sympathy in his voice, and although he didn't give any indication that he was thinking about her, Ember fidgeted self-consciously. Losing wasn't the problem; Ember liked to think that losing was a necessary step in improving one's style and technique, but getting frustrated by a loss was something she understood all too well. Sometimes there wasn't an easy explanation for why a loss had happened. It wasn't necessarily getting outmaneuvered, making a poor judgment call, or getting overconfident. Sometimes...the explanation was that the opponent was simply better than her, and those losses were hardest to take.

Marcus had returned to his place on the field, and had taken a second Pokeball from his pocket. Without much fanfare, he hurled the ball forward, and it burst open, releasing his second Pokemon from its confines.

Adrian inhaled sharply, his expression showing pleasant surprise on seeing a rather tall, slender, bipedal Pokemon with brown and cream colored fur. It stood taller than the other Pokemon, and Ember noted with some distaste that it was almost the same height as a Charmeleon. Most of its body was covered in the brown fur, and it had long, bizarrely thick, dangling ears with cream fur covering the majority of it. Its wrists and legs were surrounded by a cloud of cream fur.

At the same time, Ember felt a stirring of battle lust welling up in her chest. In spite of its incredibly slender, feminine appearance, she could see that it was not an opponent to underestimate. The bunny Pokemon's legs and ears looked strong and powerful, and even Avis seemed a bit wary of this new foe.

"Your Buneary evolved already?" Adrian asked incredulously. Marcus grinned proudly, and the Lopunny crossed her arms, flashing a confident smirk in Adrian's direction. "I'm genuinely impressed by the bond you must have forged with your team to achieve that."

"Thanks! Are you ready, Laura?" Marcus asked, looking over at the Lopunny, and receiving a confident nod in return. "Don't drop your guard. That Snivy might try to provoke you into attacking recklessly. Stay focused."

"Ooh, I've been found out," Avis giggled. Laura balled her paws into fists and bounced from leg to leg, limbering up in anticipation of the fight. Her movements were surprisingly graceful, and Ember even felt a stab of envy. The Lopunny radiated with confidence, and her sleek, slender figure rivaled that of human magazine models. Ember had no explanation for why the latter trait simultaneously annoyed and allured her, but she forced it from her mind all the same. She needed to focus on how this Pokemon battled, because it was very likely that she would be up against her soon.

"Laura, use Fake Out!" Marcus commanded, his voice startling Ember from her thoughts. The Lopunny kicked off the ground, her powerful legs adding an incredible burst of speed to her movements, and clapped her paws together. A wave of air expanded from the contact point, mere inches in front of Avis' face, and shoved her backwards with impressive force.

The Snivy squealed in surprise, tumbling across the grass. The cutesy amusement had vanished from her expression, but she stubbornly pushed herself back to her feet, her eyes a bit unfocused.

"Press your attack with your Quick Attack," Marcus continued. Laura all but pounced upon Avis and delivered a swift blow to the grass lizard's stomach, forcing the wind from her lungs, and then spun around to deliver a roundhouse kick. To the mutual shock of human and Pokemon alike, a green blade of energy formed between Avis and the Lopunny, halting the kick at the last moment.

"Your speed and power are both so impressive," Avis cooed, but Ember felt a shiver run up her spine. There was something off about the Snivy's tone, different from her usual, over-enthusiastic squeals and chirps. Her voice was more composed and calm, even silky. If Ember pushed herself to describe it, it reminded her of a hunter stalking its prey, and delighting in the game despite having an overwhelming advantage. However, much like every time Avis spoke, her tone did not appropriately match the situation.

Avis flicked her arm backwards, allowing Ember to see that the green blade of energy was an extension of the Snivy, similar to how she utilized her vines earlier. Laura stepped back a pace, eyeing the Grass-type warily.

"Leaf Blade?" Adrian wondered aloud, drawing his Pokedex out again and focusing it upon Avis. "When did you learn how to use that?"

"Got to keep some mystery about me, don't I?" Avis giggled, her eyes never leaving the opposing Lopunny. "Not gonna lie, I have no chance against you," she told Laura, but the statement only seemed to make the bunny Pokemon more wary.

"You beat Sparky," Laura accused. Avis giggled innocently.

"I barely touched him. His temper got the best of him," she said, and then crossed her arms into a pout, her voice rising into a whine. "He called me obnoxious!"

"Can't imagine why," Aureia muttered from the sidelines.

"Laura, use Pound, break through her defense," Marcus urged. Laura dashed towards Avis, who immediately brought her Leaf Blade up to defend as the Lopunny drove her small, tight fists at Avis' body. After a couple ineffective jabs, one of the Lopunny's ears rose, and delivered a fierce wallop to the side of Avis' head. The grass lizard barely even cried out, as the force of the blow knocked her sideways. She tumbled across the grass, wincing in obvious pain, one paw clutching her head where she had been struck.

"Shit. Avis, are you okay?" Adrian asked, rushing over to the fallen Snivy, only to be stopped in his tracks by two vines shooting up from the ground. Avis slowly climbed to her feet, a pale green aura surrounding her body, and the energy blade at her arm growing larger, as if it was drawing energy from the grass and plants nearby.

"I'm satisfied," Avis whispered. Her eyes were unfocused, but she was smiling, a different expression entirely from her usual smirk. It was a softer look, as if the grass lizard was truly at peace with everything around her. "I've always enjoyed my cutesy, adorable exterior. People underestimate you when you look like that, but the truth is, it's as much a disservice as a blessing. To stay that way, you have to restrict your natural growth, and let yourself become stagnant."

Ember blinked several times. She hadn't the foggiest idea why Avis had gone off on such a peculiar monologue, but at the same time, she felt like something was about to happen. She was clearly not the only one receiving this sort of vibe, because Laura, Marcus, and even Adrian were all tensed, exchanging looks uncertainly, and from the corner of her eye, Ember saw that Aureia listening attentively to the Snivy's words, her expression perplexed, but otherwise unreadable.

Avis giggled, looking around at everyone, as if confirming that she had their full attention. Without a word, she closed her eyes, and the green aura surrounding her body intensified. There was only time to squint in confusion before the Snivy's body glowed white. Her shape seemed to stretch and lengthen, and each of her limbs followed suit. Her yellow collar extended outwards, forming a large V-shape that extended past her shoulders, and even her tail grew longer, with multiple, smaller leaves growing along her spine.

As the white light faded, so did the green aura surrounding the newly evolved Servine's body, and Avis inhaled sharply, as if all of her energy had been ripped away. Her eyes opened, exposing brilliant red eyes. It took some effort, but Avis straightened, now standing several inches taller.

Adrian stared at the Servine, visibly strapped for words. There was no denying that, despite the changed appearance, it was still Avis. Her smile had widened into a smirk that was somehow more vain and smug than ever before, and she held herself up with as much confidence as possible under the circumstances.

"Heehee," Avis giggled, swaying a little bit on her feet, but focusing on Laura specifically, her gaze unusually intense. "You didn't kick my unevolved tail!" she said, and promptly keeled over, losing consciousness before she even hit the ground. To Laura, the declaration probably came off as the most absurd non-sequitur imaginable. To make the scene even more bizarre, Avis was obviously asleep, not knocked out.

"...well, that happened," Adrian said, staring at the Servine as if he still couldn't quite believe what had just transpired. He pulled Avis' Pokeball from his pocket, and recalled the Servine. Ember was already rising to her feet, flexing her claws expectantly, and without waiting for Adrian's cue, the Charmander stepped onto the field.

"My turn," she rumbled, exhaling a wisp of smoke from the corner of her mouth. Adrian chuckled from behind her.

"Like I could even try to keep you away from this one," he murmured. "Do your best, okay, girl?"

"Like I give anything else," Ember snapped back. In spite of the moody reply, she was excited for this battle. Avis had lasted long enough for her to get a taste of what Laura could do in battle, and that taste left her wanting more.


	97. Sibling Spar - Part 2

Ember took a soothing breath in an effort to clear her mind before the battle began. As eager as she was to test her mettle against Marcus' Lopunny, it was crucial that she put herself in the proper mindset. Although she tried to hide it, she could feel her frustration from earlier in the day still weighing on her, and she suspected that this mood would not improve while facing Laura.

The Lopunny was bouncing from leg to leg again, and doing some practice jabs at the air while she awaited her trainer's command. Her movements were so graceful and she held herself with such confidence that Ember felt frustration gnawing at her gut in spite of her conscious efforts to remain calm and focused.

No, her mood was definitely not going to improve. Now that she was standing across from Laura, and not just observing from the sidelines, she could practically feel everyone's eyes upon the two of them, and knew they were silently comparing her to the Lopunny. Laura was taller, almost the same height as a Charmeleon, with a sleek, enviable body figure that made Ember look young and child-like in comparison. The Charmander's cheeks still had a cute, slightly pudgy look to them, and the Lopunny looked graceful and beautiful. It wasn't even fair; Ember was definitely older than Laura, but she just knew everyone was thinking of her as a cute kit.

Ember clenched her jaw, her blue eyes narrowing at the opponent, and her tail flame flared up, fueled by the surge of aggression she felt towards Laura. In the very back of her mind, she knew her contempt was unfounded, as this was the first time they had even met, but she didn't even care. Laura may have embraced her evolution with grace and confidence, but Ember was fine the way she was...wasn't she?

The Charmander growled quietly, shaking her head in an effort to force those thoughts aside. Laura blinked, her brown eyes showing a hint of concern for the Charmander, and Ember took another soothing breath, reminding herself that she wanted to enjoy battling a strong opponent. There was nothing greater at stake than that, and no need to avenge lost pride.

"Be careful, Laura," Marcus warned from the sidelines. "Ember is dangerous to approach carelessly, so don't drop your guard."

"I'll leave this fight to you, Ember," Adrian told the Charmander, taking a pace backwards, as if to further isolate himself from the battlefield.

Marcus looked at his brother strangely. "You're not going to command her in battle?"

"Ember's battle style does not particularly benefit from my guidance," Adrian explained with a small smile. "I still oversee the situation as needed, but to constantly call out commands and advice is more often unwelcome than it is useful."

Marcus shrugged, still looking skeptical, but soon after, his face broke into a broad smile, his boyish enthusiasm returning. This could prove to be a true test of his ability as a trainer, to guide his Pokemon in battle against another trained Pokemon that could fight independently of her trainer.

"Ready, Laura? Use Quick Attack to get close, then strike with Return!" Marcus shouted. The Lopunny dashed towards Ember, darting from side to side so rapidly that, to the untrained eye, she appeared to be teleporting. A tiny smirk flashed across the fire lizard's muzzle, and she eagerly flexed her claws.

Once Laura was close enough, she strafed to Ember's left, and lunged at her, throwing her entire body into the attack. Purple flames erupted from Ember's left paw, and she slashed her claws in an upwards, diagonal stroke. Laura recoiled at the last moment, a look of astonishment passing over her face, but Ember wasn't finished. She stepped towards Laura swiftly, and jabbed her right paw into the bunny Pokemon's gut. The blow was enough to cause pain, but her stomach muscles were too firm for a single jab to draw blood.

"Ack! How did you hit me?" Laura cried, backpedaling hastily to get out of range, and chancing a glance downwards to confirm the lack of an open wound. "Are your reflexes just that fast?" she wondered, looking up at Ember again with a bewildered look in her eyes.

Ember snorted. She wasn't trying to sound arrogant, it just sort of came out that way. "I can follow your movements," she answered bluntly.

"Even when I'm using Quick Attack?" Laura pressed incredulously. Without waiting for a response, she kicked off the ground like a marathon runner at the sound of the gun, darting around to Ember's right side. One of her large ears drew back like a fist and lashed out at the Charmander. Without missing a beat, Ember pivoted out of the way and raked her claws across the Lopunny's ear. A shallow gash appeared along the cream colored fur, and Laura let out a yelp of surprise and pain, backpedaling with even greater urgency than before.

"Yes," Ember confirmed, smirking. It was actually a little funny to her how often she faced opponents that relied on raw speed or confusing movements when trying to get close to her, only for their faces to change into expressions of disbelief and shock when they realized the Charmander had never lost track of them in the first place. Her eye was not infallible, but it was more difficult to disorient her with speed than her opponents expected.

"And you're ambidextrous," Laura commented, more to herself than to Ember, as she examined the scratch along her ear. When she was refocused on Ember, there was a respectful wariness in her eyes. It seemed that the Lopunny's confidence was not absolute. She was strong, and she was fast, but Ember posed a different sort of hurdle to be overcome.

The expression filled Ember with a surge of satisfaction. Many of her past sparring opponents underestimated her initially because of her species. A Charmander always seemed cute and adorable, but not much of a threat on its own. In that vein, she could definitely relate to Avis' earlier comments about how her appearance caused others to underestimate her. There was something immensely satisfying about an opponent that was able to see past her appearance to acknowledge her true strength and skill, regardless of the fact she hadn't evolved. Being an evolved Pokemon didn't automatically ensure a win, and Ember didn't need to evolve to be considered strong.

 _"I can only wonder what untold skill you must have to justify a lifelong handicap..."_

Ember's entire body tensed, as her mother's voice echoed in her mind. She clenched her jaw, and her tail flame flared up, burning more intensely in reaction to her barely controlled ire. So many other Pokemon she knew treated evolution as something positive, a milestone in their development as an individual, or as proof of their progress and potential. Even Avis had said that staying at an earlier stage of evolution required one to restrict their natural growth and risk becoming stagnant.

 _"How dare you squander your potential..."_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ember snarled, speaking to the echo in her mind, and she shook her head fiercely in an effort to refocus on the battle at hand. Judging by Laura's alarmed expression, her outburst had been spoken aloud, but Ember didn't care.

She didn't give a damn what Inferna thought about her. She would grow stronger on her own terms, and one day, she would prove that she didn't need to follow her mother's example to surpass her. She didn't need to evolve, or viciously dismantle her foes to be respected for her strength.

"Low simmer, Ember," Adrian called out gently. Ember nodded impatiently, and took a deep breath, letting the brisk Sinnoh air fill her lungs, and exhaling just as deeply. Marcus cocked his head in confusion, but neither Adrian, nor Ember's behavior, offered any explanation. That was because the phrase wasn't a battle command - it was a phrase to signal her that she was losing control of her emotions. Adrian rarely bothered to use it during March, because her temper was so explosive during those weeks that she almost never telegraphed her mood shifts. During the rest of the year, the gentle reminder was more helpful.

This was supposed to be a casual battle, with nothing significant at stake. She needed to do her best to stay calm and remember to treat it as such.

"Laura, keep up an offense," Marcus suggested, and the Lopunny quickly took a battle stance, holding her paws up in front of her face almost like a boxer facing off with a rival in the ring. "Use Dizzy Punch!"

The Lopunny hopped forward with impressive agility, each of her fists glowing white, and Ember readied her own paws, her eyes watching the bunny's every movement. Laura lashed out with one of her fists, and Ember swatted her arm aside. Without missing a beat, Laura lashed out with her second fist, only to be countered in a similar manner. Laura persisted, each of the punches following some unknown rhythm, the tempo increasing or decreasing seemingly at random, forcing Ember to time her blocks and parries accordingly. She had no problem following the rapid flurry of punches and jabs, but she knew even the slightest mistiming on her part would result in-

BAM.

Stars exploded in front of Ember's vision and she toppled backwards onto the grass, her muzzle stinging from where Laura had struck her. In the back of her mind, she was scolding herself for being so short-sighted. She had been so focused on defending against Laura's fists, she had temporarily forgotten that the ears were similarly effective weapons at close range, and she lacked a third limb to adequately defend against that.

"You okay, Ember?" Adrian asked, his voice carrying a sympathetic wince to it. Ember growled in reply, rolling over and pushing herself up slowly. Her body swayed briefly, and she flailed her arms to regain her balance. Spots flared in front of her vision, but she seemed fine, apart from the slight daze.

Ember shook her head to try and clear her head. At any rate, it seemed that Laura had found a weakness of hers to exploit. She only had two paws to attack or defend with, and although she was equally proficient with either, the Lopunny had more appendages to attack with, and taking a defensive stance against her was only going to result in Ember getting clobbered.

Marcus had suggested that Laura maintain a strong offense. In that case, it was sound advice that Ember could likewise make use of. Her momentary loss of balance had given her an idea. Ember allowed a small grin to manifest itself on her muzzle, and swayed her body deliberately to one side, and then back again. Normally, Ember preferred to keep the motions subtle, but she suspected that Laura would be more hesitant to attack if she thought Ember was still recovering her footing.

Energy began coursing through her body, and her grin widened. Her cerulean blue eyes gained a feral edge, and her pupils widened, the swaying motions becoming more fluid and nimble. Soon after, the flame on her tail shifted color, changing from a traditional mixture of orange and yellow to a draconic pale blue-white flame.

"Wait a minute..." Marcus murmured, and then realization struck like a bolt of lightning, and the youth's eyes widened in horror. "Laura, stop her!"

The Lopunny rushed at Ember, but it was already too late. A faint, fiery blue aura surrounded the Charmander's body, filling her with energy. With one swift motion, Ember readied her claws, blue flames erupting from each paw and engulfing them in an alluring aura. She dashed forward, meeting Laura head-on, and slashed at her, alternating her paws with each stroke. Laura raised her paws to repel the Charmander's blows, but found that Ember's claws cleaved effortlessly through her defense. Even the barrier of soft, thick fur around her wrists seemed utterly ineffective against the flaming claws that danced before her eyes.

Ember swatted Laura's arm to the side, and drove her remaining paw into the Lopunny's gut, then ducked under the Lopunny's leg when she instinctively lashed out with a kick. Ember's movements were nimble and well-practiced, and Laura's panic kept her from launching an effective counterattack, and Marcus was floundering in his attempt to guide her, shouting unhelpful warnings like 'to your left!' and 'no, behind you!', which only made Laura more disoriented.

Ember pivoted sharply, her tail sweeping behind Laura's legs and knocking them out from under her. The Lopunny let out a gasp as she toppled backwards, and Ember practically pounced the moment she landed. With a swift, decisive motion, Ember planted her foot onto Laura's chest, pinning her upper body to the ground with her weight. It was unlikely that Ember, with her smaller frame, would be able to maintain this position if Laura was hellbent on escaping, but the gesture seemed to be sufficient, because Laura immediately went limp and submissive, her eyes wide with stunned disbelief at how quickly the situation had been reversed.

"H-how did you even...?" she sputtered, and Ember grinned, flexing her claws.

"Dragon Dance," she answered. In truth, she rarely relied on the technique to win most of her battles. Sorin had taught her how to use the move several years ago, when she was still young, but made a point of warning her that it came with several risks. A younger, unevolved Pokemon like her would find the technique unexpectedly draining, but the Altaria reassured her that as she got older, or once she evolved, the toll it took on her body and energy would be dramatically reduced.

Ember couldn't recall whether Sorin had warned her from the beginning about the spike in aggressiveness, but she had figured that out for herself over the years. She didn't notice this side effect as much if she was already in an aggressive mindset, but when she was calm, the surge in aggression was particularly obvious. She was ludicrously dangerous when the effects were active, but at the same time...she privately enjoyed the feeling it gave her.

She felt energized and confident, as if there was nothing she couldn't accomplish. She moved swiftly and gracefully, and defeated most opponents with ease. Dragon Dance made her feel powerful, and even once its effects wore off, she felt happy and content, albeit very tired. But that was all the more reason for her not to overuse the technique - she didn't like feeling like she wasn't in control of herself. It was an emotional high that made her aggressive...and becoming addicted to such a feeling was a terrifying notion to consider.

A red beam of light touched Laura's body, and Ember stumbled forward as the Lopunny disappeared from under her, returning to the Pokeball in Marcus' hand. The youth seemed a bit disappointed in the outcome, but the expression did not last long.

"You've gotten so strong since I've last seen you," Marcus told the Charmander, and she snorted, expelling a wisp of smoke from her nostrils. She could still feel her body brimming with energy, intensifying her will to fight. The youth pulled another Pokeball from his pocket, and held it up for her to see. "Well, this is my last Pokemon...but I think he can take you."

With that enigmatic statement, Marcus lobbed the ball forward, and it burst open, and deposited a bipedal Pokemon directly in front of Ember. It stood just a little taller than her, and the first thing she saw was an orange body with a light-colored stomach, and the first thought that entered her mind was whether it was another Charmander, but the thought passed the moment she realized the Pokemon didn't have scales. She frowned and took a step backwards to get a better look at her new opponent.

The Pokemon had bright orange fur, with a pair of blue fins attached to its arms. Its face and belly had light, cream colored fur, but the most interesting feature was the strange, yellow ring adorning its neck, similar to the inflatable tubes used by human children learning how to swim. Also, it had two tails. Or possibly one tail split at the end; Ember could definitely see two tail-like appendages flicking behind the opposing Pokemon, but she didn't have the best vantage point to confirm, and she considered it incredibly rude to gawk at someone else's tail (or tails), especially if she had just met them.

That, and Marcus had used a male pronoun to refer to his Pokemon. Even if he hadn't, it had taken Ember no time at all to label the biped as male, although figuring out exactly what species it was posed more of a challenge.

"You caught a Buizel?" Adrian wondered, and the Charmander snorted in amusement. Another mystery solved within seconds, courtesy of Adrian's Pokedex, no doubt. She could almost picture her trainer nodding in approval. "Solid Pokemon, and he seems pretty confident."

That much was true. The weasel Pokemon was observing her passively, but there was something in his gaze that told her not to underestimate him. His eyes shone with confidence and experience beyond what she might have expected from a recent addition to Marcus' team.

"Got him not that long ago," Marcus confirmed eagerly, almost reveling in his brother's praise. "He was a real tough one to capture. He wore down both my other Pokemon really good before we managed it. I thought for sure he'd be a handful to try to train, but he's been settling in nicely."

"Wow, that's a pretty flame," the Buizel commented, gesturing casually towards Ember's tail, which was still burning with the pale, blue-white flame. Ember resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She agreed with the sentiment that the pale blue flame was nice to look at, but it seemed like a really weird comment to open a conversation with.

"It's from Dragon Dance," she intoned, flexing her claws impatiently. She still felt energy flowing through her body, but there was no telling how much longer it would last. Once her energy levels crashed, she wasn't going to be able to continue fighting.

"You can use Dragon Dance?" the male asked, his eyes lighting up with interest, and he grinned. "So, Marcus is pitting me against a strong, cute dragoness? I'm probably going to get my tails kicked."

Ember felt her cheeks growing hot at the Buizel's words. There was something about his casual, playful tone that just made her feel self-conscious, but at the same time, his words were flattering, rather than critical or smug, so it made her feel warm and fuzzy as opposed to tense or angry.

"Don't think I'm going to go easy on you, though," the Buizel continued with a smile, and he extended a paw towards her. "I'm Raze, by the way. What's your name?"

Ember eyed his paw skeptically, but considered the request for her name overall harmless. "Ember," she answered, waving her paw impatiently to reject the physical gesture. She didn't entirely trust herself not to dig her claws into his paw when she was still feeling so scrappy.

"Cute name, it suits you," Raze chuckled, unfazed by his paw shake being rejected. "I'm ready whenever you are," he added, assuming a ready stance. Normally, Ember might have questioned the Buizel's decision not to wait for his trainer's signal, but right now, it just didn't matter to her. She fought best without Adrian's guidance, and if Raze was as recent an addition as Marcus suggested, the two probably weren't close enough for Raze to trust Marcus' judgment unconditionally.

"Perfect," Ember murmured, flexing her claws enthusiastically. She lunged towards Raze, but the Buizel launched a powerful jet of water from his mouth, intercepting her charge with enough force to take her off her feet. She growled and clambered back to her feet, pausing only to verify that her tail flame was still blazing brightly. Getting smacked around with water jets was nothing new to Ember - she experienced that routinely whenever she sparred with Aureia, but that didn't make it any more pleasant to experience.

The grass underfoot was now glistening with water, and Ember nearly slipped before regaining her traction. The claws of her feet were not long enough to offer much of a grip on slippery surfaces, but that was the least of her worries. If anything, she found this turn of events all the more exhilarating, knowing that she couldn't just keep using the same basic strategy on all her opponents. Dragon Dance offered a considerable increase in speed, but she was not so fast as to be invincible. A lesson to keep in mind.

Ember launched a fireball from her mouth, forcing Raze to pivot out of the way. She launched a second fireball, and then a third, each projectile aimed slightly more to the right than the previous one. Raze strafed to the right, but then ducked underneath the third fireball. Ember started forward, but her foot slipped again on the grass, and she flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to keep her balance. Although successful, the delay prevented her from capitalizing on the opening she had created.

Purple flames erupted from her claws, and she closed the remaining distance between herself and Raze. The Buizel spun on his heel, his tails swinging around to meet her attack. Twin spirals of water coursed around the Buizel's tails, bombarding the unsuspecting Charmander with a vicious wave of water that swept her completely off her feet and deposited her on the grass more than twenty feet away.

Ember coughed and retched violently, rolling over onto her stomach and gasping for breath. She stabbed her claws into the softened ground, clenching her teeth as a sudden surge of rage washed over her. She hadn't even seen the Buizel's attack coming, and she was furious with herself for being so naive. The reason Raze had ducked her third fireball was so that she would think he was vulnerable and come in close, while simultaneously hiding the fact his tails had started glowing in preparation of Aqua Tail.

What pissed her off so much about this situation was that this wasn't even the first time she had seen such a tactic! Aureia utilized Aqua Tail similarly when unable to get close to a water source, but a Vaporeon's tail was usually so large that it was nearly impossible not to notice the move being telegraphed.

Ember snarled, but as she started to push herself up, an overwhelming sense of fatigue overtook her body, and she dropped pathetically back onto the grass with a light splashing sound. Even the aggressive anger was being sapped from her body, but she couldn't even muster up the strength to confirm the status of her tail flame.

She tensed a little bit at the sound of splashing footsteps approaching, but her mind vaguely registered that they were approaching from behind, so they didn't belong to Raze, and the steps were too light to be Adrian's, either.

"I know, I know, your Dragon Dance wore off and you need a pillow higher than ground level," Aureia deadpanned, her steps coming to a halt beside Ember. "Let's get this over with."

In spite of the Vaporeon's tone suggesting this was a major liability, Ember doubted that Adrian had asked her to come over, meaning that she had done so of her own volition. Smiling gratefully, Ember pushed herself up the best she could, and Aureia leaned closer, helping to nudge Ember into a mostly upright position, and then moving over so that the Charmander could lean against her for support.

"Thanks," Ember mumbled, relaxing against the Vaporeon's shoulder. Sleep arrived to claim her conscious mind shortly afterwards, and she didn't even feel the sensation of being withdrawn into her Pokeball.

* * *

Adrian pocketed Ember's Pokeball, and smiled across the clearing at Marcus.

"All right, looks like we're both down to our last Pokemon...and they're both Water-types," Adrian said, rubbing the back of his neck, and looking over at Aureia, even as the Vaporeon walked back over to where he was standing. "Think you can wrap this one up?" he asked her.

"I'd certainly hope so," Aureia answered blandly. "I'm immune to water attacks, can take physical hits perfectly fine, and he's male, so I could use Attract...because for some baffling reason, people think my Attract is amazing."

"We normally call that 'a Vaporeon's natural beauty', and you can't turn that off," Raze commented, offering Aureia a playful wink. Blaze bristled at the comment and inched closer to Aureia, which did not go unnoticed. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you defensive," Raze added quickly, flashing the Eevee an apologetic smile. "I'm just teasing, I'm not actually trying to make a move on your mate."

"He's not my..." Aureia began, but trailed off and fixed the Eevee with the most deadpan look imaginable. "Blaze, are you growling at him?"

Raze blinked, and then burst out laughing. Like with Ember, there was nothing particularly condescending about his tone, but the sound of amusement seemed to be provoking Blaze, because his fur started to resemble Jolteon quills.

"Grooming you was clearly a huge waste of my time," Aureia noted dryly. "What's up with you? He's annoying me, too, but-"

"Guys like him just piss me off..." Blaze growled, his eyes narrowing at Raze with such intensity that the Buizel started to look unnerved.

"...okay, you're taking this way too seriously," Raze protested. "Yeah, I can be a bit of a flirt, but I'm just being playful. There's not a GOAL behind it, I'm too laidback to be seriously hitting on every female that crosses my path."

"That's the problem," Blaze growled, almost too quietly to even be heard. "You don't take it seriously. You're charming and good with words, but you don't care if you upset anyone because you're not taking it seriously. You're just playing around and joking, and if someone gets mad, it's their own fault for taking it too seriously."

"...okay, I'm sorry for upsetting you," Raze said, raising his paws, clearly making an effort to be diplomatic about the situation.

"You don't mean it, though," Blaze murmured. "You're only apologizing because it makes you look good to apologize."

Raze stared at Blaze for a full ten seconds of absolute silence, long enough for Adrian and Marcus to exchange bewildered looks with one another, as their Pokemon seemed to be quibbling in front of their eyes with no apparent context for it.

"Okay...I get the feeling this isn't really about me complimenting my female opponents," Raze stated finally. "Whatever, I tried to be respectful and mature about this, but that just wasn't good enough for you. Would you feel better if I told her she's NOT pretty?"

Aureia interrupted the argument by emitting a heavy sigh, drawing it out far longer than she ever might have under normal circumstances. It was remarkably effective, as Raze backed away, folding his arms across his chest, and Blaze flinched, looking at the grass guiltily.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Adrian wondered, looking at Aureia for explanation. The Vaporeon resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She should have realized that her noticeably prolonged sigh would attract questions from her trainer. Still worth it, seeing as it called a halt to the pointlessly stupid argument she was witnessing.

"You are enviably better off not knowing the details," she answered flatly. Adrian nodded slowly.

"That bad, huh?" he murmured and then raised an eyebrow expectantly. He didn't even need to speak for Aureia to recognize what the question was. Without a word of her own, she shook her head, and the human shrugged. "Okay, I understand."

"What's up?" Marcus wondered, his eyes darting from his brother to the other Pokemon, and back again. "Are we done battling or something?"

"Probably for the best to conclude now," Adrian agreed. "I think we got enough out of our match as it is. Today hasn't been the best day for some of us, but you've definitely been putting a solid team together. We should probably stop in on a Pokemon Center, and get the others patched up. Then we can figure out plans for the rest of the day."

"Sounds good!" Marcus said, extracting Raze's Pokeball from his pocket and recalling the Buizel. "My current plan was to check out Hearthome for a while...but Solaceon has the closer Pokemon Center..."

"It's probably less traffic to use Solaceon Town's Pokemon Center," Adrian mused. He glanced down at Aureia and Blaze. "You two are probably okay, but I was thinking that maybe I should get you registered, little guy. Temporarily, at least. That way, you won't be able to be captured by other trainers, and the traveling will be easier."

Blaze fidgeted nervously, and looked up at Aureia uncertainly. She shrugged indifferently, before it clicked that this was possibly the most unhelpful response she could have given. Blaze wasn't asking whether it was 'okay' to do something, but rather if it was 'advisable' to do something.

"You may as well," she said blandly. Blaze frowned a little bit, and Aureia sighed quietly, realizing she had to give him more of a nudge than that. "So let's go take care of that now, but afterwards, I need to have a word with you."

"H-huh? About what?" Blaze asked, his eyes widening apprehensively.

"Anything. Everything. I'll let you know when I have my thoughts organized," Aureia told him dully. Blaze still seemed a little worried, but soon realized he wasn't going to get a more detailed answer at this time. Aureia reluctantly trudged after Adrian and Marcus. Ideally, she would have liked to stay behind and spend some time swimming or even just sunbathing in the wet grass, but she doubted Blaze would go along with the two trainers if Aureia was absent.

No matter. She had a lot to think about in the meantime, though. Almost nothing this morning had played out how she expected, whether it be Avis evolving, or Blaze's peculiar reaction to several different things. That was why it was so important for her to gather her thoughts before sitting down and talking to him. Loathe as she was to initiate personal conversations, she was reaching a point where she felt this was almost unavoidable with Blaze, because some of his behavior made no sense without that background context.

And even then, it probably made no sense, because Blaze was weird in a somewhat endearing way.


	98. Ominous Meeting

Several days had passed without incident since the last operation against the Eterna Hive. It was during these lulls in conflict that it was particularly obvious how the Eterna Forest seemed to exist within its own bubble, isolated from the rest of Sinnoh. Time ceased to carry any meaning within the labyrinth of trees, and travelers that wandered within the forest's embrace rarely lingered for long, much like tourists visiting a distant land. The politics of other territories and human cities had little to no influence over the forest's monarch, and the economics and political warfare occurring within the forest's boundaries barely affected the outside world.

This suited Ariana perfectly fine. If the territory war affected too much of the outside world, then there would be a massive influx of outsiders hoping to mediate the conflict or otherwise choose a side. In theory, such interlopers could side with the righteous cause of the Resistance, but many individuals, Pokemon and human alike, lived for nothing more than to preserve the status quo.

The Ariados spat a glob of poisonous saliva upon the grass, watching as the green strands withered and decayed within moments of contact. How she hungered for a similar fate to befall the entirety of the Hive...but no matter. In time, the loyalist scum would be eradicated alongside the Hive's despot, and on that day, she would taste the sweetest satisfaction.

She could almost see the scene unfolding in her mind: Insect corpses littering the ground as far as the eye could see, and the Hive itself ripped apart like a cheaply wrapped Christmas gift. The queen would be scrambling, sacrificing her final soldiers and offspring in her desperate attempt to preserve her own life, only to be struck down by the invading army, her body torn into more pieces than Ariana could even count.

As the vision consumed the blue arachnid's thoughts, a poisonous aura engulfed her body, and her eerie blue eyes briefly illuminated the shadows around her. She could almost taste the carnage of her vision; it had the flavor of sweet justice. She snickered to herself, fully aware of how absurd the statement sounded, even in the privacy of her own mind.

"There you are, Ariana."

The sudden voice shattered the blissful illusion playing in Ariana's mind, and she whirled around to face the source, a sharp word or two forming in her mandibles, only for the words to fall away like wilted flower petals upon seeing the Pokemon behind her.

It was a yellow hornet with black stripes upon its abdomen. Its forelegs ended with sharpened stingers, and another barb protruded from the base of its lower body. Its wings buzzed noisily as the hornet hovered overhead, causing Ariana to wonder how the hell she hadn't heard it approaching until now.

Beedrill were commonplace in the Eterna Forest, in part thanks to the Eterna Hive producing them as primary soldier units. No matter how many she and the rest of the Resistance culled, many more were constantly hatching and maturing, within the deepest sections of the forest. She had seen so many in her lifetime that it would normally be difficult to identify one, but this one was particularly...unique.

For one, it was unusually young for a Beedrill soldier. Doubtlessly hatched within the current spring, yet already fully evolved and battle-capable. Secondly, it carried itself with unusual poise and confidence, unconcerned about its smaller size and relative inexperience.

For a moment, Ariana struggled to breathe. Fear gripped her entire body, and she shuddered involuntarily, as if she had just been dunked in ice water. There was no reason to feel this way...but she experienced the sensation regardless. She always did, when conversing with this Pokemon.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, Zee," Ariana hissed. If a young Beedrill like this could get the jump on her so easily, then the possibility existed that a Hive assassin could do the same, and she did not care for the implications.

The Beedrill did not immediately respond, and instead studied her passively. If Ariana didn't know better, she might have suspected the male hornet was checking her out, but this concept was so absurd that the notion was immediately discarded.

"I apologize if I startled you," Zee stated finally. "You are ordinarily more aware of your surroundings."

Ariana clicked her fangs, and her eyes narrowed at the young Beedrill. Another thing she always felt was unnerving about the male hornet was its speaking manner. The majority of other Beedrill spoke more rapidly, especially when agitated or aggressive, so that their words bunched together and risked becoming lost in the din of their buzzing wings, but Zee always spoke clearly and slowly enough to clearly understand. That wasn't even getting into the subject of how advanced and formal his vocabulary was.

"How did you find me, anyway?" she demanded, lacing her tone with venom in an effort to regain her composure, but it was a serious question in spite of that. She had not told anyone where she could be contacted, nor did anyone in the Resistance know the whereabouts of her nest. It was far too risky to divulge such information, as there was no doubt in her mind that the Hive Queen had planted loyal agents within the ranks of the Resistance. Sharing the leader's current location with her allies risked that information being leaked to the Hive.

Zee buzzed in amusement. "It was not difficult for me. You give off a unique signature of sorts. You need not worry about your enemies tracking you in such a way - it is an ability bestowed by my benefactor. I have been asked to make contact with you on his behalf."

Ariana hissed in annoyance. She had first met Zee a little more than two weeks ago, but they were rarely in contact with one another during the intervening time. The young Beedrill had established from the beginning that he was a potential ally, but that he primarily represented a third party that was greatly invested in the ongoing conflict. It seemed that Zee never passed up an opportunity to remind Ariana of this fact, and almost all subsequent meetings consisted of carrying messages or working out an agreement determining what would be needed to secure his benefactor's assistance.

Ariana was no fool. She made a point of remaining wary around the Beedrill, and openly expressed her skepticism that his offer carried any real value. She had fought too hard and vigilantly to risk being lulled into a false of security by a Hive agent. However, in spite of her best efforts, she had not yet uncovered any indication that Zee was deceiving her on behalf of the Hive Queen. One of her own agents had confirmed that Zee could be found on occasion within the Hive's territory, he had literally no contact with the Queen or any known members of the monarch's inner circle.

"What do you want, then?" Ariana asked curtly. She did not have the patience to undergo an enigmatic conversation that had no guarantee of netting anything of value. She may be taking some time for leisure right now, but that didn't change the fact she had other matters to attend to, and further preparations to make.

Zee again emitted an amused buzzing sound, the hornet weaving from side to side restlessly, but his movements were not drastic enough to be a distraction. Ariana watched him warily, her blue eyes glittering with a hint of impatience.

"We have been monitoring your progress, and in light of recent events, I have been asked to remind you that his involvement in your cause would be a very expensive investment, and so cannot be given out frivolously," Zee answered, speaking his words with greater care, as if he was navigating through a thorn maze.

Ariana hissed indignantly. "Explain how it would be a frivolous investment," she demanded, her eyes narrowing into slits. Zee was overall unfazed by the reaction, but he still noticeably paused to consider his words before answering.

"My benefactor favors the ability to get results above all else, and you have fallen short in the areas he assessed you in," Zee said softly, his voice barely carrying above the droning of his wings. "While he concedes that you are a powerful fighter willing to go as far as necessary to achieve your goals, the fact remains that you have failed to provide tangible results for your efforts."

"So he wants an explanation for that?" Ariana sneered. "Fine, then let me meet him face-to-face, and I will answer his concerns."

"That will not be necessary," Zee stated simply. "If he wished to appear before you personally, he would do so."

"It sounds to me like he has no intention of supporting my cause regardless of my efforts," Ariana spat, not even caring if her tone sounded confrontational and aggressive. "Am I supposed to believe that I can trust someone who will not meet me personally, yet has the resources to observe my situation and grade my results?"

Zee buzzed in amusement once again, and Ariana glared at the young hornet. Zee moved nearer, prompting Ariana to flare up the legs protruding from the back of her abdomen, her poisonous horn shimmering with venomous purple energy. If he moved any nearer, she would strike. Wisely, the Beedrill paused upon seeing her reaction.

"Relax, Ariana. You are not outright being denied the investment, merely reminded that you will need to present results of value before he considers it a worthwhile pursuit. Have you acquired the Hive's Beedrillite?"

Ariana hissed, all but seething at this point. It was like rubbing salt in her wounds. Although the physical injuries had mended, nothing infuriated her more than recalling how she had been denied her prize at practically the last second. Thresher's intervention had cost her the satisfaction of claiming the Hive's most powerful weapon, but also her failure to acquire it was coming back to bite her in terms of getting additional support from Zee's mysterious benefactor.

"No," she admitted through gritted fangs. Part of her wanted to launch into an explanation about Thresher's intervention, but the more logical and composed side of her felt it was a waste of breath, and would come off as a flimsy effort to redirect blame for the situation. She had spent too much time reluctant to simply end the Hive drone's life, and it was costing her in the long run.

"Regrettable," Zee mused. "That was the object we desired above all else. Do you happen to know its whereabouts?"

"In the possession of a capable, but naive and fiercely loyal female Hive drone," Ariana retorted venomously. "Was addressed by the name Bee-Bee, if that's helpful," she added with a sneer.

"Bee-Bee?" Zee repeated, and the young Beedrill's eyes widened. Ariana blinked, taken aback by the hornet's reaction, and while it may have been her imagination, it seemed that Zee's eyes shifted color for a moment, changing from yellow to red, but in the time it took for her to blink, the color had returned to yellow. She squinted at Zee, not entirely convinced of what she may have seen. The young Beedrill's eyes had always been yellow, almost matching the shade of the majority of its body.

"Yes, I believe so," Ariana said, feeling a little disoriented. Perhaps she was getting tired or pushing herself too hard mentally, if she was seeing such bizarre things. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes, a significant problem," Zee replied distractedly, squinting intently at one of his foreleg stingers, as if he was having vision problems.

"What? How so?" Ariana demanded.

"I may have to consult further with my benefactor," Zee murmured, refocusing upon Ariana, his body relaxing. "I, or should I say, we...will take over the Beedrillite matter. Until then, do not engage her or her allies."

"Why?" Ariana pressed, feeling a surge of annoyance welling up within her body. Zee was sounding just like Thresher now, urging her not to fight against opponents she could easily eliminate on her own.

"Was one of her allies you've encountered the other day, by any chance, a young Leafeon?" Zee inquired. Ariana blinked, but clicked her fangs as an affirmative response. Zee buzzed in quiet amusement. "I thought as much. If you again cross paths with either Bee-Bee or the little Leafeon, do not engage under any circumstances."

"And the others?" Ariana crooned, knowing full well what the Beedrill's answer would be, but wanting to be thorough in establishing the 'rules' being placed on her. "The black Espeon? The Ninetales?"

"Shadow should likewise be avoided for now," Zee murmured absently, but then blinked. "The Ninetales? What Ninetales?" Zee asked, and for the first time since Ariana met him, Zee looked completely confused. She relished his loss of composure for every ounce of satisfaction it was worth.

"Thresher called him 'Renard', and said he was in possession of a Key Stone," Ariana answered, gleeful to finally have information that the Beedrill and his benefactor seemed to lack. As much as she'd have liked to dangle it over the young hornet's head, and give him a taste of what it felt like to have information withheld, she knew that it would not improve her situation to do so.

"Oh?" Zee's eyes seemed to gleam yellow in the shadows of the forest. "How interesting...but either way, avoid contact with him as well."

"You're not telling me _why_ ," Ariana snapped. The original question had been ignored, and she at least wanted some sort of justification why she was being told to avoid the Pokemon already confirmed to be allies to Hive loyalists. Thresher had maybe given the best answer, in that it was risky to engage them when she didn't know the full extent of their abilities and number of allies, but she wanted something more definitive than that.

"To underestimate a potential foe may one day be your undoing, Ariana. Do not press your luck any further," Zee murmured, glaring at her so intensely that she once again felt like her body had been dunked in ice water. "Harming any of the ones I've mentioned may provoke the young Leafeon, and when that happens, your death is assured."

"You must be joking," Ariana sputtered.

"Do not recklessly misjudge an opponent's potential based on their age or size, Ariana," Zee warned solemnly. "I've fought with him once before. Taking him lightly is not recommended, and provoking him even less so. Focus on your greater goals, and do not be sidetracked in pursuit of petty vengeance."

"I get it!" Ariana seethed, venomous saliva dripping from her mandibles as she glared at the ground underfoot. Easy for Zee to say all this...he was a male, born within the Hive just like her, but being male made all the difference. Just because someone sided with her cause, didn't mean they had the same passion and hatred fueling them towards their goals. Zee could never truly understand her drive, just like Thresher couldn't. She could make use of their allegiance to her goals, but they would never truly understand.

"I will consult further with my benefactor, and I will be in touch with you again," Zee informed her. Ariana gave a curt hiss of acknowledgement, and a moment later, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her body. Raising her gaze, she found that the small Beedrill had vanished, as soundlessly as he had appeared. She looked around, searching for some indication of where he might have gone, but soon gave up.

It didn't really matter. What Zee seemed not to have realized yet was that, despite his dramatic vanishing acts, she already knew more than he gave her credit for. If he had departed to report information to his 'benefactor', she knew precisely where he was headed. In that case, she also knew who, or what, he'd be reporting to.

The Old Chateau was an ominous, seemingly unoccupied mansion on the edge of the forest. Few Pokemon ever went in or out of that place, because it exuded such an unsettling vibe that no one felt comfortable lingering anywhere near it.

Ghost-type Pokemon seemed not to care as much, but Ghost-types were scarce, even within the Eterna Forest. Ariana clicked her fangs in amusement. The trouble with Zee acting as a middleman in their interactions was that for this to work as intended, and conceal his benefactor's identity, he needed to be the exclusive middleman.

And he wasn't.

* * *

Things were finally looking up for him.

Diablos smiled, his jagged mouth curling into a wicked grin. After so long of remaining within the Chateau's attic, practically alone and agonizingly helpless, things were finally falling into place. He had quickly learned the folly of his original scheme, his impatience costing him the trust of his allies, and his only real chance of escape from the helplessness that had plagued him throughout the winter.

His second attempt, as acted upon at the Solaceon Ruins, had failed just as badly, resulting in further distrust from his allies and a third fracture to his already broken soul. It was around then that he realized he needed to take a different approach to things. He needed to quit acting on an agenda that put his allies in danger or into questionable situations, and be more open and honest about his intentions. He had given Plasma a soul fragment, and bonded with the Rotom over the electric ghost's interests. This gave him another set of eyes, one more inclined to assist him with answering any future questions and concerns.

Impatience had cost him too often, so it was time that he put more time and thought into his next option. He had discovered, via Plasma, that the Chateau seemed to be a temporary home for smaller Bug-type Pokemon, judging by the regenerating spider webs in the main entrance, so he had made use of this. A common Spinarak temporarily gained one of his souls, and after setting the new host into the forest, he had transferred it into another Bug-type, repeating the process until he had settled on Zee as the fragment's final host.

The rest was history. It was amusing that neither Force nor Iris bothered to question it weeks ago, when he told them that he had five active soul fragments, considering they only ever knew about the one fractured one, then split into three. Since they hadn't asked, he hadn't bothered telling them that Plasma held one, or that a young Beedrill within the Eterna Forest carried another. Neither was a secret, but they had other questions to have answered first.

That said, it was most upsetting when his miscalculation cost him an entire soul fragment, and nearly resulted in Force's death. For a long time, Diablos had mulled over the situation, again and again, searching for every mistake and presumption that had cost him that soul. He had to ensure that he would never make such an error again...he could not afford to squander his souls, or the very lives of the Pokemon he was allied with.

But at last, he had made true progress. He had sent Plasma with Iris and Force to Johto to speak with Kaito, and the Rotom had been present throughout the Togetic's exposition dump (Plasma, naturally, complained to Diablos repeatedly about the fact Kaito was doing this). Although disappointed that Kaito had seemingly lacked concrete answers about the Spiritomb's past, it was a solid jumping off point, and Diablos had not hesitated to pressure Plasma into doing some electronic research from one of the neighboring Johto buildings. It seemed faster and more reliable than Kaito going through tomes for days at a time, and in the meantime, he could devote his attention on Zee to expand his efforts in the Eterna Forest.

He wanted no part in the Eterna Forest war, but the conflict benefited him. Throughout the forest, Bug-type Pokemon fought and clashed with one another, resulting in death after death after death. Such a waste. Pushing someone to their limits in times of danger was a way to strengthen and nourish their inner darkness, but it was worthless if they were killed off like that. Not every soul could contain a powerful darkness, but the realities of war were ugly and offered him little of value.

However...there was no use in letting that sustenance go to waste. No matter how weak the nourishment may be, if these deaths were inevitable, then he should take what he could get from them. But he was not in range of the battlefield, and it would be incredibly foolish of him to risk Zee's life by putting his host into battle.

That was why he had contacted Ariana. The arachnid's inner darkness was ludicrously potent, and while Diablos was tempted to pass a soul fragment to her and feed off this darkness, he recognized how unstable the shiny Ariados truly was. She was too eager to put herself in harm's way if it meant taking another enemy's life, and Diablos suspected his souls would be completely incompatible with the poisonous hatred sleeping inside her heart. To risk another of his souls so soon after the loss of another was unwise. He would still benefit from her darkness without leeching off her directly.

With some vague promises of assistance towards her cause, and a demonstration of the power Zee wielded thanks to his soul within the young hornet, Ariana had agreed to be a little less wasteful in battle. The lives of the insects mattered little to the Spiritomb, but he needed a way to collect the soul energy, and whatever traces of darkness lay within them, and then deliver that energy to his main core. Ariana, surprisingly, had an ally that could serve that exact purpose.

"Requiem," the Spiritomb announced to the air.

Within moments, a pale brown, insect-like creature materialized within the attic in front of him. Its belly was a light gray, with four protrusions that resembled limbs. Tattered, wing-like segments fanned out behind it, and a white halo-like ring hovered above its head, which was expressionless, with only narrow horizontal slits for eyes. The creature's body never so much as twitched, but was able to hover and propel itself somehow.

Diablos' yellow eyes gleamed, and the Shedinja's body became engulfed in a subtle black aura that connected it to Diablos' core. It made no effort to resist, as tiny spheres of light emerged from the hole in the ghostly insect's back, traveling through the black threads connecting the two ghostly creatures, before becoming completely absorbed into the Spiritomb's gaseous form. When the transfer was completed, the aura faded from around the Shedinja, and it vanished again without a word, or even a sound.

Power surged through Diablos, filling him with an incredible feeling of euphoria. It had been a brilliant idea, really, utilizing the power of a Shedinja to harvest the souls of the recently deceased. While urban legends spoke of how a Shedinja could steal the spirit of a living creature that peered into the hole on its back, this was not entirely true. It could also steal the wayward spirits of the deceased.

He had no intentions of keeping all his machinations secret from his allies in Johto, but it seemed that despite Kaito's estimate of how long until he'd return to Sinnoh to research further into the Solaceon Ruins, the fairy Pokemon was in no genuine hurry, and the departure had been repeatedly delayed. That didn't trouble Diablos much; he could have Plasma contact Kaito practically on a whim at this point, and thanks to sharing a consciousness with the Rotom, he could stay informed on what the group discussed in the meantime.

Information on the present age was just as valuable as recovering his memories. But what Diablos craved more than anything else right now, was to-

Diablos broke off his line of thought, his yellow eyes widened and repeatedly flicked towards the attic floor. Was it his imagination, or was he...sinking? The floor seemed to have risen higher, but the stacks of objects around him seemed to have simultaneously grown taller, so either he was moving downwards, or he was shrinking, and that the former seemed infinitely more likely.

The Spiritomb focused his energy, willing himself not to sink further, and after a moment of anxiety, he felt the sinking sensation slow to a stop. Unfortunately, this meant his Keystone base was literally merged with the attic floor.

Wait...since when was his Keystone base ghostly in nature? He would have thought that it being a stone prison designed to contain ghosts, that it would repel ghostly qualities, and remain solid even if in contact with a intangible spirit.

So...did that mean he could become intangible and sink through the floor again? His immediate thought was how he'd like the opportunity to see more of the house than the attic that he knew by heart. On the flip side, what if gravity took over, and pulled him down too quickly, so that he descended into the ground? Did the Chateau even have a basement? Or would he resolidify underground, with no way to get out again? Wait, could he even move upwards?

And did he really want to experiment with this right now?

The Spiritomb's grin widened. Of course he did. If the power he had just gained from Requiem's most recent harvest had restored the ability to become intangible at will, why WOULDN'T he want to experiment with this?

Things were looking very, very good for him now.

* * *

 **I realized that I've been writing SoC for over 2 years now. *balloons/confetti*.**

 **And because I'm really lame and nerdy like this, I'm going to share that Zee's official name is "Bee-Zee". I'm not even sorry for that one.**


	99. Confronting the Demon

Diablos could hardly have asked for a better development.

Experimentation had proven fruitful, and it appeared that learning how to control intangibility was much like learning to ride a bicycle, as the adage goes. A skill that one never truly forgot how to perform, even with the passing of time and a lack of recent practice.

Diablos had been cautious at first, determining how much focus and effort was required to turn his tangibility on and off at will, and how long it took for gravity to take hold of him once he was no longer beneath a solid surface.

That was around the time when he realized he could negate gravity's pull on him. Like any ghost, he retained the ability to hover in mid-air, and with some practice and effort, he could drag himself in any direction he pleased.

However, the Keystone base remained an obstacle. It could phase through objects much like the rest of him, and he had no issue with hovering, but he still felt hindered by its existence, as though it was a weighted anchor attached to him. It could be moved with him, but the strain of its weight prevented him from moving swiftly. It was a frustrating discovery, but not one that surprised him.

He wondered if perhaps even that hurdle could be overcome with time and practice. If one trained their body by carrying a weight through an obstacle course, at first, the weight would be a significant handicap, one preventing them from moving as quickly, jumping as high, and would continue to sap them of strength and energy with each passing moment they carried it. But the more that person trained with that weight, the more they would become accustomed to these drawbacks, and as their muscles and willpower strengthened, the weight would cease to be a burden. What had once been impossible would eventually become simple, and the individual would emerge much stronger from the ordeal.

Battle would likely remain an area he would want to abstain from for the time being. Mobility and intangibility were blessings beyond measure, but to engage opponents with his Spiritomb form would be unwieldy at best for the time being. He lacked the maneuverability and speed to fight many opponents, and he was not sure how durable his Keystone, or even his main core, would be under such circumstances. It was best not to take unnecessary risks with his main form.

Diablos phased through the attic floor, and continued downwards through the second story's floor as well, emerging on the ground level. The house was silent, all but abandoned except for the occasional life form crawling beneath rotten floorboards or in the darkest corners of dusty hallways.

He had no present desire to leave the Chateau itself. A change of scenery would be welcome, but to act so rashly at the first sign of regaining power would be immeasurably foolish. He may be able to become intangible, but it did not turn him invisible, and with his movements bogged down by the Keystone's weight, there was almost no chance of going around the forest unseen. The Chateau was more than just a building surrounded by superstition. It was a defense for him in his helpless state, and would remain a defense until it could no longer serve that purpose. Now that he had a reliable host to wander the forest, he could begin to extend his reach to the rest of the region, little by little.

The jagged grin faded, inverting itself to become a frown instead. This was the biggest problem with lacking his past memories. He had so little ambition to drive him, no concrete goal to be focusing his efforts towards. He had the mind of a schemer; he could deduce that much about himself, and his knowledge regarding inner darkness had somehow remained intact. Perhaps such thoughts and abilities were instinctual, and even amnesia or memory seals could not fully remove his brain's foundation.

However...the fact remained that his powers and memories had been sealed. The glowing pink runes carved into his Keystone were likely to be the cause - Kaito had said something about how such runic seals were placed upon Spiritomb to contain them. However, it seemed that the language they were written in was a lost language with no reference point. Even Plasma's research (before he lost interest in favor of watching a new television series) had uncovered nothing.

On the other hand...Diablos had broken the seal on some of his basic ghostly abilities simply by absorbing soul energy. It was impossible to replace the soul he had lost in the forest the other day, but the energy had replenished his power. If he continued to harvest souls in this manner, perhaps the day would come when he could break the remaining seals by force.

"No, that would be most unwise," Diablos murmured aloud. It was a tempting prospect, but the sheer number of sacrifices that would be required would make it an unsustainable model. Furthermore, his allies had noble ambitions and morals...they would never stand for him acting in such a ruthless manner for his own gain.

Besides...the souls he had been absorbing from the efforts of the forest conflict had been deficient in darkness. He needed to harvest, not souls specifically, but the darkness contained within those souls. The sacrifice of a life was not needed, but there had been no need to waste what was already available. It would be far more efficient to gain sustenance from fewer souls, each with significantly stronger darkness.

Patience was a virtue that he needed to continue practicing. So long as he was not completely helpless in the attic of the Chateau, there remained hope for him to restore his power and memories. So long as he had a few Pokemon on-hand to possess and seek out the sustenance he required, he could wait.

The Spiritomb settled down on a wooden table in the center of one of the large, first-floor rooms. Several pieces of furniture decorated the room, and as the malevolent spirit swept its yellow-eyed gaze around the room, it focused briefly upon one of the leather chairs, its upholstery stained with crimson.

"So this is the room where Force nearly perished," Diablos murmured, observing the stain with detached fascination. As a ghost, he never bled, although his hosts and opponents seemed to. The yellow, spiral-shaped pupils contracted, and his jagged mouth curved into a scowl. The last thing he wanted right now was to reflect on his failure again.

A pulsing light from the corner of his vision drew the Spiritomb's notice, and he turned to give the source his full attention. Laying on the floor beside the table was the bracelet Plasma had fashioned for Force's use. The marble-like stone embedded in the center of the bracelet was glowing with a faint, pulsing light, similarly to how it had reacted to Force's emotional state back in the forest.

Diablos narrowed his eyes at the flickering stone. Kaito had explained to the group that this particular stone was probably a Lucarionite, a Mega Stone meant to be wielded by Force's evolved form. Diablos' prior examination had already determined that the stone did not resonate with him, and Force was still in Johto. In the absence of other Pokemon, there was no reason for this stone to be glowing like it was now.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the front door of the Chateau creaked open. Diablos froze in place, convinced for several moments that he was imagining the sound, but it was soon accompanied by a low droning sound, not unlike the noise Zee's wings made when he was hovering in place. However, Diablos knew from experience in a Beedrill's body that the hornet species lacked the means to physically open doors.

To the Spiritomb's further bewilderment, he heard a voice speaking softly, not quite a whisper, but soft enough that he could not make out any of the words. This was followed by more buzzing sounds, discrediting his assumption that a Beedrill was not the source of the droning sound.

 _"Plasma, quick question,"_ Diablos spoke internally, calling through the soul fragment occupying the Rotom's body.

 _"What's up?"_ Plasma chirped promptly. Such an immediate response subtly indicated to the Spiritomb that Plasma was not currently engaged in one of his television shows.

 _"Is everyone in Kaito's group still in Johto? Do a head count."_

 _"Okay! One...two, three...four..."_

Diablos winced internally. Knowing Plasma as he did, the Rotom was going from room to room in the house Kaito was staying at, while loudly, and without context, counting the number of Pokemon present. He concluded this partially on the fact there was no pause between the numbers 'two' and 'three', indicating that two Pokemon had been in the same room, so those were probably Iris and Force. If Iris was present, then there was no way that anyone in the group had come back to Sinnoh yet.

 _"Just four!"_ Plasma finished brightly. Diablos paused for a moment, quickly trying to recall how many Pokemon he expected to still be at the Johto house. He was not factoring in Sorin or his Flareon companion, as he was already aware that they had left again since Kaito's big meeting.

 _"I see. I don't imagine you have occasional guests dropping by the Chateau, unannounced?"_ Diablos wondered.

 _"Nope! Wait, you mean someone's breaking in?"_

 _"I hesitate to call it 'breaking in' when they use the unlocked front door,"_ Diablos replied dryly. He could hear the sound of paws walking across the wooden floorboards of the front entrance, the steps sounding wary and uncertain. Considering the reputation of the Chateau, he wasn't ready to rule out the possibility of someone breaking in as part of a dare.

His jagged mouth curled into a small grin. Regardless of the visitor's purpose, they were almost certain to walk into this room. It was the first room one would see upon walking into the house, and if someone had entered the house for the sake of a dare, it was ideally positioned for the person to retreat for the door if they lost their nerve.

A wisp of blue flame burst into being just outside the door, casting an eerie blue light along the walls, and illuminating many of the shadows strewn about the room. Diablos squinted against the unexpected light, and saw the shape of a quadrupedal Pokemon make its way into the room, only for it to stop short upon noticing the swirling mass of purple and green flames that made up Diablos' core.

"Good evening," Diablos offered pleasantly. The flame wisp moved to the side a little bit and intensified in strength, casting enough light to illuminate most of the room with the bonus of no longer being directly in the line of the Spiritomb's vision.

The Pokemon standing before him was a majestic creature. Its sleek body was covered entirely in golden-white fur, and over a half dozen long tails fanned out behind its body, adding a bulkiness to its silhouette that contrasted with the rest of its physique. It had glittering red eyes, presently narrowed warily at the Spiritomb before it.

 _"One of the unexpected guests is a seven, eight, no, nine-tailed fox,"_ Diablos internally reported to Plasma.

 _"Naruto broke into my house?!"_

 _"Oh? Do you know them?"_ Diablos wondered blankly.

 _"Wait...never mind, it's probably just a Ninetales,"_ Plasma said, in a tone suggesting that he had just found out Christmas had been cancelled. Diablos decided not to question the matter further in favor of focusing on the new arrival. The fox Pokemon had yet to say anything, and it stood rigidly in the doorway, fixing the Spiritomb with an unwavering glare.

"Come on in, don't be shy," Diablos said, grinning a little. The Ninetales didn't say anything, nor did its expression falter. "Don't worry, I won't bite," the Spiritomb chuckled.

The nine-tailed fox took a breath, as if working up his nerve, and then boldly stepped into the room, although it stuck to the outside perimeter of the room, keeping as much distance as possible between himself and Diablos.

A buzzing sound from behind the Ninetales drew Diablos' attention, and he spotted the now-familiar features of a Beedrill, although this one was definitely a bit older than Zee was, and judging by the pitch of its buzzing tone, it was a female. It entered the room soon after the Ninetales, but followed its lead by sticking to the outside perimeter on the other side of the room, its wings droning loudly.

"Diablos, I presume," the Ninetales stated, and Diablos immediately picked up on the coldness within its tone. There was a definite vibe of hostility already brewing below the surface, yet Diablos was making no effort to delve into the quadruped's heart and mind.

"Oh? You know me?" Diablos asked, unable to keep the surprise from his expression. "How interesting...and who might you be?"

"Do you not remember me?" the Ninetales asked, practically growling the words.

"A guessing game. How refreshingly childish," Diablos sneered, but his expression softened as he chuckled. "Very well, I'll play with you."

The Spiritomb's yellow eyes gleamed with interest as he studied the multi-tailed fox. There was so much information already available, courtesy of Plasma supplying the species name, and Zee's chat with Ariana earlier. He wouldn't even need to pry too deeply, but in any case, his objective was not just to identify the Pokemon, but to determine its significance.

"Let's start with the basics," Diablos murmured, his jagged mouth curving into a wicked grin. "I have no recollection of you, yet you can identify me. Therefore, you most likely know someone who knows me. You came into this room from the start, but my associates do not yet know I've relocated, so you are probably not in league with any of them."

The Ninetales said nothing. The wariness in his stance had lessened, but there was no doubt that his guard was still up. Even his eyes had relaxed, allowing Diablos to see them clearly for the first time. They had a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic quality about them, but at the same time, they were like a void, utterly absent of feeling, as if the Ninetales was numb to the world around him.

Diablos' grin widened. "Your initial demeanor was hostile, but again, I have no recollection of you. On a hunch, you are probably acquainted with someone I've wronged. The list of those who resent me while also knowing my name is delightfully compact. You know Shadow, don't you? No, don't answer, I can still do better. You are no child, so the hostility may be more personal. A friend of Echo or Rio's, yes?"

The Ninetales still was silent, his eyes now narrowing defiantly at the Spiritomb. Diablos observed the fox's manner with visible amusement, before finally beginning to laugh. It began as soft chuckling, but slowly rose into full-blown laughter, the sound cold and malicious.

"Our association goes beyond that, doesn't it?" Diablos pressed, his grin widening so much that it nearly stretched across his face. "If you were 'merely' acquainted with one I've wronged, you would not have come here and identified me so readily, nor asked if I remember you. Since I can't remember you, then our association goes back to a time I can't remember...the time before I was sealed. Your eyes are empty of feeling, and you are adamantly refusing to show outward emotion even as I dissect your layers. An impressive effort, but that is where your mistake lies."

Diablos chuckled again, and the Beedrill shivered subtly at the sound, but the Ninetales' expression remained neutral.

"If you know me, then you must know of my ability to read a person's heart. The emptiness of your eyes and impassive front reveal precisely what they exist to hide - that you are afraid of me," Diablos continued, his smile widening triumphantly. "To fear me so readily suggests that you are conscious of your inner darkness, and determined to resist its allure. You possess above-average control of your emotions, but they still strain to break free in my presence. Your poker face is impressive, yet your stance is too rigid and guarded, and undermines your effort to appear at ease."

Diablos laughed softly, and his eyes gleamed.

"Your companion is an even easier read. Her expression is baffled, and her demeanor awkward. Coming here was not her idea, and I daresay she has no personal incentive to confront me. That must have been your idea...but for what purpose might that have served? I wonder...Vengeance is the form your darkness takes, isn't it, Renard?"

The Ninetales inhaled sharply at the sound of his name, his red eyes widening in a momentary loss of composure. Diablos grinned wickedly, forcing the Renard to relax his stance, although he still clenched his teeth, all but growling.

"Wasn't this a far more entertaining result than if you had simply told me your name when I asked?" Diablos sneered. The souls orbiting his core increased speed, until they briefly resembled a solid ring of light instead of individual spheres.

"Enough games!" the Beedrill burst out suddenly, her wings roaring to match the forcefulness of her tone, and she jabbed one of her foreleg stingers accusingly at the Spiritomb. "Are you influencing our territory war?"

"How assertive of you to ask, Bee-Bee," Diablos murmured, turning his attention to the female hornet. Like Renard, the Beedrill twitched noticeably at being addressed by name. "Let me be frank with you, deary...I despise this territory war. It is an ugly conflict locked in an endless cycle. It will only end when one side has been eradicated. At present, the Hive has the overwhelming advantage in numbers, but the underdog forces of the Resistance have passion and hope driving them to fight on...and that is where I benefit."

"What do you mean?" Bee-Bee demanded, her wings buzzing aggressively.

"If the number of Hive soldiers was dramatically decreased, they would undergo a shift in mindset," Diablos continued softly. "Self-preservation is a powerful instinct...but so long as they have strength in numbers, Hive soldiers will believe their lives are but a drop in the bucket, and will engage their foes recklessly and die pointlessly. The Resistance values their cause, but do not have the numbers to sacrifice themselves so needlessly. Living to fight another day takes priority over pointless death. Some may still choose to die to ensure that the others survive. That is all their darkness can manage from them...but it is sufficient for the remainder, who will carry the dreams and wishes of the fallen to the next battle."

"Does this have a point to it?" Bee-Bee buzzed impatiently.

"Is it not already evident?" Diablos chuckled, his eyes glittering. "So long as the Resistance is willing to fight for their cause, their inner darkness will push them to survive and continue to fight. Every ally they lose makes it even less likely for the rest to give up, because they've sacrificed too much to just quit. Meanwhile, the Hive squanders the lives of its troops, and as the members of the Resistance grow stronger and more determined, the Hive soldiers have stagnant mindsets preventing them from evolving to properly combat their opponents. As of now, you are the only one that does."

"Me?" Bee-Bee repeated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Indeed," Diablos chuckled, his gaze lingering on the yellow stone attached to the hornet's center abdomen, between the Beedrill's head and lower body. Even now, the stone was pulsing gently, much like how the Lucarionite had been glowing shortly before the arrival of these two. "You fight for the preservation of those you care about. Your home, your family, and your friends. Every loss you suffer only inspires your fighting spirit to burn stronger. What you are ultimately willing to do in pursuit of this goal...hahaha...that's the real question, isn't it?"

"That's enough," Renard ordered sternly, stepping forward, as if coming between an ongoing argument.

"Spare me your feeble intimidation," Diablos sneered. "At least have the confidence to make eye contact if you're going to try such a thing. It's so easy...look at me."

Renard's eyes widened in alarm, even as he subconsciously obeyed the command. Red eyes met yellow, and the Spiritomb's grin widened triumphantly.

"Relax, this won't hurt you," Diablos murmured softly, his eyes glowing intensely. "I only require a little. Open your mind...let your defenses fall away like waves rolling on the sea...yes, like that...I merely wish to see what you know of my past. Show me your memories..."

Just as the last of the Ninetales' mental barriers crumbled before his gentle invasion, Renard's eyes abruptly glowed with an intense, ethereal blue light, startling Diablos into breaking eye contact. The moment the connection was severed, Renard recoiled, shaking his head as if to physically dislodge the Spiritomb from his mind. At the same time, his legs nearly collapsed out from under him, forcing Renard to awkwardly adjust his stance in order to keep his balance.

Bee-Bee darted over to the unsteady Ninetales, buzzing a flurry of inquiries and concerns for her companion's condition. Renard was breathing heavily, as if he had just finished a burst of strenuous activity, his eyes slightly unfocused. Diablos scowled, observing the multi-tailed fox through narrowed eyes.

"It seems that you possess several unnatural abilities. How intriguing," Diablos murmured, and his smile gradually returned. "But from the looks of things, even briefly using those abilities takes a toll on your body. As your energy wanes, your mind will likewise suffer, and your emotional control will slip. Either you will exhaust yourself repelling my mind, or you will succumb to the allure of your darkness in order to protect yourself. Even with my current power, confronting me directly is not an easy affair."

Renard growled quietly, all while struggling to stand upright. Seeing her companion in such a state, Bee-Bee buzzed aggressively, turning and readying her foreleg stingers, her red eyes focused intensely upon Diablos.

"Oh? Do you mean to declare yourself my opponent?" Diablos asked, unable to hide his amusement at the situation. "How whimsical. I had hoped to resolve this confrontation without violence, but so be it. I will dismantle you, but do not fret. I will ensure you don't suffer unnecessary pain..."


	100. Unbound Confinement

It was just as he had feared.

Renard narrowed his eyes at the Spiritomb, and used several of his tails to prop himself back onto steady feet. His breathing was still a little rapid, but even that was stabilizing. His red eyes shimmered with a hint of concern, but he knew it was futile to try to talk Bee-Bee down now.

Over the past several days, he had done his best to train the hornet in how to properly utilize the Beedrillite she had in her possession, and even with the aid of his Key Stone, it had not been a simple matter. Mega Evolution took such a drastic toll on one's mind and body that even attempting the transformation was risky unless one was adaquately prepared for what they were about to undergo, and Bee-Bee was still young.

But if there was anything that could be said for the Beedrill, it was that she was determined. Eventually, they had succeeded, and after a few more practice attempts, it seemed that Bee-Bee was able to consistently Mega Evolve, at least for a short time. Under ordinary circumstances, Renard would not have recommended Bee-Bee return to the Eterna Forest so soon, but the Beedrill was far too stubborn and tenacious to see reason. She did not like the idea of leaving the rest of the Hive to fend off the active threat, even while she trained to harness the power available to her.

Then there was the matter of the Old Chateau. The negativity within the forest had not yet subsided, and Renard recognized that he inevitably would need to investigate the source at its roots. The very idea of meeting Diablos again, face-to-face, gripped his heart with unparalleled dread, yet Renard knew he could not put it off for too much longer. The longer he put off investigating the Chateau, the more time Diablos might have to complete his goals unhindered.

That was not to say that Renard had rushed into this mess. He knew confronting Diablos alone was a feat far beyond his capabilities, for his heart had been tainted with darkness centuries ago. Ideally, he would have wanted Astrid to accompany him, but he could not really afford to wait for her to become available. Since Bee-Bee already wished to return to the Eterna Forest, it did not take much coaxing to convince her to accompany him to the Chateau and investigate the negative energy infiltrating the forest.

It hadn't taken long for Renard to regret this course of action. No sooner had they entered the Chateau's threshold than a familiar wave of unease and terror had crashed down upon the Ninetales. The negativity in the air was overwhelming, and his instincts urged him to flee the building, yet he had pressed on, and came across the precise individual he had hoped would not be present.

Diablos.

Even the name still sent shivers down the fire fox's spine, combated by a burning anger from within his chest. This instinctive surge of emotion upon seeing the familiar green eyes and yellow pupils was something Renard had not been prepared to experience, and this slip of emotional control had been sufficient for Diablos to latch onto. Just as Renard had warned Shadow earlier, approaching Diablos with the intention of confronting him could backfire easily. In making the very mistake he had urged others to avoid, Renard found himself in a very dangerous position.

Diablos wielded distressingly potent mental abilities for a non-Psychic, to the point that even the decades Renard spent honing his emotional and mental defenses had been for naught. It made no sense for a Spiritomb to be that powerful, and rip through the minds of others as easily as turning the page of a book, but there was no denying the reality of the situation.

Renard's red eyes remained focused on Bee-Bee. The yellow hornet was still buzzing aggressively, and not backing down from her challenge to the Spiritomb. She had no idea what she was up against, and there was nothing Renard could do to stop her from trying. Diablos was openly amused at her gall, and was seemingly making no effort to defend himself from an impending attack.

Bee-Bee flared her wings and launched herself towards the Spiritomb, her forelegs jabbing so rapidly that they appeared to be nothing but a blur. Diablos didn't so much as twitch, even as the Beedrill stabbed her stingers between his eyes...and phased right through him. Her uninterrupted momentum was so great that the rest of her body likewise traveled through the swirling purple fog that made up the Spiritomb's core, and she narrowly avoided a collision with the large leather armchair placed behind Diablos.

"Come now, did you really just try to physically attack me?" Diablos taunted, swiveling his form to follow the hornet's movements with his eyes. "I'm a Ghost-type, deary. I can make myself intangible to such basic attacks."

Bee-Bee buzzed incoherently in response, and one of her foreleg stingers took on a purple glow before she thrust it viciously towards the Spiritomb, again directing it between the Spiritomb's gleaming eyes. To her astonishment, she once again hit nothing but air. She lashed out with several rapid-fire jabs, each glowing with poisonous energy, but each jab was no more effective than the first.

Diablos laughed, and Bee-Bee ceased her assault, retreating a short distance away, and glaring warily at the Spiritomb.

"You clearly don't understand. This form you see is not a physical body," Diablos whispered, his jagged mouth curving into a wicked grin. "It a fog of ethereal energy. Stab it all you wish, but it will recover more rapidly than you can damage it, just like if you were to stab a body of water. You lack the raw destructive power to tear my form asunder. I don't even feel pain from such attacks."

"Don't lose your cool," Renard warned the Beedrill solemnly, his eyes narrowing at the Spiritomb. "That's what he wants."

"No, if I wished for her to lose her cool, I have precisely the means to achieve that on a whim," Diablos retorted silkily. "I am merely noting the futility of her present tactics. Her heart is not truly in this battle, as she only challenged me to distract me from you. How gracious of you to remind me that you're still here."

Renard bit back a growl, his eyes narrowing even further as Diablos turned his gaze upon him again. He would need to take his own advice and keep his thoughts and emotions tightly under control. Any weakness in his defenses was an opening for Diablos to take advantage of.

"Don't they say that a strong offense is the best defense?" Diablos sneered. "Or are you afraid that expressing even the slightest hint of aggression towards me will unleash your thirst for vengeance? I can only wonder what I did to earn a grudge spanning centuries. I'd hate if it turns out I killed your parents or something, because I'd like some diversity on my resume."

Renard said nothing, keeping his mind as blank as a fresh sheet of paper. He could feel tiny prickles along his mind, a feather-light, yet insistent probing from his ghostly adversary. Diablos was not attempting to outright breach his mind, as there was no forcefulness behind his exploration, but that could change at a moment's notice.

A pair of poisonous needles abruptly phased through the Spiritomb from behind, embedding themselves in the wooden surface of the table that the Odd Keystone was placed upon. Diablos blinked down at the needles, then swiveled his body to give the offending Beedrill a bemused look.

"You still wish to fight on his behalf, in spite of how he sits idly by and offers little more than commentary?" Diablos incredulously wondered. Bee-Bee's buzzed response was undoubtedly an affirmative answer, because the Spiritomb chuckled in amusement, but Renard was no longer paying attention to the exchange.

Now that Bee-Bee's Twineedle projectiles had drawn his eye to the table, and by extension, the Odd Keystone, Renard was now aware of the numerous pink, lightly glowing runes etched into the stone-like surface of the Spiritomb's base.

To the casual observer, the runes were little more than decorative inscriptions, although the fact they were glowing might have offered a more ominous appearance. The reason Renard was so taken aback by the crude inscriptions was because they were written in the ancient language his mother had taught to him as a young Vulpix.

 _He could read the runic seals upon Diablos' Keystone._

It had been countless years since he had last seen anything written in that long-lost tongue, and although he remembered that Diablos had expressed interest in the symbols centuries ago, he never would have imagined that such symbols were legitimately carved onto Diablos' prison.

The Ninetales' gaze traveled over the symbols, effortlessly deciphering them within his brain, his mind buzzing with equal parts fascination and disbelief. It was like discovering a priceless relic in the basement of your house, long-forgotten, yet perfectly intact. For several moments, Renard completely forgot his surroundings, engrossed in the runic symbols carved along the base of the artifact, and he circled around the Keystone, following the trail of glowing symbols.

 _Bind one with one hundred seven..._

 _Confine the power of dark souls..._

Although Renard had no personal experience with the rituals associated with sealing Spiritomb, many of the runes translated to what he imagined was the typical language of sealing spells or power inhibitors. However, there were other sections that used more unorthodox phrasing or grammar, suggesting that whoever had carved these symbols lacked anything beyond the most basic understanding of the language's intricacies and rules. Then again, the language was ancient and the symbols crudely carved, so a flawless and precise translation to the common tongue of the modern day was an unrealistic expectation. Still, something about the unorthodox phrasing of the seals troubled Renard, although he could not quite determine what the problem was.

The Ninetales was jolted from his thoughts when one of his paws stepped upon something hard and metallic. He jumped back, and peered down at the object he had trodden upon. It was a crudely fashioned bracer of some kind, hardly noteworthy, until his eyes caught the glitter of the marble-like stone affixed to its band. Astrid had told him that the group of Pokemon she and the others had encountered a few weeks ago had been in possession of a Lucarionite, but now her claim had been confirmed with his own eyes.

The orange, gem-like stone was pulsing with a faint light, and for some unknown reason, the Keystone worn around Renard's neck came to life, emitting a synchronized pulsing glow from where it sat against his chest fur. In spite of himself, Renard reached his paw down and touched the Lucarionite, running his paw over its smooth surface, like a blind person searching another's face. It felt warm to his touch, and a peculiar flutter passed through his stomach.

"Where did you get this?" Renard spoke aloud, distracting Diablos and Bee-Bee from their silent staredown. The Spiritomb blinked at the Ninetales, perplexed by the question. Either that, or he was bemused by Renard's previously unnoticed proximity to the table.

"Force found it at the Solaceon Ruins," the ghostly Pokemon answered idly. "I had hoped it would be a key to undoing one of my seals, but its power has remained dormant for me. Not unsurprising, considering what we have since determined it to be. What strikes me as far more curious is that it has been resonating since just before the two of you arrived. And why have you become so sentimental all of a sudden?"

Renard inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in conscious awareness of his emotional slip. Diablos chuckled good-naturedly, but the sound still sent intense chills down the Ninetales' spine.

"That glowing stone around your neck...that is a Key Stone that acts as an anchor for a Pokemon to safely achieve Mega Evolution, is it not?" Diablos pressed, his eyes glittering. "You wear it close to your heart."

"It's a convenient placement," Renard said tonelessly, putting every ounce of effort into restoring his impassive and solemn demeanor, and solidifying his mental defenses. Nothing prickled at his mind, but he wasn't going to take any chances right now. "So what?"

"I have been developing a theory for a few weeks now," Diablos murmured. "After Force took that stone for a test run, and I sampled its capabilities for myself, I've upgraded this theory. Many have claimed these stones react to the emotional state of the user, and risk overwhelming the bodies of those unprepared for the surge of power. I disagree, but it is now, in the presence of that stone in your possession, that I have gained more precise insight. Requiem..."

"What are you talking about?" Bee-Bee demanded, the humming of her wings rising to a shrill pitch. Diablos did not bother to look at the hornet, his focus on Renard's Key Stone, but Renard could see that the Beedrillite attached to the Beedrill's middle segment was flashing intensely, casting an ominous yellow light upon the walls of the room.

"You two have come here to confront me," Diablos murmured, his voice dripping with malice. "Unaware, though you are, that I cannot actually conjure up offensive techniques with my current power, your caution up to this point has been well-founded. But that was enough for me. I realize that such caution is not infinite, and it is only a matter of time before you realize I've done nothing to strike back. Therefore, as an opponent, it is only fitting to make you a test subject."

Renard blinked several times, his brain struggling to process what the Spiritomb had just said. Did Diablos really lack the ability to attack them? Was he relying on Renard refraining from aggression, and Bee-Bee's ineffective strikes to discourage further conflict? Or was telling them this nothing more than a bluff to get them to lower their guard and attack now, only to punish them for doing so?

"Watch yourself, Bee-Bee," Renard warned sharply, his tails fanning outwards. Diablos chuckled, his attention still upon the nine-tailed fox as opposed to the more aggressive insect.

"It was you that provided me with my new insight, so I will reward you by telling you what I've concluded," Diablos chuckled. "Some believe these Mega Stones react to emotions, but I disagree. They react to the feelings and desires within a person's heart. There is an overlap with strong emotion...but not everyone reacts the same, or with the same emotions. The desire to surpass one's limits and grow stronger, for the protection of those they care about, or to honor their fallen comrades. Don't you see it yet? Mega Evolution may just operate on the same wavelength of MY specialty. Your Key Stone, the anchor enabling a successful evolution, responds to your heart."

"Nonsense," Renard growled. "You specialize in corrupting aspirations and attachment, and feed off the negativity like a parasite."

"It is a symbiotic relationship," Diablos contradicted quietly. "Those who repress their darkness are the ones doing the most harm to themselves, and those who sacrifice their souls to embrace their darkness...well, that goes without saying, doesn't it?"

At that moment, a pale brown, insect-like creature materialized into the air beside Diablos. Its body did not twitch, yet it seemed able to hover and maneuver just fine. It had tattered, wing-like segments protruding from its back, and a distinct, halo-like ring hovering above its head.

"I am aware you did not gather any more souls," Diablos told the Shedinja. "I merely require you to act as my shield and sword against these intruders."

"Gather souls?" Renard repeated, and his red eyes widened in horrified realization. "You mean...that's what Ariana meant by souls nourishing her cause?!" he demanded, a surge of anger welling up within his chest.

"Indeed," Diablos confirmed. "Those lives had been thrown away like garbage, but there was no need to waste what sustenance they could provide me. Thanks to those sacrifices, I've regained some of my power. If the Hive does not step up its game soon, there will be no shortage of such donations."

"You..." Bee-Bee spat, the rest of her reply an incoherent jumble of syllables, that escaped even Renard's ability to comprehend. Judging by context alone, Bee-Bee had mixed different curse words together, some of which were probably her own creation, which resulted in a nonsensical utterance of pseudo-profanity.

"This is your own fault. You chose the path of violence when you challenged me, deary," Diablos told the Beedrill. Bee-Bee let out a shrill cry of rage, and lunged at the Spiritomb, driving her poison-imbued stingers viciously into the ghostly Pokemon's face, many of the strikes directed specifically at the Spiritomb's eyes, as if attempting to blind him.

The gaseous form of the Spiritomb split with each strike, only to reform within a moment, leaving no signs of damage behind. It was just as Diablos had said - the piercing movements were like attacking water, causing only temporary displacement, followed by immediate repair.

Bee-Bee screeched in pain as the Shedinja latched onto her from behind, and although there was no visible mechanism causing it, Bee-Bee began drooping slightly, her body starting to slow down and wilt, symptoms Renard immediately recognized as the results of some sort of energy-leeching technique.

"That's enough, I don't want her-" Diablos began, but paused mid-sentence as a burst of flame erupted around the Beedrill's body, charring the Shedinja's carapace in an instant. Without a sound, the ghostly insect dropped to the floor like a rock, releasing its grip on Bee-Bee's body. The Beedrill flared her wings to extinguish the flames, but her abdomen nevertheless showed numerous small burn markings. "...dead?" Diablos finished, his voice rising an octave inquisitively.

"I've fought Shedinja before," Renard stated solemnly. "They pass out if so much as a single ember lands on them. I apologize for you getting caught in the literal line of fire, Bee-Bee, but I figured you'd take such a small flame better than your opponent."

Bee-Bee buzzed affirmatively, her red eyes glaring aggressively at the Spiritomb. Diablos floundered for words, so taken aback by what had just happened, he couldn't even begin to come up with a snide remark about Renard's callous tactics.

"You said before, Diablos, that Bee-Bee lacks the raw power required to tear your form apart," Renard commented. One of the Spiritomb's eyes twitched, obviously putting the pieces together of what the Ninetales' intention was. "Deep within my heart, I want nothing more than you to be utterly destroyed," Renard continued coldly, and he reached up to touch the pulsing Key Stone at his chest. "But not in pursuit of vengeance. I want you destroyed because your existence is a blight upon this world, and a threat to anyone who crosses your path."

"You've been absorbing the souls of the Hive's deceased, and using our conflict to benefit yourself. Unforgivable...I won't ever forgive you!" Bee-Bee hissed, the Beedrillite at her center segment pulsing with dangerous intensity.

Diablos managed a skeptical laugh, his eyes nervously darting between the two Pokemon, even as they exchanged a determined look with one another. Renard clasped the Key Stone in his paw, and it began to glow with intense light.

The Beedrillite pulsed rapidly, then brilliant beams of light extended outwards from the marble-like stone, illuminating the room with such an intense light that it was nearly impossible to see anything.

 _"Barbs imbued with venom, wings that buzz in flight..."_

 _"Resonate with my Key Stone, and unlock her evolution!"_

The words, spoken practically as one voice, echoed clearly through the room, and Diablos' eyes bulged, in spite of the painfully bright light consuming the features of the room. Energy coursed all around the room, like an intense wind rushing down a long hallway. The runes upon the Odd Keystone glowed, adding pink light to the overwhelmingly bright room.

The light abruptly faded, as if it had been absorbed into a vacuum, and the Chateau room seemed impossibly dark now. Renard was panting a little bit, the Key Stone at his neck now glowing with a soft, consistent light. The runes upon Diablos' Keystone were still glowing, offering some of the only lighting in the room, as Renard's Will-O-Wisp from earlier had gotten extinguished at one point.

Where a simple Beedrill had been moments earlier, there now hovered a monstrosity of a wasp. Its foreleg stingers had lengthened and sharpened into lance-like weapons, and its back legs now wielded stingers of their own. The wasp's lower abdomen was bulkier and angled forward, ending in yet another vicious, upgraded barb. In addition, it was a good thirty percent larger than the average Beedrill.

Even though it was not his first time seeing a Mega Beedrill, Renard felt genuine horror washing over him at the sight of it. Beedrill were already unpleasant foes on their own, so seeing a significantly larger version, with almost twice as many deadly stingers, and each one weaponized to such a ludicrous extent...it made his heart skip a beat. He couldn't even imagine how terrifying it would feel to be facing the business end of those poisonous lances.

"I regret this experiment..." Diablos breathed, his voice tinged with a mixture of fear and regret. But there was something strange about the ghost Pokemon's tone. It sounded...different, like it was being projected from a different location than the swirling mass atop the table. "Wait a moment...did I sink into the floor again? Why am I so much lower than before?"

That confirmed it. Diablos' voice was definitely not coming from the Spiritomb's location. Renard squinted, peering through the dim lighting, until his gaze fell upon a second shape, and his breath caught in his throat, his red eyes widening in recognition.

The second figure was small, much smaller than the Spiritomb was, and just over a third of Renard's height. Its body blended in with the shadows, as if the darkness itself was an extension of its form. Yet there was no mistaking those eerie green eyes, complete with yellow pupils.

Renard peered closer, his eyes penetrating the gloom. The creature's body was a pale purple, with several pink markings upon its form. A pink V-shaped marking decorated its chest, and it had pink bands around each of its wrists. Upon its head was a pink wisp resembling hair tied into a ponytail. In the center of its forehead was a simple yellow marking shaped like a ring. Two horns jutted from either side its head, resembling a demon's visage, and upon each horn, it carried a large, glittering ring. The creature did not have visible legs, only a single wisp-like extension below its waist, which in itself was marked by a single golden ring.

Renard's eyes darted between this creature, and the Spiritomb upon the table, and back again. The Spiritomb was Diablos...that was the Pokemon they had been interacting with since they entered this room. Everything about the malevolent ghost fit Renard's recollection of the demon...except his appearance. And that appearance perfectly fit the smaller creature in the room, the one that had somehow just appeared.

"I...I don't understand," Renard stammered, struggling to swallow. "This...is this your true form?"

"True form?" the smaller ghost repeated blankly, and then abruptly seemed to register its own appearance. Blank confusion passed over its face as it looked down at itself, marveling at the fact it now had arms, even arms that did not seem properly attached to the rest of its body. It then looked up at the table towards the Spiritomb, and its look of confusion intensified. "Wait...that's me? But then why...am I also here?"

 _Bind one with one hundred seven..._

"It...can't be," Renard murmured, recalling the runes that spelled out the line. It had been phrased so bizarrely in retrospect. Centuries ago, he had only ever encountered Diablos in one form...the form that stood before him now. Could it be...could it really be...that Diablos had been bound within the Keystone AFTER Renard had first met him, perhaps even after breaking association with him? He was one entity that had been bound together with another one hundred seven malevolent souls to create the Spiritomb?

The smaller ghost reached down, and picked up the bracer containing the Lucarionite, and Renard tensed, a growl leaving his throat. The stone pulsed gently within the smaller ghost's hand, and then Diablos' eyes widened, a look of understanding flashing across his face like lightning.

"...I remember now...she broke my Keystone. That bitch fractured the stone," Diablos whispered, his eyes narrowing with sudden rage. "She broke it...she ruined it...she...did this to me. And I've been sealed for two hundred years because of it!"

The roar of Bee-Bee's wings tore their attention back to the situation at hand, and the Mega Beedrill charged at the Spiritomb, each of her stinger legs glowing with vicious black energy. Diablos did not bat an eye, and in one quick flourish, the smaller ghost seized one of the rings dangling from one of his horns and chucked it like a frisbee across the room. The ring spun wildly, expanding in size before halting directly between the charging Mega Beedrill and the Spiritomb, as though Bee-Bee was a circus animal doing a hoop-jumping act. The open mouth of the ring crackled with energy, and a blue energy field appeared in the open space, creating some kind of a portal. It happened so quickly that Bee-Bee had no time to stop or maneuver around the object, and she instead passed right through the ring, disappearing as suddenly as if she had never existed.

Renard didn't even have the time to react to the Beedrill's disappearance before a second hoop materialized into thin air behind him, right beside the far wall. A moment later, Bee-Bee exited the portal with all her speed and momentum intact, and immediately slammed into the wall with enough force to shake the house's foundation. The enormous hornet slid to the floor in a crumpled heap, and the transformation instantly reverted her back to a regular Beedrill, a sure indication that unconsciousness that claimed her.

Renard rushed over to the Beedrill's side, carefully examining her prone figure for signs of more serious injury.

"I can't tell you how unbelievably good this feels!" Diablos purred, a delighted grin spreading across his face. "To be able to do something on my own...to even have the faintest memory of my past...to have limbs! Such a truly magnificent feeling!"

With a delighted cry, the djinn Pokemon hurled the Lucarionite bracer across the room, only to lift his paw and telekinetically pull it back to his hand, as though it were a yo-yo drawn to its string.

"Such a liberating feeling!" Diablos marveled, his eyes glittering with child-like enthusiasm. The Spiritomb's eyes gleamed from the table, and the pint-sized ghost glanced in its direction, intrigued. "Yet I can still inhabit the other one hundred six souls, the same as before...does that mean I am still bound to them, even in this form? No matter...oh, Renard!"

"What?" the Ninetales snapped, tensing his body, and glaring at the miniature demon.

"I just thought of something nice," Diablos snickered, his yellow eyes glittering mischievously. "Your odd Key Stone...it unlocked my Odd Keystone. Isn't that just the most beautiful thing?"


	101. Concluding Confrontation

**This chapter reminded me just how much fun I have writing Diablos' dialogue. He's the type of character whose quirks and mannerisms feel especially distinct through his dialogue, and can likewise translate well when he's capable of adding body language. He's smug, can be hammy, can be mischievous, but even when things look bad, his reactions are delightful for me to write.**

* * *

Diablos stepped back, silently marveling at how the wisp-like extension that served as his lower body split to perform the motion, and then immediately reformed once he had shifted. That was confirmation enough that his 'new' body was indeed ghostly in nature. Such flexibility in motion was almost unheard of from beings of flesh and blood.

An idle thought, and Diablos shifted his primary consciousness to the Spiritomb still sitting upon the table, gazing through its eyes at the curious figure he had become. Much like possessing a host from a distance, splitting his attention between the two bodies and minds required some additional focus and effort, but it was a feat well within his means. The Spiritomb's mouth curled into a grin, an expression soon mirrored by the pint-sized ghost.

Such a fascinating Pokemon. Its small size and unassuming appearance concealed incredible power and potential within. It was as though the numerous shackles and restraints upon him had been dismantled, and the taste of its power was genuinely intoxicating. Only adding to Diablos' fascination was the subtle realization that this Pokemon was not merely a host that he was borrowing, but genuinely a part of himself. Or, if Renard's comment was anything to go by, this Pokemon was his true self.

 _His true self..._

Diablos frowned, returning his conscious mind to his new form. He felt much more 'at-home' with it as the focal point of his thoughts. Especially when compared to the restrictions upon his Spiritomb core, the form of the smaller ghost felt more...liberating. He could feel power within his body, and energy coursing through his hands. Yet all he had done so far had been instinctive. He had not consciously chosen to act, but had tapped into those abilities without thought.

The small ghost reached up and again took one of the golden rings dangling from his horns, inspecting the loop absently. It was a deceptively simple circle, golden in color, but otherwise unremarkable. Yet somehow...he had used it to create some sort of portal that instantly transported his Beedrill opponent to another location.

He did not know of any other Pokemon capable of such a thing. When gazing upon himself from the Spiritomb's perspective, his present species completely escaped identification. It was an uncomfortable realization in itself.

 _He had no idea what he even was._

Diablos absently flicked the golden ring upwards, and watched as it spun in the air, before returning to his hand like a boomerang. On a whim, Diablos moved his hand out of the way at the last moment, and the glittering hoop continued past him, but almost immediately looped back around to hang itself back on the horn he had originally taken it from.

"Convenient," he mused aloud with an enthusiastic grin. He was definitely looking forward to having the time to properly test and experiment with these abilities, and discover the scope of what he was capable of in this form. It would better suit him to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of his powers before trying to utilize them on a greater scale, or with greater stakes. Instinct could only take him so far, and he was not comfortable relying too much on luck.

The miniature demon glanced down at the Lucarionite bracer still clutched in his left hand, the stone pulsing softly in the dim room. The stone's significance still eluded and frustrated him. Ever since Force had retrieved it from the Solaceon Ruins and left it under his care, Diablos had failed to uncover anything about it, other than rough theories. Never before had it resonated with him, nor had he uncovered even the faintest recollection of his past. He had gazed at it intently for hours at a time, yet never felt the tug of familiarity.

So why now had he recalled flashes of the event in which the Odd Keystone had been shattered, and he had been sealed? Why had he been so certain that the Pokemon responsible had been a female? Diablos strained his memory, attempting to re-experience the flash of realization that had come to him mere minutes ago, but within seconds, agonizing pain tore through his brain, and he clutched his head with an anguished yell, the Lucarionite falling from his grasp with a gentle clattering sound.

Pain thudded through his closed eyelids, bringing tears to his eyes. Nonsensical...a ghost should not be able to produce tears...but anger coursing through his chest shoved those musings aside. Diablos had not the faintest idea what the sudden anger was directed towards, as the emotion vanished as quickly as it had surfaced, although his headache did not subside so readily. Forcing his eyes open once more, he turned his gaze towards Renard.

The Ninetales was still standing beside the unconscious Beedrill, attempting to revive her while not taking his attention off of Diablos. The tension within the fire fox's body was undeniable, as if Renard had long ago abandoned the facade that he was not afraid of Diablos. If anything, the fear had grown more palpable ever since Diablos had emerged in this form.

"I believe thanks are in order," Diablos told the Ninetales, as pleasantly as he could while his head still throbbed with pain. Renard said nothing, his red eyes narrowed suspiciously at the other Pokemon. "If my understanding is correct that your Key Stone served a role in unlocking the seal, I quite literally couldn't do it without you."

Renard glared in silence, and his tails lashed in agitation. Diablos grinned briefly. Part of him longed to claim that he had planned this turn of events, but the reality could not be further from the truth. Diablos had had no idea that the Ninetales' Key Stone would break whatever seal had bound his "true form" to the Spiritomb prison. Even worse, he recognized that had such a twist of fate not occurred, this situation could have had disastrous results. True, he probably could have phased through the floor and escaped, but it might have taken him a few moments to think of that option, and in the intervening time, the Mega Beedrill might have torn him to shreds. His instinctive use of the ring portal had been another stroke of good fortune, and if there was one thing Diablos had learned in recent months, it was not to press his luck.

"As a display of my gratitude, I shall direct your attention to the door. Use it, and depart in peace," Diablos said, stepping further away from the fire fox and gesturing grandly to the door leading out of the room, and by extension, the Chateau itself. "Take your unconscious friend with you, and I'll even permit you to take your personal belongings with you."

"Just like that?" Renard queried, his tone impressively neutral for a statement that brimmed with skepticism.

"Incredible to fathom, I know," Diablos chuckled, his yellow eyes glittering mischievously. "Why not press my current advantage? Simply put, because it does not benefit me to do so. You have done me an incredible service by unlocking this form, and the situation has reversed so completely that retreat is your most viable option."

"You presume that I pose no threat to you?" Renard asked quietly.

"On the contrary...I know you pose a threat to me," Diablos retorted, his grin widening. Renard blinked. "A severe threat, I might add. I offer you the option to leave, not out of arrogance, but as an act of caution. I have not regained all my memories, so I know not what I've done in the past to earn your ire. Your vengeful heart has endured for centuries, so the power of your darkness must be immense...but you hold it back. You are afraid to let it act through you...so you have refrained from taking the initiative to attack me. Even your greatest show of aggression thus far was simply to enable Bee-Bee to attack more effectively. That is why I want you to leave."

"...why would you tell me all that?" Renard asked, looking a little bewildered, although his tone remained neutral.

"Because having that information does not help you," Diablos answered with a chuckle. "If nothing else, knowing that you pose a threat benefits me. Merely having the potential to defeat me is not an assurance that you will succeed, after all. The stakes are too high for you to risk direct engagement of your own initiative, but if I press my advantage, your darkness will likely surface as a means to protect yourself. Drawing out your darkness by force is a fine strategy when I am restricted to the point of merely wishing to leech off the nearest, most potent source of nourishment, but it is foolish to provoke you in my current state. In any case, there is no need for me to rush."

"You talk far too much," Renard growled.

"And you talk far too little," Diablos replied, unfazed. "Do I need to incentivize your departure? Hmm...ah, I've got just the thing..."

Diablos gestured casually, and telekinetically lifted the Lucarionite off the floor. Renard watched the object warily, as Diablos guided it nearer to his face. With a simple gesture of one finger, Diablos dangled the bracer in front of Renard's muzzle, as if jingling a set of keys in front of a Skitty.

"Come on, boy! Follow the glowing stone! You want this? Come and get it!" Diablos chortled, leading the bracer a little further from Renard's muzzle, goading the Ninetales to follow it. Renard's expression was stony, and he stared straight ahead, not even a trace of amusement within his eyes. "Tch...and I thought you had gotten all sentimental over this," the djinn Pokemon lamented, upon noting the lack of response from the Ninetales.

"I don't believe you'd actually give that back to me, so why would I indulge your taunting?" Renard replied coldly.

"...give it 'back' to you?" Diablos repeated, perplexed. For a fraction of an instant, Renard looked pained, as if he realized his error at the last second. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Nothing. We'll be leaving," Renard answered quickly, but it was becoming more and more apparent to Diablos that the unfeeling facade was crumbling away before his eyes. The Ninetales' response was too abrupt, and he was suddenly too eager to depart. He had already turned his back to the two ghosts, and was working out a way to gather up the unconscious Beedrill.

"That's fine, I'll just keep this, then," Diablos responded with a shrug. Renard's body tensed for a moment, but he gave no reply. The stone embedded in the metal bracer pulsed rhythmically, drawing the demon's gaze. "Was she a Lucario?" he mused absently, but winced as a throb of pain shot through his head again. Ugh...trying to forcibly recall his memories was still not a good idea.

"Hm?" Renard grunted, evidently thinking that Diablos was talking to him.

"Nothing, talking to myself," Diablos muttered, massaging his forehead. "Trying to figure out why this stone caused me to suddenly remember that some bitch broke-"

An impossibly cold chill descended upon the room, so intense that Diablos broke off his sentence with a sharp gasp. His mind went momentarily blank, and his psychic hold on the bracer vanished, causing it to drop to the floor with a clatter.

"Now you've done it," Renard whispered, his back still kept towards Diablos. His tails fluttered elegantly, in stark contrast to the rigidness of the rest of his body. Yet nothing could compare to the absolute coldness of his tone. Even the sudden chill of the room felt tepid by comparison. Strangely, the fire fox showed no reaction to the temperature change, as if it did not affect him at all.

Just as Diablos had opened his mouth to speak, the Ninetales spun on his heels in one swift, fluid motion. Small spheres of energy detached from the tips of each of the fox's nine tails, their conjuring unnoticed, due to the elegant fluttering motions, and launched themselves at the Hoopa.

The projectiles bombarded Diablos so rapidly that he didn't have time to dodge or create any sort of defense. As each bolt of energy made contact, they burst into a cloud of ice crystals, assaulting his mind and body with a fresh wave of agonizing cold.

"Ice...how could you be producing ice?!" Diablos demanded, wincing as he discovered the entire lower half of his body was now encased in a block of ice. Cold permeated his entire form, causing his mind to feel more sluggish, and his body similarly unresponsive. "You're a Fire-type! Your species should not have access to Ice-type abilities!"

Renard gazed coldly back at the semi-trapped Hoopa, and Diablos realized, with a jolt of alarm, that the Ninetales' red eyes were glowing with the eerie blue light that he had used before to break the Spiritomb's eye contact. Unlike before, it did not fade within moments, nor did it visibly take any sort of toll on Renard's energy. His tails continued to flutter elegantly, and he took a step closer.

If Renard had been afraid of Diablos before, that fear had vanished, and it was now Diablos' turn to feel afraid. He understood that Renard had trained his mind and body for decades longer than the average Pokemon's entire lifespan, and that those glowing eyes indicated a number of unnatural abilities at his disposal, but this pressure was something else entirely.

"How are you using Ice?!" Diablos repeated, glowering at the Ninetales, and extending a tendril of psychic energy towards the fire fox's mind, probing for an answer. However, the moment he touched Renard's mind, he received a mental backlash so intense that he was forced to withdraw, lest he suffer a headache much more severe than the ones caused by straining his memory too far. The Hoopa's scowl deepened.

"Hidden Power," Renard intoned. He stepped closer still, all but ignoring the miniature's ghost's struggle to free itself from its icy prison. "But it is due to Serena's power that it can be so formidable."

"Serena?" Diablos repeated blankly, and in spite of the gravity of his situation, he smirked. "You gave your darkness a name?"

"Darkness is the manifestation of a heart's desires," Renard murmured knowingly. "Serena is a part of me, a piece of my very soul. I see no reason for her not to have a name. Her desires reflect my own...but I will remain in control."

"How appropriate," Diablos snickered. He raised his arm, conjuring a blob of purple energy into his palm, before slamming the sphere against the icy prison confining his lower body. The Shadow Ball detonated with enough force to shatter the majority of the ice, liberating the Hoopa enough for him to retreat several paces away from the fire fox. "Vengeance is a dish best served cold, as the adage goes. How fitting that your darkness literalizes the concept."

"No, I am not in pursuit of vengeance," the Ninetales insisted, speaking more to himself than Diablos. "I just want it back...since I can't have _her_ back..."

Renard's voice cracked at the end of his statement, and he stumbled forward, his eye color flickering between blue and red, and then back again. The Ninetales appeared abruptly fatigued, yet the resolve in his stance was undeniable. He gritted his teeth, and with visible effort, managed to prop himself upright, his breath coming out in shaky pants.

The fire fox extended his paw along the floor, until it finally came to rest upon the Lucarionite bracer that Diablos had fumbled when the temperature had plummeted. The marble-like stone embedded in the bracelet glowed warmly, and the tension in Renard's body seemed to dissipate, like smoke against the wind.

The Key Stone dangling from the Ninetale's neck blazed to life, glowing as brightly and consistently as its counterpart, and a pale pink aura gradually enveloped Renard's body. Diablos watched, in stunned disbelief bordering on horror, as his opponent became empowered by energy his species allegedly should have had no right to be compatible with.

"It hurts so much," Renard breathed, moisture leaking profusely from his eyes as he looked up at Diablos. "Sorrow pours out from within my heart and suffocates me..."

A shudder racked the Fire-type's body, and his voice sounded hoarse and constricted. Even with the present tears, Diablos could read nothing but pain within Renard's eyes. Pain spanning years, decades, even. Perhaps even centuries. The pain caused by loss. The pain wrought by despair. Pain emanating from every crevasse of the Ninetales' heart.

It was of little surprise. The curse of outliving everyone you know and love was bound to take its toll eventually. How long had Renard been saddled with such intense sorrow?

Perhaps his initial conclusion had been faulty. Perhaps it was not truly the drive for vengeance that fueled Renard's darkness. Rather, it was driven by the emotional pain that ripped at his heart. Memories of those he had loved and lost, and the haunting knowledge that all his past, present, and future friends, companions, or lovers would likewise depart this world before he would. Maybe the unfeeling face the Ninetales showed the world was born of a futile desire to stop feeling entirely. To truly become numb to his pain.

Darkness was not a wholly selfish concept. It could easily be inspired by an agonizing determination to keep from losing another acquaintance prematurely, and Renard's passive behavior could be an attempt at acceptance - knowing that no matter how long he prolonged the struggle, everyone around him would likely succumb to oblivion before he would.

"To be burdened with such feelings...I pity you," Diablos murmured, the words leaving his mouth without conscious thought. Even more astonishing was the realization that he genuinely meant that statement, even if it changed absolutely nothing about the situation. His thoughts were currently based on guesswork, but either way, he had no desire to delve deeper into the Ninetales' psyche.

"Shut up!" Renard snarled, and his tails fanned out violently. Brilliant bursts of energy erupted from his tails, each surrounded by a pink glow similar to the one that presently engulfed his body.

Diablos had more than sufficient time to defend against the fresh assault, but he chose to seize one of the rings that dangled from his horn and swipe it through the air like a cleaver. The ring expanded during the motion, growing into a shield-sized hoop that hovered before his body. The bombardment of dazzling light crystals passed through the golden ring into the portal contained within its border, and disappeared, leaving the Hoopa unharmed.

A second golden hoop materialized behind Renard, and the shining light projectiles emerged from the portal, their momentum intact. The Ninetales spun around with alarming speed, his tails batting most of the projectiles aside, and he shrugged off the impacts of the ones he failed to deflect.

"What the-?!"

A startled cry from the doorway seized Diablos' attention, and he turned to see a familiar, fairy-like Pokemon with an egg-shaped body hovering there, wary confusion painted across his face. He was soon joined by an equally familiar, tan quadruped with blue fur along its back, and active flames burning from its head and hindquarters. Taking up the rear of the small group of arrivals were two bipedal Pokemon, one that was humanoid, with green hair and seemingly dressed in a white skirt, and the other was a taller, significantly less familiar Pokemon. Blue and black fur covered the majority of its body, save for its chest, which had yellow fur. A silver spike protruded from its chest and the back of its paws, and black antenna-like appendages dangled from the back of its head. It took only a moment for Diablos to see the resemblance between this Pokemon and its unevolved counterpart.

"Oh, wow, a Ninetales really DID break into my house," Plasma commented, the Rotom inexplicably peering over Kaito's shoulder. The fairy Pokemon twitched and cast the electric ghost an annoyed look, which of course went unnoticed.

"What's going on?" Cecilia wondered, coming further into the room and shifting into a defensive battle stance, her blue eyes darting around the room, before settling upon the Spiritomb still settled upon the center table. "Wait, how'd you-?" she sputtered, addressing the Spiritomb, evidently oblivious to the presence of the shadowy djinn.

"That's quite a long story, my dear," Diablos answered, speaking through the Spiritomb, the jagged mouth curling into a smile. "In any case, regaining my mobility is by far the least fascinating of the recent developments here, but we can catch up on things once the present matter has been tidied up. Are you sure you did not wish to reconsider the option of departing in peace, Renard?"

The Ninetales scowled, but he was visibly conflicted at seeing five other Pokemon arrive. Diablos could see the struggle reflected in the fire fox's eyes. The decision of whether to retreat passively, with his tails tucked between his legs, or whether to persist and cause unnecessary collateral damage. The room was too confined to realistically flee from in the midst of combat.

"Oh, but I almost forgot," the Spiritomb continued with a smirk. "If you leave, I insist we retain possession of that stone you covet so highly. Force may be able to make use of it, and your sentimental attachment to it does not equate to ownership."

"That's fine," Renard snapped. Using one of his tails, he scooped up the bracer, and flung it with impressive force towards the Lucario. It bounced off the jackal's chest, and Force fumbled to catch it before it hit the ground. He stared at the bracer in bewilderment, then back at the Ninetales. "Cherish it. For your sake," he told the Lucario coldly.

"H-huh?"

"Now let us pass," Renard growled, addressing the other Pokemon, using his tails to scoop up the still-unconscious Beedrill, and set her upon his back. "Before I do something I'll later regret."

Without a word, the group of Pokemon moved to the side, allowing the Ninetales to depart without resistance. No one spoke until the Chateau's front door slammed behind Renard, although Diablos could not imagine how he had accomplished that.

"Wh-what was that about?" Iris stammered, wrapping her arms around herself as if a winter storm had been left in the Ninetales' wake.


	102. Post-Conflict Regroup

"Welcome back," Diablos stated, the Spiritomb's gaze traveling to each member of the group in turn, his jagged mouth curving into a delighted grin. He knew precisely what to expect from this situation. The hostility left by Renard's departure and the overall bewilderment consuming their thoughts left only the possibility of an awkward silence to fall upon them.

However, he would not allow such a thing to consume the situation. There were a number of important matters to discuss, and although he chose to speak through his Spiritomb form at the moment, it was inevitable that they would notice his less imposing, yet far more capable form before long. It just struck him as being far more productive to get that revelation over with, so that things could move forward.

"I would normally inquire as to what spurred you to return so abruptly, but I believe I already know. Plasma has that amusing tendency to speak aloud even when I communicate with him privately. In case you have not worked this out, he carries one of my soul fragments," Diablos continued. Plasma waved one of his lightning bolt appendages cheerily at the mention of his name.

"I figured that out," Force interjected tersely, although judging by the look Iris and Cecilia cast his way, he had not shared this discovery with anyone else.

"Did you now?" Diablos chuckled. "Then your evolved form's aura capabilities are leagues above what they once were. In any case, there have been a number of interesting developments in your absence. The most obvious of which may be the recent recovery of mobility, but even that feels trivial compared to what has just resulted from our Ninetales' friend ill-conceived attempt to confront me."

"What are you even talking about?" Cecilia demanded impatiently, her flames crackling loudly, and her blue eyes narrowed at the Spiritomb suspiciously.

"See for yourself," Diablos answered, and swiveled around to look towards his other self, the smaller ghost having gone unnoticed from its present location on the other side of the room. One by one, the other Pokemon followed his gaze, and to make things easier on them, Diablos had his second form step closer, so that the light of Cecilia's flames would better illuminate the features of the second Pokemon.

"Hi!" Plasma greeted enthusiastically, darting nearer to the second ghost and orbiting around it like an overexcited satellite. "Are you a new pet? Do you have a name already? How long have you been here? Ooh, can I-"

"Breathe, Plasma," Diablos suggested pleasantly, speaking through the smaller ghost, and smiling fondly at the Rotom. "I'm Diablos."

"Wow, really? You two have the same name? What are the odds of that?" Plasma chirped. "Maybe we should come up with a nickname or something to make it less confusing. Like Diablos One and Diablos Two, or maybe D-One and D-Two, for short."

Kaito and the others exchanged looks, and judging by their uncomfortable expressions, none of them knew what to make of this situation. Cecilia and Force both narrowed their eyes suspiciously at the second ghost, whereas Kaito seemed more confused than wary. Iris, unsurprisingly, chose to passively keep her distance.

"I confess that I myself am unsure of the exact circumstances behind this matter," Diablos said, continuing to address the group as the smaller ghost. He reached up and plucked one of the golden rings dangling from his horn, and twirled it absently in his paw. "This body is not merely a host, as you may initially suspect. It is an extension of myself...and if Renard's reaction is anything to go by, it may be my true form."

"Your true form?" Kaito repeated blankly, peering closer at the smaller ghost. "So you're not really a Spiritomb?"

"I have no idea," the pint-sized ghost lamented, idly tossing the ring into the air and catching it as it descended. He continued to play catch with himself in this manner as he explained, "I do feel much more at ease with it as the central point of my thoughts, and it is infinitely more capable than my Spiritomb self...yet I still feel connected to the other souls, and can communicate with them just as before."

"Wait, how did any of this come about?" Kaito asked, shaking his head in confusion. Diablos smiled mischievously.

"It is admittedly a bit of a long story," he noted.

"Then summarize it," Cecilia retorted irritably. She had not relaxed an inch since arriving at the Chateau, although Diablos could hardly fault her for that. She was the most hostile member of the group by default when it came to matters concerning him, and he did not expect that to change in the near future.

"Very well," the djinn chortled, rubbing his hands together delightedly, then cocked his head to the side so that the ring he was playing with hooked itself back onto his horn. Plasma let out an approving squeal before moving further away from him. "There is an ongoing territory war within the Eterna Forest, born partially from the animosity a former member of the Hive feels towards the current queen. That hostility has evolved into venom over the years, it seems, and my presence has amplified the darkness within her soul. Regrettable as this course may be, the warring between factions serves a use to me...as lives are lost and struggles endured, greater darknesses are born. In the end, I have harvested the energy within the souls sacrificed to the war."

"Son of a-" Force spat, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Diablos. Iris cringed a little bit, but moved closer to the Lucario, as if her presence might soothe his displeasure. Kaito's expression was impassive, revealing neither approval nor dissent to what Diablos had said.

"Do not mistake my words as me encouraging the war. Senseless destruction and death serve little use to me," Diablos said sternly, his eyes flashing towards Cecilia, rather than Force. The Quilava blinked once, but said nothing in reply. "The one leading the war effort is detestable, even by my standards. Her darkness, fueled by pure hatred, is like a corrosive poison. Her sole value to me is that her existence strengthens the darknesses of her associates, who firmly believe in their cause, and her more capable adversaries, who push themselves above and beyond in the hopes of vanquishing her."

"This is messed up, you know that, right?" Cecilia growled. "You talk like you're trying to get the most points in a game, by playing two sides against one another."

"I would be delighted to hear your alternative plan," Diablos answered with a playful grin. "My efforts thus far have been successful. My Spiritomb self has regained basic mobility, thanks to the energy I've gathered. However, it seems that perhaps my efforts were not as undetectable as I originally presumed."

"Should we just be resigning ourselves to asking what he means every time he pauses for breath?" Force wondered. Iris stifled a giggle with her paw, and even Cecilia seemed momentarily amused, although she maintained her rigid demeanor.

"You need not say anything to prompt elaboration," Diablos chuckled. "Not long after regaining my mobility and relocating to this very room, two Pokemon entered the Chateau. You have glimpsed them both. One was that elegant, nine-tailed fox, named Renard, and the latter was a Hive Beedrill, known as Bee-Bee. I knew their names already, but curiously, Renard seemed to likewise know mine."

"What?" Kaito blurted, his eyes darting between the Spiritomb and the other ghost, as if unsure which one he was supposed to be focusing on. Diablos waved his paw to regain the Togetic's attention.

"I thought that was particularly interesting. He was hostile by default, yet identified me by name. I swiftly deduced that he may have had a history with me, prior to my sealing. The species is particularly long-lived, if I recall, and his wariness and demeanor all but confirmed that he knew not only my name, but of my common abilities to read a person's heart, and be nourished by their darkness. As for my efforts, Bee-Bee seemed to believe I was influencing the Eterna War. They had come here, perhaps knowing I resided here, in an effort to confront me."

"I really didn't tell anyone we operated from the Chateau," Cecilia insisted defensively, although no one had yet given any indication that they suspected this.

"How they determined my whereabouts is of absolutely no concern to me. Renard seems to have numerous unnatural abilities. It is more than conceivable that he could sense or pinpoint my presence, particularly if he has past history with me," Diablos said, waving his arm dismissively. "As for the actual confrontation...it went quite poorly, all-around. Renard's apprehension of his darkness made him passive, and Bee-Bee's attacks were ineffective against my ghostly form. But perhaps I got too confident, as they soon built up their resolves to eliminate me. Bee-Bee possessed one of those Mega Stones, and Renard a Key Stone that acts as the anchor."

Kaito inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in alarm, and even Force whispered an oath under his breath. Cecilia merely squinted, evidently the least familiar with how much power was contained within those stones.

"When he activated the Key Stone to enable her evolution...this form was somehow simultaneously unlocked from within my Keystone base," Diablos said, dramatically gesturing to his current form. "You cannot imagine my feelings of elation...there is so much power contained within this unimposing form...and I even regained a flicker of my memory, useless as it currently is in deciphering many of the mysteries surrounding me."

There was a long silence as the group silently digested his speech, and when they looked up again, he merely smiled.

"Wait, is that it?" Kaito asked, bemused.

"All that is worth elaborating upon. You arrived soon afterwards, and put an end to the conflict. The last thing of note is Renard's peculiar attachment to that stone," Diablos stated, gesturing towards Force, and the Lucarionite bracer clutched in his paw. "Very sentimental towards it, and he desired to reclaim ownership of it. Yet, I can't understand why...we found it nestled in the Solaceon Ruins, in a hidden chamber that had seemingly been built to house an enigmatic object such as that. If it had been owned by another previously...why was it found there? Or does it merely remind him of a past possession? I do not know...but it intrigues me all the same."

"Um," Iris began, fidgeting nervously as she spoke. "What sort of things are you able to do now?" Her cheeks flushed as the rest of the group gave her a curious glance. "I mean, you said you're more capable now, right?" she added hastily.

"Indeed," Diablos agreed, offering the Kirlia a fond smile. He was a little surprised that Iris was the one to ask the question, but he was far from displeased to be asked. "I am not yet certain of the scope of my abilities, and I have not had the opportunity to experiment with my limits. I am for sure able to employ telekinesis, produce Shadow Balls, and these rings can create portals of some kind to transport objects that pass through them. As I still feel the connection to the Spiritomb Keystone, I suspect I maintain all those abilities as well."

The smaller ghost paused, then lifted one hand up to his chest level and focused for a moment, yet nothing happened.

"Ah, a tiny correction. This body does not have direct access to the soul fragments. But I wonder...am I able to do this?"

Diablos focused again, and from across the room, a green sphere emerged from the Spiritomb's core, hovering ominously in the air. Diablos then seized one of the golden rings from a horn and swiped it through the air in front of him. The ring expanded during the motion, conjuring a swirling blue portal within its center. With only a moment's hesitation, Diablos extended his own hand into the portal, and a second ring materialized beside the Spiritomb. A disembodied arm emerged from the second portal and fumbled awkwardly for a moment before managing to locate and clasp its hand around the Spiritomb soul, and then withdrew back into the ring.

With a triumphant shout, Diablos pulled his arm out of the portal ring, the soul fragment clutched within his hand, the green sphere pulsing ominously.

"Lovely! I can CREATE access to my soul pool. That means, an issue like the failed soul transfer with Shadow is unlikely to happen again. Of course...this is the only body capable of producing these portals, so it may not be as useful if I'm operating through an active host," Diablos murmured, his yellow eyes glittering with excitement. With a shrug, he nonchalantly threw the soul fragment back into the portal, watching with unabashed delight as the sphere emerged from the second portal and rejoined with the Spiritomb.

"I don't suppose you know the range on those portals?" Kaito wondered. Diablos grinned and shook his head.

"No idea. I will have to experiment," he answered, his expression becoming thoughtful. "They seem to cause no harm to the objects or individuals passing through them, but even so, I would not be comfortable using them as a means of traveling until I've determined that range. Would likewise need to check for any discrepancy on distance, angle, and location. Every instance thus far, I've only had them come out within the same room, where I can see the results."

"So...do you believe you have regained the abilities necessary to assist with our agenda?" Kaito pressed seriously. "You said when we unsealed you that you couldn't be of much help with your current power. Has that changed?"

Diablos was silent for a few moments, considering the question fully. It would not do to commit to something if he was not confident that he had reached a point where his abilities were sufficient for the task. Back in the winter, when he had been sealed, he had only been conscious of how little power he actually possessed. The stories Kaito had referenced, albeit vaguely, suggested that his powers could influence the world on a grander scale than he had been capable of doing. However, now that his Spiritomb core had regained mobility, and he had regained access to an infinitely more powerful and capable form, it seemed that perhaps now he could indeed benefit the group's cause.

"I believe it has," Diablos answered finally. "However, I request a little bit of time to grow more accustomed to my form and abilities before we proceed with your ambitions. A secondary concern is that the Chateau may no longer be ideally suited for our base of operations. Renard and Bee-Bee are aware that I have been residing here, and before long, a second attempt may be made to engage me. Their threat is not to be underestimated."

"They're that strong?" Cecilia asked, cocking her head.

"Not just them, either. It seems I will never live down the death of Echo and Rio," he lamented, shaking his head. "I've made so many powerful enemies in doing so. Shadow, Renard, that Absol from the forest...I can only wonder how many more come out of the woodwork in pursuit of avenging them."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't kill Pokemon for no reason," Force said curtly.

Diablos rolled his eyes. "Yes...even my allies won't let me live that down. Do you not understand by now that my actions were out of desperation, rather than malice? Ignoring my selfish agenda in pursuing Shadow in the first place, the fact was that they interrupted the transfer of the soul, and ordered him to flee the scene. Once he was out of range, my control on you would be lifted, and you would have had no idea why you were under attack, to say nothing of your ineptitude in combat."

"Don't call me weak!" the Lucario snapped, clenching his fist around the Lucarionite bracer, and blue aura surged around his body momentarily as if his entire body had been set alight. Iris recoiled from the sudden outburst, but Force seemed to realize what was going on right away, because he flinched, fumbling momentarily with the Lucarionite bracer before hastily tossing it aside, as though it were an unpleasant piece of trash. Once free of his grasp, the stone ceased glowing, and the aura faded from his body.

"Ah-ah-ah, don't mishandle that," Diablos said, grinning cheekily, and wagging one finger at the Lucario scoldingly. "Renard told you to cherish it, remember? In any case, parents seeking to protect their kits from a hostile source are unlikely to pull punches. Knowing my time in control was limited, I had to end the conflict swiftly, and that, unfortunately, required lethal force. I assure you, I do not relish the outcome, but I will make the best of the situation."

"That's how you operate," Kaito remarked softly.

"Oh? You've learned that about me?" Diablos chuckled, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"With so many complaints about your methods and actions, I am at least aware that you are...consistent, in your approach," Kaito answered carefully. "Pragmatic to a fault. Results justifying the means, with acceptance of risk and consequences."

Cecilia and Force both shot the Togetic mildly disgruntled looks, but made no comment. It was easy for Diablos to deduce what they were thinking, even without trying to read their thoughts or hearts. They disagreed with Kaito's acceptance of the past situations. Of course, Diablos saw no issue with their dissent. He had made poor decisions in pursuit of his goals, and as a result, had lost much of the trust of some of his allies. However, he would strive to learn from these errors and correct his flaws whenever possible.

"Let's move on," Diablos suggested pleasantly. "What are the plans moving forward? I intend to relocate my Spiritomb core, and experiment with my abilities and limitations, but what about the rest of you, in the meantime?"

"I still intend to inspect the Solaceon Ruins," Kaito answered, as if he had been expecting the question. "I want to figure out the significance of its treasure and guardians. Perhaps it will even offer some insight as to why you initially appeared as a Spiritomb, if that is not your true form."

"I'm not going with you," Force said bluntly, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't want to be anywhere NEAR that place again."

Disappointment flashed across Kaito's face, before he turned his attention to Cecilia. She blinked, and then frowned. "Ugh...why?"

"Because Lin's still in Johto," Kaito explained. "I am not well-suited to intense combat situations, so I'd ideally want you or Lin to accompany me to an area that has hostile guardians within it."

Force muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a complaint that even Kaito was calling him weak, and Diablos fought to keep a straight face, although Kaito gave no indication that he had heard the Lucario's muttering. He was absently massaging his chest, as if concerned about his heart rate.

"And...we could maybe visit Floaroma Meadow again," Iris suggested in an undertone to Force, the Lucario's face lighting up at the mention.

"And I'm going to stay home and watch TV!" Plasma said enthusiastically. "Johto was a nice vacation, and their radio stations are WAY better, but there's no place like home, you know? Just like in that movie, where the Pyroar, the Bisharp, and the Cacturne help this trainer girl with a Lillipup find her way through some foreign land-"

"Is that the one with an evil Gardevoir in it?" Iris asked, sounding a mix between potentially offended, and genuinely curious. Force gave her a bewildered look, and Iris blushed. "I...think I read the book version?"

"The next question I have," Diablos interjected. "Is that after I've relocated and gotten more comfortable with my abilities, when or where should we get in touch with one another? Again, we may prefer to avoid the Chateau for a time, although I have contact with Plasma if needed, but what about the rest of you?"

Kaito considered this for a few moments before finally answering, "Celestic Town."

"Celestic Town?" Diablos repeated blankly, and even the rest of the group exchanged perplexed glances.

"It's a very small town between here and Solaceon Town, very rich in Sinnoh history and mythology," Kaito explained. "It's on the east side of Mt. Coronet. It's probably where I want to head next after examining the Solaceon Ruins," he continued.

"And I imagine you do not intend to explain further at this time," Diablos chuckled, and his eyes glittered knowingly. "Very well. When should we meet up? A week or so, to provide ample travel time for those who require it?"

"The start of May," Kaito confirmed. He glanced towards the rest of the group. "Is that good for everyone?"

Force and Iris gave identical shrugs in response, whereas Cecilia just nodded. Diablos chuckled.

"Lovely...I look forward to it."


	103. Together Again

Several days had passed in what seemed like a fraction of the time, and if not for the calendar that Blizzard kept within her den, Frost might have lost track of the date entirely. Each day seemed like part of a standard routine, yet deviated in a way that made each feel distinct and eventful, even when very little actually happened.

The Glaceon awoke each morning, often discovering that his female counterpart was already awake, and after a brief greeting and exchange of nuzzles, he would eat a quick breakfast and go for a walk outside, relishing the crisp, familiar mountain air and the breathtaking view of the snowy mountains. Sometimes, he lingered to watch the sunrise, or did some basic stretching and training exercises, before returning to the den in time to see Glacia wake up.

The young Eevee was slowly coming around to eating semi-solid foods, and several times, Frost had caught the little one watching him while he ate. According to Blizzard, Glacia still adamantly refused second portions, but after watching Frost eat a helping of fruit, she would usually accept her own meal of crushed fruit without protest, as if actively taking inspiration from the male Glaceon. Her appetite also seemed to be growing, as she would nag her mother for feeding within a short period of time if she was only provided with one berry at the most recent meal.

There was almost always a point during the day when Blizzard would take Glacia outside the den for a few minutes, the Eevee bundled with multiple scarves to improve her tolerance of the cold environment. Frost chose to accompany them more often than not, and took silent pride in watching his daughter bounce around the snowy meadow, her tail wagging with curious enthusiasm. It reminded him of his own childhood. Playing in snow was always one of his favorite pastimes before the concept of battling captured his fascination.

The time spent outdoors was often enough to tire out the adorable ball of fluff, so Blizzard and Frost usually had time to talk once they had returned to the den and settled Glacia down for a nap. The topic varied each afternoon, but it reminded Frost of his rapport with the female Glaceon prior to Glacia's birth. He had always found her frank and honest nature, regardless of subject, very appealing. It was a mark of confidence, and even in the event that she did not want to disclose information, she said so directly, and remained firm on the matter. It didn't hurt that she was also rather affectionate, and openly enjoyed closeness. This extended even to the present day, although boundaries were enforced much more strictly than during the winter months.

"Hey, Bliz?" Frost ventured, on the seventh day of his visit. The three of them were relaxing in the central room of the den. Glacia had been so tired out from tackling snowballs that she had flopped down onto the nearest pillow the moment they had returned to the den. Blizzard had settled down nearby, and Frost had sat down beside her, encouraging the female Ice-type to rest her head on his shoulder. Conversation had been relatively minimal, and Blizzard had been in the process of dozing off herself when a sudden thought had occurred to him.

Blizzard made an inquisitive sound, and shifted slightly, if only to indicate that she was still awake, because she didn't lift her head from his shoulder.

"Have you put any thought into Glacia's social future?" Frost wondered, internally wincing at how random the question sounded when spoken aloud.

Blizzard lifted her head, the shadow of a perplexed frown passing over her face. After a brief pause, she refocused on the male Glaceon. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand what you mean," she said, sounding almost embarrassed to be saying as much.

"I was just thinking that, due to the relative isolation of your den, Glacia may not have much opportunity to naturally meet and interact with Pokemon outside her immediate family," Frost explained carefully. "I'm concerned that this isolation might negatively impact her social skills, or at least limit her ability to develop healthy friendships with other Pokemon."

"Hm, that's a good point," Blizzard admitted, nodding slowly. "I will probably need to play an active role in getting the ball rolling in that sense. I do keep in touch with a few contacts on the mountain, so something could probably be arranged. Definitely something for me to look into."

"Who do you keep in contact with?" Frost wondered blankly. "I've almost never seen any Pokemon so much as passing through this section of the mountain. I doubt you get frequent visits."

"I don't," Blizzard admitted, yet her tail flicked, so the fact on its own didn't seem to bother her much. "I enjoy the peaceful isolation I have here, but I still welcome company, and offer shelter to passerby that may require it, like you."

"But who do you keep in contact with?" Frost pressed gently. If she didn't want to say, he supposed he would have to let that go, but he was still curious.

"My most frequent recurring visitor is Cusil," Blizzard answered, smiling a little. "He's a Sneasel that hails from the mountain pack, and he usually comes by to exchange resources on behalf of the pack alpha."

"You exchange resources with the Sneasel pack?" Frost repeated, arching his eyebrows incredulously. Blizzard stifled a giggle at his reaction.

"Yes, it's actually a very valuable arrangement," Blizzard answered, once she had recomposed herself. "They've established a fairly impressive network of contacts across the mountain, so anything I may want or need, they can get for me."

"Like what?" Frost pressed, a mixture of bewilderment and fascination fueling his inquiries at this point, temporarily forgetting about the original concern.

"Well, I got my calendar for this year back in December," Blizzard said, gesturing vaguely towards the back of the room, where she kept the annual calendar. Frost blinked once, but made no comment. "I also got those scarves for Glacia through their network. Well, I got them more in case of sheltering a non-Ice-type in my den, but same difference."

"But what do you give in exchange? I'm drawing a blank on what sort of resources you'd have that they'd want, if they can get you almost anything that you request," Frost said, frowning. "It just seems like they could get what you have on their own."

Blizzard practically beamed with pride. "There is apparently a demand for my ice sculptures," she said, gesturing this time to the den entrance, the outside of which was flanked by a pair of incredibly gorgeous ice crystals, and Frost recalled the beautiful, artistic design of the female Glaceon's territory emblem hanging over the cave den. It did not surprise him in the slightest that such breathtaking and durable crystalline designs might be desirable among Pokemon, or even humans, living on Mt. Coronet.

"Fair enough. So what's your basic idea for Glacia? Asking the pack to arrange a playdate?" Frost asked, hoping that his tone didn't sound overly sarcastic. He really wouldn't be in a position to criticize the notion of an Eevee befriending a Sneasel, although his relationship with Lin was more akin to student and master than friendship.

"If not among their own members, then perhaps by getting in contact with other local Pokemon who may have someone around her age," Blizzard said, then tilted her head towards him. "Thoughts?"

"Sneasel are rather scrappy Pokemon by nature," the male Glaceon said carefully. "Perhaps not the ideal first friend of a kit her age, unless she takes to battling with the same enthusiasm that I did."

"She might. It would run in her blood," Blizzard giggled. In response to Frost's blank look, she smiled. "You forget that I am also an experienced battler. Perhaps not on, say, Astrid's level, but I was no slouch."

"I forget because I never knew," Frost argued blandly. "It's not like we had much opportunity to spar or battle during my stay here."

"True, we had other ways of staying fit," Blizzard giggled. Frost did the bizarre mixture of a smirk and a wince, resulting in an expression that conveyed neither. A short silence fell between them, and they both observed the sleeping Eevee with matching expressions of fondness. "Oh, Frost?"

"Hm?" the male Glaceon glanced back at Blizzard, only to discover that she was wearing a slightly morose expression.

"It's been wonderful having you around again, even temporarily," she said quietly, forcing a small smile on her face. The look made Frost's insides squirm. Clearly, Blizzard had already realized that he was likely to depart again, even if he hadn't said anything to suggest as much. She could read him way too well.

"I know. I want to try to visit more often, or at least for longer periods of time, like this one," Frost said, giving the female an awkward nuzzle. "But I am starting to feel like I've been away from my current companions too long. The trip up here took longer than expected, and I've lingered longer than planned."

"I understand, I really do," Blizzard assured him. "But you know...if you ever change your mind about staying here with us, permanently...you're welcome to."

Frost nodded slowly. "Noted...but I worry you may be restricting yourself unnecessarily. I detest the notion of you pining for me and dismissing future suitors in the hopes I'll re-evaluate my current feelings for you."

Blizzard rolled her eyes. "Little fear of that. My love life is definitely on hiatus as long as Glacia's living here. Or at least until she gets a suitor."

"Arceus forbid," Frost deadpanned. Blizzard cast him a look that was equal parts amusement and disapproval. "I'll be sure to prepare a screening exam for any male that so much as looks at her funny."

"Aw, you're a protective father," Blizzard giggled.

Frost snorted, but his tail flicked in agreement. "I'd just want someone who'd take the obligation to their mate seriously, and not just bolt after- oh, shut up," he grumbled, noticing the incredulous look the female Glaceon was giving him.

"I'm teasing, I'm teasing," Blizzard insisted, nipping Frost's ear playfully. "I think it's kind of sweet that you care so much. Glacia really looks up to you."

"All the more reason for me to try to be around as much as I can," Frost sighed. "With that in mind, I intend to remain for the rest of today, and perhaps depart sometime tomorrow morning, if that is agreeable."

"Sounds fine," Blizzard said. Of course, Frost hadn't expected her to voice an objection. She was fairly unambiguous regarding her preference for him to stick around, but she was good about not pressing the matter too much.

Glacia shifted in her sleep, distracting the adults briefly from the conversation, but the Eevee settled down again, her breathing remaining steady and uninterrupted. Even so, this prompted a lull in conversation, giving Frost a little time to just think things over.

It was beginning to feel like top priority to reconnect with Shadow and Leaf at the earliest possibility. He had already been gone for much longer than expected, and he hadn't given them a timeframe for his return. In the wake of the Eterna Forest situation, he wasn't sure what they were going to do for the future, and restricting them in one area, vainly waiting for him to return, seemed like a cold move on his part.

Frost's eyes drifted to the calendar at the back of the den. By his count, it had been just over two weeks since he had left the younger Eeveelutions, and that wasn't factoring in the time it would take for him to travel from the mountains back to the Eterna City area. He wasn't even sure the next time it would be convenient, or feasible, to visit Blizzard's den again.

"Do you have significant dates marked on this?" Frost wondered abruptly, wandering over to the paper chart and examining it more closely. Each of the numbered squares were marked with a simple black line to indicate that the date had passed, but he didn't see any other indicators or labels, at least not for the month of April. He knew from his original stay that Blizzard at least kept a black marker on hand to mark the calendar, but their species' paws lacked the dexterity to really write legible notes.

"I mark them with a black dot, but it's up to me to remember the significance, so I do it sparingly," Blizzard answered, joining him at the calendar and carefully flipping the pages back to the month of January. The female Ice-type then pointed her paw to a distinct black dot in the corner of the square labeled with the number seven. "Like that, see?"

"Fair enough," Frost mused with a smile, briefly glancing at the other pages as he flipped them back to April. After a thoughtful pause, he looked ahead to the month of May. "Oh? You already have my birthday marked on this?" he wondered, genuinely taken aback to discover that the sixteenth numbered box of the month already contained a black dot identical to the one seen on the first page.

"One of our early conversations touched upon birthdays," Blizzard reminded him with a smile. "I had mentioned my birthday being in July."

"That's right, July twelfth," Frost murmured, and his female counterpart nodded. "And that segued into a discussion of births relative to heat season," he continued, and then chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "I almost forgot how bizarrely frank our conversations tended to be."

"It was always nice to get a fresh perspective on things," Blizzard giggled. "Your parents must have raised you to be openly inquisitive about any subject. That's the approach I intend to raise Glacia with."

"I agree wholeheartedly," Frost said seriously. "That is also how I would prefer to raise and educate my kits. Encouraging them to get open and honest information on any subject, taboo or otherwise, from their parents and mentors, is far superior to sheltering them, or scolding them for their curiosity."

Blizzard's smile brightened. "It's a relief to confirm that we share a similar vision in how to raise Glacia," she said, briefly looking over at the sleeping Eevee. "She should be waking up shortly."

Frost smirked briefly, and followed her gaze to the Eevee kit. Sure enough, Glacia was beginning to stir, then shifted her positioning more drastically, in a futile effort to get comfortable enough to doze off again. Blizzard was at the Eevee's side in an instant, licking her daughter's ears affectionately, as if to reassure Glacia that her mother was nearby.

"Hey, Bliz, I'm back!"

The sudden call from outside the den jolted Glacia awake, and both Blizzard and Frost flinched, the male Glaceon swiftly taking a position between the other two Pokemon and the den entrance. A moment later, a familiar female quadruped stepped into the den. It had dark skin mostly covered with snow-white fur, and sparkling green eyes. A distinct, scythe-like horn adorned one side of its head, and its paws wielded vicious-looking claws, to saw nothing of the rows of razor-sharp teeth visible when she grinned. The Absol blinked upon noticing Frost.

"Wait, you're still here?" Astrid marveled incredulously. "I thought you would have left a couple days ago."

"And I didn't expect you to return at all," Frost retorted stiffly, although he relaxed his defensive stance.

"Sorry to disappoint," Astrid replied with a nonchalant shrug, then focused past the male Glaceon to the other two females in the den. "I brought a guest, hope you don't mind!"

"Uh..." Blizzard began, but her uncertainty evaporated as a second Pokemon hastened into the den. It took Frost a few moments to identify the Pokemon, largely in part due to the heavy travel cloak draped around the second Pokemon's shoulders. It was a yellow, bipedal Pokemon with thin, lanky arms and legs. Its tail was far bulkier, at least from what Frost could see protruding from beneath the travel cloak. The Pokemon's face ended in a narrowed snout, and its paws ended in sharp claws that might have rivaled Astrid's, if not for the impression that they served more for dexterity than combat.

In spite of the heavy cloak draped around the Kadabra's body, it was immediately apparent that the cold air was nowhere near to its liking, as she was unambiguously shivering, although her violet eyes were steely focused.

"Ooh! A/C!" Blizzard practically squealed, rushing over and nuzzling against the Kadabra affectionately. Glacia uttered a squeak of confusion, obviously not nearly as trusting of the bipedal Pokemon as she was towards Astrid.

"That's enough," the Kadabra interjected firmly, and pale blue energy surrounded the female Glaceon, gently moving her back, so that they were no longer in contact. "Your fur is freezing," A/C explained, drawing her travel cloak more tightly around herself in a vain effort to protect her temperature-sensitive body.

"Oh...right, I forgot you really hate the cold," Blizzard said, smiling apologetically, but she seemed perplexed. "Why did you come out here, then?"

"Oh, that's my fault," Astrid supplied brightly, her tail wagging. "I might have let slip about your little cutie here."

"She's met me before," Frost said dismissively, knowing perfectly well that he wasn't the one Astrid was referring to, but it was worth it just to see Astrid's bemused expression. "Yes, I know you meant Glacia. Still, even I know A/C detests cold, considering she's the one who brought me to the area the last time I visited."

"Could we please go somewhere warmer to catch up?" A/C pressed, making every effort to keep her teeth from chattering as she spoke.

"Um...is it safe to Teleport all of us? Glacia's still pretty young," Blizzard said, biting her lower lip uncertainly.

"I can manage," A/C assured her. "But to be extra sure, I could hold her."

It took a few moments to coerce Glacia into letting A/C approach her, even with both of her parents nearby, but they managed it in the end, and Frost even had the foresight to engage the bundle of fluff in a game of "peek-a-boo" so that her eyes would be covered at the moment A/C Teleported, although it came at the cost of Frost having his eyes open and having the flash of light delivered to his eyes at point-blank range.

When the spots faded from his vision, he could see that they were within a different cave den. Books were scattered around the den, similar to the haphazard arrangement he had seen the last time he was here, yet he still found it to be much tidier than Blizzard's organized chaos of a den.

The surrounding air was much warmer in comparison to Blizzard's, almost to the point of Frost finding it uncomfortable, a sentiment that Blizzard visibly agreed with, although she made no comment on the fact. A/C must have set Glacia down on arrival, because the Eevee was wandering around and sniffing at everything, her expression a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

"You have a very nice den," Blizzard remarked, settling herself down and smiling at A/C. The Kadabra had removed her travel cloak before sitting down in a cross-legged style near the back of the den.

"Thank you," A/C replied, her voice regaining her usual serene tone now that they were out of a cold environment. "I'm happy to see you are doing well, Blizzard. Astrid mentioned your recent addition, but it's only proper that you elaborate on the details."

"Okay!" Blizzard said brightly, her tail swishing with pride. "Come over here, sweetie," she called to the Eevee. Glacia's ears twitched, and she bounded over to her mother, looking up at her expectantly. "A/C, this is Glacia. Do you want to say 'hello', cutie?" Blizzard said, nudging the Eevee affectionately.

Glacia chirped, and A/C bobbed her head politely in response, then refocused her attention upon Blizzard.

"She's adorable. How old is she?" the Kadabra wondered.

"Just a couple months," Blizzard answered with a smile. "She hatched this past January."

"Still quite young, then," A/C murmured, observing the Eevee kit with rapt interest. She had taken one of the spoons clipped to the belt at her waist and was twirling it idly in her paw, as if she struggled to remain completely stationary for long periods of time. Glacia watched the spoon's movements in turn, visibly awed by the show of dexterity. "I do not mean to pry, but I also would like to avoid making undue assumptions-"

"It's me," Frost deadpanned, before the Kadabra could finish. Astrid immediately giggled, and Blizzard smiled, while visibly resisting the urge to roll her eyes. A/C merely nodded, making no effort to persist in her inquiry. "I can already tell that's going to be an aggravatingly common question among Blizzard's peers," Frost lamented. "Who's the father? Who's the father? Are you two siblings?"

A/C cast a knowing look in Astrid's direction, while visibly fighting an amused smile. The Absol seemed entirely oblivious to the jab at her expense, but even that observation was starting to feel like old hat in Frost's eyes. For that matter, the Absol wasn't even paying attention to the conversation, her head instead cocked to the side as if listening intently to something that no one else was aware of yet, and her eyes kept drifting towards the entrance of A/C's den.

"Is something the matter, Astrid?" the Kadabra wondered, taking note of the predator's peculiar behavior.

"Do you normally get visitors out here? I think someone's coming this way," Astrid said, her tail wagging. She paused for a moment, and her tail wagged faster, like a puppy being offered a treat. "Yup! Definitely someone coming. Should I ambush them?"

"Please don't," A/C insisted firmly. "I offer a small variety of therapy and meditation services when I have days off. It could be a potential client, or even an acquaintance of mine."

"Never pictured you as much of a social Butterfree or whatever," Astrid giggled. In spite of the Kadabra's objection, she moved nearer to the den entrance and peered outside. "Ooh, hey Shadow!"

"You've got to be-" Frost blurted incredulously, before catching Blizzard's warning glare, and the expletive died at the tip of his tongue. "...kidding me," he finished weakly. By this point, Glacia was looking around in concern, conscious of the shift in mood taking place, but without any of the context. With a small whine, the Eevee cuddled close to both of her parents, requiring Frost to stroke her fur placatingly, while Blizzard draped her tail around the kit.

Sure enough, as Astrid retreated from the entrance, an ebony-furred Espeon and a young Leafeon stepped into the den. Both appeared slightly hassled and travel-worn, but in relatively fine spirits. Shadow stopped in his tracks upon noticing how occupied the den was, whereas Leaf's ears perked up.

"Hello, it is good to see both of you again," A/C said softly, offering the two Eons a welcoming smile that seemed to melt the tension in Shadow's stance. "I apologize if my den seems overly crowded at this time, but you are welcome to make yourselves comfortable if you wish."

"Uh...thank you," Shadow muttered, his eyes darting briefly at the other Pokemon present, before doing a double take on seeing Frost. "Wait, when did you get here?"

"A couple of minutes ago," Frost deadpanned. "The timing is so impeccable as to be completely absurd."

"Let's do introductions!" Astrid suggested, her tail wagging with excessive enthusiasm, considering that almost everyone present knew one another already. Frost was about to comment on that very fact, but Blizzard stepped forward gracefully to approach the other Eeveelutions.

"Hello," she said pleasantly, carrying herself with natural poise and confidence. "My name is Blizzard. I was raised on the same team as Astrid and A/C, a few years ago."

"Oh...hey," Shadow mumbled awkwardly. Frost had little doubt that the Espeon was connecting the dots in his mind, and the reason for his discomfort was all-too apparent. "I'm Shadow," the Espeon added hastily, and then looked back towards Leaf, wordlessly urging him to introduce himself.

"I'm Leaf!" the younger sibling supplied brightly. This was answered by a squeak from Glacia, drawing the Leafeon's attention. "Hi, little Eevee! What's your name?"

Glacia chirped happily, her tail swishing. Leaf seemed momentarily confused, and Glacia chirped again, more loudly. The Leafeon answered with a squeak, almost identical in pitch and consistency to Glacia's efforts at communicating. To Frost's growing astonishment, Glacia squealed in delight and began squeaking and chirping more rapidly than usual, occasionally bouncing on the pads of her paws. Leaf listened, occasionally interjecting with a few chirps and squeals of his own, with the most notable difference being that he also used gestures to punctuate his sounds.

"...your brother is fluent in kit-speak, Shadow," Frost deadpanned. "He knows how to communicate with words...but he's talking to Glacia in kit-speak. I am so done right now."


	104. Serene Interlude

Night was falling by the time Renard returned, alone, to the clearing where he had been staying the past several weeks. Once Bee-Bee had regained consciousness, she had insisted on remaining in the Eterna Forest, and Renard had lacked the will to argue with her. The lonely trek back to familiar territory had felt like he was on auto-pilot, his thoughts tangling together like overgrown weeds.

The Ninetales stopped walking, and turned his ruby eyes to the enlarged semi-sphere hovering in the dark blue tapestry of the night sky. Now that he was away from the Eterna Forest, the weight of his emotions felt lighter, its burden reduced from his heart and mind. Yet as he stood in the clearing, his thoughts drifted to all the friends he had lost over the years, and sorrow grasped at his heart. The wounds were still too fresh.

Without conscious thought, Renard changed direction, and began walking again. He navigated through dense forest, his conscious mind barely registering the trees and branches that stood in his path and tugged at his fur as he passed. Finally, he stopped, blinking once or twice as if not yet aware of where his body had taken him.

Standing before the golden fox were two simple stone markers, with a wilted white flower laying across the ground before them. Etched into each of the stone markers was a single word, a simple designation that Astrid had carved with great care. The simplicity of the memorial was its greatest asset, for it conveyed so much to those who understood its purpose.

Renard sat down in front of the graves, his eyes focused upon the ground beneath his paws. If the stone markers had been living beings, it would have been the same as not meeting their eyes. It was rare for the Ninetales to feel so lowly and ashamed, but these circumstances were far from ordinary. In addition to the pre-existing sorrow, there was a tangible sense of failure clinging to his heart.

"Hey, Echo," Renard began, speaking barely above a whisper, and abandoning his usual formal phrasing. This was a private conversation between peers, and in his present mood, he saw no use in trussing up his words. It was normally a valuable exercise for him to speak precisely and without much emotion, but right now, he needed to express those emotions.

The Ninetales took a breath, and lifted his head a little, enough to see the base of the stone memorial that marked his Vaporeon friend's final resting place. An unpleasant lump formed in his throat, making it more difficult to swallow.

"I faced the one who slayed you and Rio," Renard continued, glancing momentarily towards the second grave marker, just as how he used to give the Jolteon an acknowledging glance whenever she was present during a conversation with Echo. He swallowed with difficulty, and when he spoke again, his voice trembled slightly. "But I couldn't avenge you. And I'm sorry..."

Renard closed his eyes to fight back the tears stinging his eyes. In his mind's eye, he knew exactly how Echo would respond to such a statement. The Vaporeon's face would line with concern, without a trace of disappointment in his eyes. Then, with just a few words, the water Eon would redirect the subject. The image was so vivid in Renard's mind that he choked back the mixture of a laugh and a sob.

"I mean...I know you wouldn't want me to claim vengeance for your sake," Renard said, his eyes glistening as he raised his head again. "But...how could I live with myself if I didn't try to make things right? I can't just sit back and do nothing. It won't fix things, I know that...and nothing can bring you back, but...I don't know..."

The Ninetales trailed off, wracking his brain to think of something else to say. He knew pursuit of vengeance was an empty goal, which is why he so adamantly urged Shadow not to go down that road. Echo would never approve of his sons carrying a grudge, nor would he have approved Renard to take on such a hateful burden. If Echo were still alive, he would voice that sentiment aloud, and talk Renard through his conflicting feelings, until the Ninetales could see the futility of the goal for himself.

It was so much easier to discourage someone from making a mistake than it was to avoid the mistake yourself. Easy to tell someone the danger of letting spiteful emotions take hold of your behavior and mindset, but a much trickier trap to squirm out of when you were the one inside it.

"I wish you were still here," Renard murmured, and choked back another partial laugh. "Your advice was a blessing to have. Everyone always used to say that I was the wise and experienced one...but it was you they went to for practical advice. I miss that the most..."

Shaking his head, Renard returned his attention to the grass beneath his paws. Echo had been the glue that had held the team together, in a way. He was approachable, and sympathetic to the needs of the group. When it came to advice, everyone had their preferences or specialties. Renard was viewed as being too solemn and difficult to read to approach over trivial matters, but best to talk to regarding social conflicts. A/C was excellent to consult regarding matters of the mind, and her interest in nursing made her good to approach when worried about possible injury or illness. Astrid was too nonchalant to talk to about subjects that required tactful handling, but she was valued for being very open and honest, even about awkward or taboo subjects.

Echo distinguished himself by being the almost ideal first person to talk to about any subject. His advice was practical and sincere, and while not an expert in any area, he was willing to support his peers in times of difficulty and struggle. He was by no means a perfect individual; Echo often wore his emotions on his sleeve, and was quite the force to be reckoned with if angered. He was loyal and kind, but the blunt edge his words often carried was not to be understated.

So what would Echo say to him now if he were still alive? Renard sighed, his tails fluttering unhappily. Just like before, the mental image came to mind almost immediately, and was even less favorable than the first. He could almost see the Vaporeon shaking his head at him.

 _'Your problem isn't that you need my help to get through this, Renard. Your problem is that you've been hiding from your demons for so long that you latch onto any excuse not to face them.'_

The shadow of a smile flitted across Renard's muzzle. He could practically hear Echo's voice reverberating in his mind. Yes, that was almost exactly what the Vaporeon might say about this situation. He would offer his insight, but leave it up to Renard to follow through and discover a solution. It was never in Echo's nature to insist on one correct approach for everyone.

"The two of you have not been forgotten," Renard murmured, bowing his head respectfully. "I pray that you are at peace."

With this last statement, the Ninetales gracefully retreated from the grave site, and after emerging in the central area, he made his way up to the large oak tree standing atop the hill closest to the lake, only to change his mind and go towards the water instead.

It was difficult to truly get closure from words he fashioned himself and imagined Echo saying, but at the same time, he did believe Echo's advice would have been similar. Pursuing vengeance over Echo and Rio's deaths wouldn't bring them back, and channeling his anger and sorrow at their loss wouldn't repair the damage that had been done, nor fill the void in his heart. And yet...Renard knew Diablos' return had to be dealt with somehow. The malevolent ghost could not be allowed to operate unhindered, and Renard's earlier effort to confront the Spiritomb had backfired spectacularly, resulting, if anything, in Diablos becoming stronger.

The advice he had conjured for himself spoke of his habit of hiding from his demons, and Diablos had even remarked on something like that, back at the Chateau. He said that Renard was so afraid of his inner darkness that he was ultimately too passive, despite posing a legitimate threat.

The Ninetales gazed into the water, admiring its perfectly still, reflective surface that captured not only his image, but that of the half moon overhead. The luminous half-sphere was oddly soothing to see, hovering over the shoulders of his reflection. Renard breathed in slowly, purging his mind of tension and stress the best he could, and then exhaled just as deeply.

"Serena," he spoke aloud to the night sky. He waited in silence, the word drifting on the breeze until it faded from earshot entirely. His tails fluttered outwards, and a peculiar chill seemed to emanate from his body, yet he did not so much as twitch, and merely continued to gaze at the water.

A lone cloud passed before the moon, veiling its white glow just long enough to draw Renard's attention, and when he next gazed at the water, he saw in the reflection that he was no longer sitting alone.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. The second Pokemon in the water's reflection was not as distinctly solid as his own body. It was translucent, like an intangible spirit, but too distinct to be a mirage or hallucination. It was another Ninetales, but its appearance was very different from his own. In stark contrast to his vibrant, golden-white fur, the second Pokemon had a pale blue, flowing fur coat, with white adorning the tips of its tails, its legs, and the crests of fur on its head. Instead of Renard's glittering red eyes, the pale Ninetales had large, eerie blue eyes, similar to how he looked when using his ability to expose ethereal energy. The crests and tails of the second Ninetales were also styled to be curlier, giving a distinct, feminine appearance.

"You called?" the icy-blue Ninetales inquired pleasantly, its voice as feminine sounding as her appearance. Renard turned from the lake to see that the translucent being was not a trick of the water's reflection, but actually sitting beside him. Although appearing as a semi-transparent and otherwise intangible form, the night breeze ruffled her fur, and her tails fluttered behind her. "Did you actually want my company, or just visual inspiration to rub one out?"

Heat flared into Renard's cheeks, and he scowled defensively. "No, I- ...why would...? What possesses you to even ask that?"

Serena snickered, visibly delighting in the Fire-type's mortification. "Oh please, like anyone actually gives a damn. "

Renard rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath to regain his composure. It was sometimes easy to forget that Serena had a much looser tongue than he did. Despite being a part of him, she could hardly have been more different. Whereas he spoke formally and respectfully, Serena's speech was mildly coarse, and her mannerisms more relaxed. It didn't help that she seemed to take pride in her ability to throw curve balls and knock him off-balance.

"In any case, I wanted to speak with you," Renard said. He stepped back a few paces, and sat down again, so that they were facing one another without being muzzle-to-muzzle. Serena may not have taken physical form, but it was still difficult to comfortably converse at such close proximity.

"I knew you would," the Ice-type fox replied airily, and her turquoise eyes glittered in the moonlight. "Ever since you learned Diablos had resurfaced, I've been waiting for you to come talk to me."

"If you expected it for so long, then why didn't you just contact me?" Renard wondered. It was not unusual for Serena to initiate contact with him over the years. Sometimes, she would approach him within his mindscape, most often when he was asleep or meditating, but just as frequently, she would appear as she did now, as a semi-transparent, ghostly image manifesting in the real world. As far as Renard could tell, no one else was able to perceive her when she took such form, although it was understandably awkward to try and interact with her if others were present.

Serena smirked slightly. "And said what? That I know you need my insight, and you just haven't realized it yet? What sort of vixen do you take me for?"

Renard didn't answer, but Serena probably didn't expect one. It was no secret that Serena's knowledge far surpassed his own. The conscious mind was too limited, and too restricted, to digest more than a fraction of the information available to the subconscious representatives. Knowing this to be the reality was part of why Renard routinely chose to interact with the snowy Ninetales, despite her representing his inner darkness.

"I don't know how to proceed from this situation, Serena," Renard said at last, averting his gaze and focusing upon the stillness of the water. "Just as I feared, Diablos is an opponent beyond-"

"Oh wow, you really ARE this dumb," Serena snickered, tilting her head to the side, as if the male Ninetales was an unusual painting hanging in an art gallery. "I thought you wanted to talk to me, not just whine about how things didn't go your way. "

Renard sighed. "I do want to talk to you," he intoned, forcing himself to look up at her again. "I just have a lot on my mind that I need to work through, and-"

"Getting bored," Serena warned impatiently, her tails fluttering in the wind. Renard sighed again, finding that his patience was wearing out significantly faster than normal.

"Fine...what do you want to discuss?" he asked.

"Hmm...mostly to point out that you're a total moron," Serena snickered. "I'm not finished!" she growled, when Renard stood up, on the verge of leaving the conversation entirely. There were times when Serena was a little too rude for his taste, and even after years of interacting with her, she remained a constant enigma. He understood her, about as well as anyone might understand their own flaws or motivations, but Serena was ever-shifting. She was insensitive one moment, but then emotional the next. Rude, but then compassionate. Distant, but then clingy. He sometimes wondered whether this constant shift was a side effect of her symbolic role within his heart.

"If you could spare me the accompanying ridicule, that would be appreciated," Renard dully replied. He remained standing, and waited for Serena's answer.

"Oh that's right, I forgot you can't read between the lines," Serena lamented, rolling her eyes. "I told you before, I expected you to come talk to me from the day you learned Diablos had resurfaced, something you, astonishingly, neglected to do."

"Did I unknowingly offend you by not coming to you sooner?" Renard wondered. Serena blinked, then stifled a snort of laughter with the tip of one of her tails, her body silently shaking with amusement. Renard fixed her with an unamused stare, waiting for her mirth to subside.

"Do you honestly think I'm easily offended?" Serena asked, once her giggles had ceased, but then flicked her paw through the air, as if batting a fly away. "Never mind, don't waste your breath answering that. It was just stupid of you not to talk to me."

Renard took a moment to debate the merits of asking Serena to elaborate on that line of thought, or whether it was better to press onwards. If the answer to a question could feasibly be deduced on his own, Serena tended to get snippy when questioned. Understandable, as she was a part of himself, and asking her to spell out mundane information he should already know was a waste of time.

After several seconds of deliberation, the male Ninetales sighed, resigning himself to pressing the subject. Serena was definitely dropping hints that she wanted to discuss how his failure to approach her earlier had been a moronic oversight, and although he had a feeling she had a point, he couldn't seem to grasp what she was hinting at.

"Why was it stupid of me?" he asked blandly. Serena's eyes glittered briefly, and she sat up straighter, with all the air of an instructor getting ready to educate her pupils. She opened her mouth to speak, only to pause, and give Renard an expectant look. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Renard sat back down, catching a glimpse of the Icetales' smirk as he did.

"That's better," Serena commented, her tails fluttering idly. "It was dumb because everything you know about Diablos is from two hundred years ago. Almost everything you know about darkness was learned from him, or from me. You were terrified of him, but you didn't even think of consulting with me before going after him like an idiot."

"I thought at first the best course was to avoid engaging him until more information could be gathered," Renard argued calmly. "It was only after seeing the state of the forest that-"

"Tauros shit," Serena growled, and Renard blinked. "You can lie to yourself or justify your actions however you want, but don't think you can fool me. You were afraid of him because you betrayed him, and assumed he'd remember."

"He was using me," Renard insisted, his fur bristling with barely contained anger. "Using me and Lucia for his own twisted gain."

"You were both too naive to question his goal," Serena countered. "Once you felt like you were being taken advantage of, you didn't even try to talk things out or confront him."

Renard narrowed his eyes. "You play devil's advocate far too readily, Serena," he noted quietly.

"Hard not to when the argument is two hundred years old," the Icetales scoffed. "You made yourself an enemy that day. An enemy who had already 'tainted' your heart with darkness. He helped my power to awaken within you, and now I'm a curse upon you, right?"

Renard flinched. Several times, he attempted to contradict the statement, but every time, the words refused to leave his mouth. Serena observed this reaction with a cool, knowing gaze.

"Don't bother denying it. You can't actually lie to me, because I am you," Serena continued, speaking so quietly Renard could scarcely catch the words. "That's why you're dumb. I know everything you know, but also a ton of things you don't."

Renard shifted, uncomfortably aware of Serena's cold tone. "I apologize if I've offended-"

"I'm _not_ offended, damn it!" Serena snapped. "I'm just explaining why not talking to me sooner was idiotic. Don't you realize how rare it is for someone to have a rapport with their darkness? Did it just never occur to you that maybe we could have been better prepared to confront Diablos if we had collaborated?"

Renard didn't answer at first. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He hadn't rushed recklessly into the situation at the Chateau, but he certainly could have been better prepared. Considering his fears had revolved around the effect Diablos might have on his emotional state, especially in the wake of Echo's death, neglecting to talk to Serena beforehand seemed inordinately foolish.

"So...how do we move forward from this?" the golden fox asked carefully.

Serena snorted, her tails lashing for a moment. "You can start by reviewing what you learned from the botched encounter. I'll get you started with some key points, but you need to do your own reflecting, because spelling everything out for you would probably take all night."

"Okay," Renard said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes again. "What did you find?"

"Two things," Serena said, pausing to stretch her forelegs. "Overconfidence is still Diablos' weakness, and Lucia IS the one who sealed him originally."

Renard smiled with absent fondness, his paw touching the Key Stone hanging at his chest. The small stone felt warm to his touch, but the Ninetales still felt oddly somber, aware that the other piece of the set was still absent. Feeling the ice vixen's eyes upon him, Renard shook himself out of his daze, blinking rapidly. "Sorry, did you say something else?"

"We'll get the stone back," Serena answered with an unnervingly serious tone, a faint pink aura forming around her body, making her look like she was glowing. Her blue eyes flicked vaguely towards the north, and Renard shivered.

"...you cursed it, didn't you?" he asked. Serena looked back at him in silence, but the coldness in her eyes told him everything. "What kind of curse, Serena?" the male Ninetales demanded, growling the words in his best no-nonsense voice.

"Let's just say that Force had better take good care of it," Serena answered, her mouth curling into a wicked smirk. "Also lets me track the bitch."

Renard opened his mouth to argue, then paused, scrunching up his face in confusion. After several seconds of indecision, he shook his head. Probably better not to question Serena's terminology - she got too much enjoyment from his reactions as it was. Instead, he frowned at her disapprovingly.

"You know I don't like casting vengeful curses," he reminded her, a faint growl leaving his throat.

"It's not a vengeful curse; it's attached to an inanimate object," Serena contradicted curtly.

"So it operates indiscriminately?" Renard demanded. Serena's fur bristled at the male's tone, and the temperature of the air around them dropped significantly, the ice vixen's eyes flashing dangerously.

"Now, you look here," she growled, holding eye contact with Renard, who glared back defiantly, refusing to be intimidated by her. "The more you pretend not to feel the agony of eventually losing everything you give the slightest damn about, one by one, the more it's going to hurt. The first pain of loss was from your mother's passing, and back then, Lucia was the only one able to calm our rage and soothe the pain. Or have you chosen to forget why you fell for her?"

"I remember," Renard said, averting his gaze uncomfortably. The pale pink aura had gradually spread until it fully and clearly engulfed the ice vixen's translucent form, and her blue eyes were glowing eerily. Pain resonated within his chest with every breath, and he was struggling to fight back bitter tears.

"Good," Serena spat. "Then you know why I won't tolerate her memory being insulted to my face, and why I'm going to such lengths to retrieve what rightfully belongs to us. If you oppose my methods so much, then just go ahead and dispel the curse yourself. Yeah, lose track of her Lucarionite for another two centuries. Least the first time it was lost, she was still _alive_."

Renard looked deeply discomforted by the ice vixen's words. The lump in his throat had returned, and he found himself unable to say anything at all. Serena averted her gaze at last, and the glowing of her eyes faded. She seemed suddenly distracted and weary, as if the burden of time was weighing down on her more than usual.

"Whatever," the Icetales muttered. "It's been a rough day. Better turn in now...next time we chat, I'll contact you."

And with that, the translucent Ninetales disappeared entirely from Renard's sight, causing him to feel strangely alone. His mind was buzzing with disjointed and distracted thoughts, conflicting feelings about what Serena had said, as well as the concerns plaguing him in the aftermath of the failed confrontation earlier that day.

The problem with facing one's demons was that they made their home inside you. Issues and conflict never really left, even when the waters seemed calm and the skies clear. That was the true nature of wrestling with one's darkness. Darkness always remained, whether you accepted or even acknowledged it...it was always there.

 **End of Arc 4**


	105. Arc 5: Clashing Ambitions

**Arc 5 - Clashing Ambitions**

 _April 20th_

 _Sinjoh Ruins - Region Unknown_

Sinjoh.

The bane of cartographers and historians alike. A site spoken of in legends, yet no map recorded its whereabouts, and few credible sources remained in the present age that even alluded to its existence.

For the average person, Sinjoh was much like the Hall of Origin or the Flower Paradise - a site spoken of in legends, but inaccessible by mortal means. The more skeptical individuals scoffed at the mere mention of such sites, with some going as far as to mock the notion of Arceus or another greater power being responsible for creating the entire world. Others believed the legends carried some truth, but doubted the feats were literal.

As more time passed, the sites of legend vanished from the public mind, and few even thought of searching for them, nor concerned themselves with whether they were real.

Kuro could not say whether the Hall of Origin was real, but he knew that Sinjoh definitely was. Set somewhere far north of Johto, a crumbling ruin of an ornate temple marked the site. The people who founded Sinjoh never intended the site to grow into a civilization, so no other structures had been founded there. Of greater importance had been to blend Johto and Sinnoh culture and mythology, resulting in the most awe-inspiring and magnificent relic to the past.

The march of time had done little to diminish the sense of wonder emanating from the temple. Although some of the surfaces had crumbled and been worn down with age, they were still rather clean, and splendid to behold, so that even simply standing in the main chamber sent chills down the Zoroark's spine.

Several Unown floated aimlessly around his long, ponytail-styled mane, their sigil-like bodies resembling that of some of the inscriptions carved into the walls and other monuments of the Sinjoh Ruins. They followed as the illusion fox made its way towards the centermost chamber, which was sealed off not only with a stone wall, but also an eerie, impenetrable barrier of some sort.

Kuro smiled to himself as he ascended the stairs leading up to this stretch of wall, and tenderly touched his paw to the cold stone. The barrier repelled his touch after a moment, but it was enough for him. Anticipation filled his heart, flooding through him like an electric shock. Like an actor standing behind the curtain just before opening night, he was both anxious for the show to begin, and terrified, as if no amount of rehearsal could have prepared him for the impending moment. Every second ticking by felt like an eternity, as if time had no meaning out here.

He could feel it, though. The unmistakable aura of power beyond compare. Others might doubt this to be a site where Arceus had once stood, but her signature was almost tangible. Without conscious thought, Kuro stroked the stretch of wall, wishing that, for just a moment, he could come into contact with the same stage the divine Pokemon had once performed upon.

Again, his paw was ultimately repelled, and he smiled despite the rejection. The grandest stage was not fit for those lacking true devotion to their art. He was not yet worthy of that honor.

The Zoroark sat cross-legged on the stone floor, and reached into his red mane, extracting a white, semi-transparent crystal with a distinct, cats-eye sigil contained in the center, and a circlet of black metal. Humming absently, he busied himself affixing the stone into the center of the bracer, using his claws to carve a slot in the metal to hold the stone, and using a burst of flame from his mouth to weld it together. This took several minutes of his time, and he examined the completed piece with a critical eye, snapping his claws to produce an illusionary copy of the object to compare the dimensions.

"Remind me to applaud Circe's metalwork," Kuro said to the hovering sigil Pokemon, who were silently observing his progress, their eyes never blinking. He let the finished product sit for another few minutes before attempting to wrest the stone out of its new position, all but purring when his best efforts failed to dislodge the crystal. "Excellent, now to test it..."

The Zoroark rose to his feet and fastened the bracer to his left wrist, wordlessly marveling at the care his associate had put into the adjustable clasp. She was truly a wonder at transforming simple metals into absurdly high-quality apparel pieces, and that was just the lesser-known of her talents. Kuro's experience with the stage gave him an eye for aesthetics, but that didn't qualify him to actually make such beautiful and practical pieces. He only performed the finishing steps of fitting the gemstones onto the final product, and while he had no doubt Circe could do that herself, he wanted to bring the stones here, to the Sinjoh Ruins.

Gazing up again at the stretch of wall sealing off the center chamber, Kuro held the bracer in front of his chest, his eyes searching for some indication that the barrier or wall would respond to the Mega Stone's presence or energy. Several seconds passed, and the Zoroark finally lowered his arm to his side. He couldn't even feel disappointed over the lack of development; he was not the stone's natural wielder, and this stone in particular already had a user. He was only borrowing it from Circe to finish the repairs requested of her.

"Oh well," Kuro chuckled, unclasping the bracer from his wrist and turning towards the Unown flanking him. "Could you return this to-?"

He didn't manage to complete the sentence before a peculiar tremor ran through his body, jolting his nerves with the intensity of a bolt of lightning. With a sharp gasp, the Zoroark fell to one knee, the bracer falling from his grasp and clattering to the stone floor, the gemstone pulsing with unexpected light. At the same time, the Unown seemed to freeze in place, as if experiencing the same shock to their system.

Kuro was the first to recover, and his ethereal blue eyes glowed as he turned his gaze to sealed chamber. Seeing nothing of consequence, he looked at the pulsing stone instead, aware of the energy emanating from it.

"Wait...this is an Absolite, isn't it?" he said aloud, warily extending his paw and lifting the bracer from the floor. He examined the metal, checking for signs of scratches or other damage, and then furrowed his brow at the glowing stone. He snapped his claws, and his physical features began to change. His black and red fur shifted tone to white fur with dark skin, and a scythe-shaped protrusion emerged from one side of his skull.

Even his eyes changed color from blue to red, and when the illusion was fully cast, there appeared to be a male Absol standing where the Zoroark once was, the black metal bracer attached to one of its forelegs, the stone continuing to glow ominously.

"I see," the illusionary Absol murmured, a smirk forming across its muzzle as it studied the glowing crystal. "My theory is gaining traction. Mega Stones DO adapt to its user over time. Even separated from its owner, this one is attuned to her ability to sense disasters. And such a powerful jolt can only mean..."

The illusion dissipated, exposing the Zoroark as he truly was. He smiled at the Unown accompanying him.

"To Johto, please. I've been waiting for this..."

* * *

 _Ruins of Alph Outskirts - Johto Region_

Kuro was surprised to find that evening had already fallen once he had emerged from one of the Ruins of Alph side chambers. It was easy to forget that the sun's position varied a fair amount between the Sinjoh Ruins and the Johto region. This didn't trouble him in the slightest, for his species was better suited to the shadows of the night as opposed to daylight. Many of the scientists studying the ruins had already left the day, so he didn't even need to employ an illusion to avoid unwanted attention.

No sooner had he departed through one of the gateways than a cold chill ran down his spine, alerting him to the presence of a Ghost Pokemon a split second before one materialized behind him, clinging to his back like student's book bag.

"Good evening, Master Kuro," a feminine voice rasped directly into his ear. In spite of the split-second warning, the Zoroark nearly jumped out of his skin, prompting a delighted cackle from his assailant.

"Ah, the mistress of jump scares herself," Kuro replied, clapping his paws together unironically, and he flashed the clinging ghost a grin over his shoulder. "To what do I owe the honor of being tonight's victim, Pearl?"

The ghostly imp released her grip, dropping to the ground, and Kuro turned around to face her. Pearl was a rather short, bipedal Pokemon with a dark purple body. She was grinning wickedly, exposing her incredibly sharp teeth, but even that trait seemed like an afterthought, as her most prominent feature was her pale blue, glittering diamond eyes. A small ruby-like stone adorned the Sableye's chest, and Kuro's gaze instinctively flicked to the small silver bracelet at the ghost's right wrist, where an amber stone with a distinct sigil was set.

"Your mother's calling for you," the Sableye chortled. As if aware of Kuro's gaze, Pearl raised the bracelet to her mouth and licked the center stone. It began as just a single flick of her tongue, but an expression of delight passed over her face, and she stuck almost her entire paw into her mouth, her teeth scraping the metal of the bracelet as she sucked at the gemstone like it was a jawbreaker weaved onto a candy bracelet. Kuro watched the gem-eater's dilemma with unabashed amusement, until it finally registered what she had said.

"She is? Special occasion, or does she simply miss me?" the Zoroark chuckled.

Pearl finally paused her efforts to eat the Sablenite, the majority of the bracelet now glistening with her saliva. Kuro refreshed his private reminder to never touch either object again. Not the least bit embarrassed by her behavior, Pearl grinned, showing off her viciously sharp teeth.

"Not s'pposed to say," she answered, her attention already drifting back to the delectable treat at her wrist. "Do you want an escort?"

"Does my response make any difference?" Kuro asked, well aware of the answer. Pearl merely grinned in reply. "Very well, lead the way, my precious gem-stalker."

* * *

The route was so familiar that Kuro could have followed it in his sleep, in spite of the fact they abandoned the dirt path entirely just a few minutes into the journey. He weaved around the various natural obstacles with the finesse of choreographed dance steps, moving deeper into the thicket.

Familiar scents teased his nostrils, and he inhaled deeply. The area felt like 'home', moreso than the various Ruins he had visited and occupied in the past few years. The Unown were a wonderful 'family' to him, but this place was his true home.

At last, he and Pearl emerged into an open area, a massive, sprawling clearing filled with familiar sights and smells. A variety of brightly colored flowers bloomed all around the meadow, saturating the surroundings with their sweet fragrances, and as Kuro stepped further into the clearing, his eyes darted towards the various Pokemon lingering all around the area. A multitude of Eevee, in various states of alertness, and a smaller number of the various evolutionary forms. A few Jolteon, a handful of Flareon, a garden of Leafeon, and a scattering of Umbreon or Espeon. Most of them were settling in for the night, but a fair number of them were still awake, if not assisting the younger ones with their nightly tasks.

Many of the Pokemon present glanced his way as he approached and passed, but none of them seemed alarmed by his presence, nor by Pearl's, although the Sableye was definitely getting some wary looks as she passed them by. It was satisfying to see that, in spite of his species, that his adopted family treated him as one of their own, with no apprehension or scorn whatsoever.

Some of the clan members greeted him by name, with the same enthusiasm reserved for a close friend that dropped in unexpectedly. He responded in turn, knowing their names and faces like the back of his own paw. Even the Eevee who had been born after he had moved out of the clan were known to him. Kuro never understood why some people, even other Pokemon, claimed to have difficulty telling individuals apart in a group of any given species. Maybe it was a bonus of specializing in illusions, but Kuro could see almost every distinct feature of an individual's face, and spot the differences in their body language to recognize any random Eevee from a dozen of its kin. Even twins were not so identical as to trip him up.

"Tsk, did I miss Aqua?" Kuro wondered abruptly, realizing that he should have come across the clan alpha by now. He peered around him, even glancing back at the pond where the Vaporeon sometimes spent her free time.

Pearl snickered, and pointed up ahead, where Kuro could make out the outline of the majestic blue quadruped, facing away from them. As the Zoroark approached, he saw that Aqua was presently engaged in conversation with an unfamiliar Flareon, the realization of which gave him a moment's pause, but he dismissed the thought for now. With a mischievous smirk, Kuro snuck up behind the Vaporeon and tapped her right shoulder, then nimbly shifted around Aqua's left side as she turned to look back. She almost immediately caught on, but the moment's distraction was all he needed.

Ignoring the unknown Flareon's presence, the illusion Pokemon draped his arms around the Vaporeon's neck, capturing her in a close, affectionate embrace. The Water-type tensed in surprise, but soon relaxed, allowing him to cradle her without resistance.

"Don't you dare," Aqua warned abruptly, breaking free of Kuro's grasp and and glaring suspiciously over her shoulder at the Sableye lingering behind her. Pearl widened her eyes innocently, but the wicked grin on her face betrayed her true intentions. It would not have been the first time the prankster ghost had tried to run her icy paws along someone's spine while they were distracted.

Kuro chuckled, gesturing for Pearl to give them space. The Sableye cackled softly, vanishing from their sight. Kuro had little doubt she would reappear later, once they had forgotten about her, but for now, they would be left undisturbed.

"Good to see you again, Mom," Kuro murmured. Aqua smiled, and her mermaid tail flicked. When he was younger, Kuro had always referred to the Vaporeon matriarch as 'Mom', even when she encouraged the casual use of her name. Even now that he was older, she rarely objected to being addressed in this fashion.

"Welcome back, Kuro," Aqua replied, nuzzling the Zoroark's chest fondly, but then stepped back and sat down again, a silent indication that further shows of affection were unwelcome at this time. Kuro always found such an attitude commendable. Aqua was the clan's alpha, and always strived to present herself in a manner befitting of that status. She treated all members of the clan equally, refusing to favor one over another, regardless of their relationship to her. Tellingly, she set clear boundaries to the affection others could show her in public, and those considered 'close' to her were held to even stricter standards of public conduct.

"So," Kuro said, clapping his paws together. "I understand that you wished to see me. What's the occasion? Early birthday party?"

Aqua chuckled, and shook her head. "No, sorry, I think you've gotten a little too old for birthday parties, Kuro."

"I'm only turning five!" Kuro protested dramatically, his grin exposing the jest prematurely. "Come now, why the big secret? Pearl wouldn't tell."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, there was some concern you wouldn't show up if you knew the reason why," Aqua said carefully, watching the illusion fox closely. Kuro's blink was the only indication that he was taken aback by the answer. He was a master of the stage, more than capable of concealing his emotional tells and surprise by something genuinely unexpected. Betraying too many of one's thoughts made it much trickier to improvise convincingly. The emotions he chose to express most of the time were emotions he wanted others to know about. It made things much more interesting and dynamic when the situation called for dramatic emphasis.

"Ah, you know my fickle heart too well, Mother," Kuro professed, as he dramatically touched his paw to his chest. Aqua rolled her eyes, but her tail flicked subtly. From the corner of his eye, Kuro spotted the increasingly exasperated expression worn by the nearby Flareon, and he turned his attention to her. "And who might you be?" he wondered, cocking his head to the side. Even after diverting his attention the past few minutes to let his subconscious mind mull the mystery over, he found her unrecognizable.

"Celes," the Flareon answered curtly. For a moment, they made eye contact, but she almost immediately averted her gaze. The Zoroark cocked his head to the side, regarding her with interest. He had so much experience interacting with members of the Eevee line that there were few secrets one could conceal from his gaze.

"A great pleasure to meet you, my dear," he crooned, stepping forward and extending his paw with the intent of seizing hers, and perhaps even placing a chaste kiss upon it, as he often did. Almost immediately, Aqua darted forward and intercepted his paw, shaking her head firmly.

"She doesn't like to be touched," the Vaporeon explained in an urgent whisper. Kuro bowed apologetically, but then squinted in confusion.

"How long has she been here, if you already know that?" he wondered aloud.

"A few days," Aqua admitted. Celes cast a silent glare in their direction, something that did not escape the alpha's notice. "Excuse me," Aqua told the Flareon, bobbing her head apologetically, and she stepped back, while remaining nearby. Kuro had seen this behavior often enough to recognize its purpose. As the clan alpha, Aqua sometimes acted as a mediator to settle clan disputes and tensions. By stepping away, she was agreeing to oversee their interactions passively, but would intervene in an instant if the situation escalated. That still begged the question as to why she thought this was necessary.

"Am I understand that you're the one who wished to meet with me?" Kuro guessed. Celes gave a curt nod. The Zoroark chuckled and tapped his chin thoughtfully, wracking his brain to try to determine the significance of the meeting. "Hmm...still can't place the name OR the face. I don't normally struggle with that. How do you know of me? A fan of my work, perhaps?"

"No," Celes answered bluntly. Kuro touched his paw to his chest tenderly, as if her clipped response was a physical blow. "I'm looking for my brother."

"Ohoho," Kuro chortled, rubbing his paws together in delight. "Not a fan, but so certain that I know everyone? Or at least that I know tons of Eevee. You came to find me at an Eevee clan, which is remarkably insightful. Not a celebrity stalker, right?"

The last comment was delivered in a teasing tone, but was met by a stony look. Celes was not even remotely amused, but that had never stopped him before. Perhaps it was not 'productive' to act over-dramatic and borderline obnoxious, but the ability to read the audience was essential for judging whether the tone of the act was right. Even something as simple as stony silence supplied a few clues.

"That was a semi-serious question," Kuro informed the Flareon with a chuckle. "Why are you asking me?"

"Noblesse said he told Blaze to meet with you last winter," Celes answered, a growl escaping her throat.

"Ah, Noblesse Oblige," Kuro recited, applying a Kalos accent to the phrasing, which regrettably earned nothing more than a blank stare in response. "Never mind. Your brother's name is Blaze?"

"Yes," Celes answered, impatience evident by her slightly clenched jaw.

"Here's a weird question," Kuro said, speaking far more cautiously than he ordinarily might have. "Any chance he has, I dunno...an absurd amount of pure rage in his heart?"

"What?"

"Yeah, that might have been too weird a question to open with," Kuro admitted, talking more to himself than the Flareon. "Feel free to disregard."

"Hey, word to the wise there, Kuro," a familiar voice stated unexpectedly from behind him. Kuro's head jerked up, but before he could turn, a fluffy cloud draped around his right shoulder, pulling him into a pseudo-embrace. It didn't take long for him to realize the 'cloud' was actually a wing belonging to a familiar blue, bird-like creature that had appeared on his left side. "You _might_ not want to test her patience much longer," Sorin suggested.

"S-sorin," Kuro breathed, his eyes widening in alarm, before remembering that Aqua was still present, and that she would never allow for any sort of violent confrontation to occur right under her nose, nor would the Altaria be so rash as to jeopardize his good standing with the clan by doing so.

"Wow, you really tensed up," Sorin noted airily. "Most people relax when I drape my wings around them. Why so nervous?"

Kuro didn't answer, knowing full well it was a rhetorical question. It was sometimes easy for the average Pokemon to forget that Altaria were Dragon-type Pokemon. Sure, they were relatively calm and soothing creatures, but the amount of power contained within their bodies was still not something one could afford to underestimate, least of all if they could be provoked.

Celes cleared her throat, the sentiment directed more at Sorin than Kuro. "Can I just get an answer, please?" she asked, bristling a little, in spite of her efforts to phrase the request politely.

"You never actually asked me anything," Kuro pointed out with a playful grin. "I tease, lovely. I dare not guess whether 'Blaze' is a common name for a male Eevee, so tell me...is this him?"

The Zoroark snapped his claws, and his image distorted as he veiled his body with an illusion. His black fur became brown, and his red mane became a creamy color, retracting in length until it formed a collar of fur around his neck. His eyes dulled and became a dark brown shade, and a bushy tail appeared behind him. If nothing else, disguising himself as an Eevee reminded Kuro of his time as a Zorua. So many features were similar to his pre-evolved form that it was a familiar guise to assume, like an old costume he hadn't worn in a while.

Sorin retracted his wing, bewildered. Although the Zoroark's body had not physically transformed, the illusion spells he cast were potent enough to deceive even those who saw him do it. His illusionary form had become smaller, and Sorin's brain now struggled to distinguish how much physical space Kuro occupied.

Kuro stepped forward, creating some extra distance between himself and Sorin, so that Celes could have an unobscured view of his illusionary form. She lifted her head up, the rigidness of her stance dissolving like sugar in a rainstorm. Her eyes searched his face, and when they made eye contact, she did not avert her gaze, even as tears filled her eyes and began to run down her face. She definitely knew he wasn't really her brother, but she was unable to keep the emotions from bursting free simply from seeing his image standing before her. Kuro was torn between hastily dissolving the illusion before she started to believe it was reality, and letting it remain a little longer, so that the blow to her emotions would not be so abrupt.

Aqua darted between Celes and Kuro, sparing him the need to make a decision, as her frame obstructed Celes' view long enough to snap her back to reality, while also providing Kuro the opportunity to dispel the illusion and appear as his true self once more. Aqua spoke softly to the Fire-type, too quietly for Kuro to overhear. After a few moments, Aqua cast Sorin and Kuro an apologetic smile, a way of asking them to excuse her sudden departure, and gently led Celes away, continuing to whisper reassuringly as they went.

There was an awkward silence as soon as the female Eeveelutions were out of sight. Kuro couldn't think of anything to say, but he knew that Sorin was watching him.

"So...I take it you have seen her brother?" Sorin asked finally.

"Yes," Kuro admitted, turning to face the cloud dragon, and folding his arms nonchalantly. "But I never met with him personally. I just kept an eye on him, in case I needed a backup option."

"Backup option for what?" Sorin pressed, narrowing his eyes slightly. Kuro smiled enigmatically.

"A better question at this time would be to ask why you're so invested in her situation," Kuro murmured, his eyes glittering. "One would think you'd have better things to occupy your time. Unless of course, your aid to her is not simply out of kindness, but a veiled effort to atone for your past mistakes."

"One of these days, you're going to piss off the wrong person," Sorin said seriously, his feathers bristling.

"What can I say? Kaito paints me as the villain of this tale, and I will gladly play the part," Kuro chuckled, and his eyes glittered. "But do not mistake my role on the stage with my true self. In reality, I am the noble demon to Kaito's knight templar."

"Right," Sorin said skeptically, and he frowned up at the sky before refocusing on the illusion Pokemon. "This conversation isn't finished, but I think we're going to have to put it off until tomorrow morning. No reason to keep half the clan up all night."

"Oh? Aren't you afraid I might sneak off in the middle of the night?" Kuro snickered.

"Not really," Sorin replied, shrugging his wings. "I'm sure you could have slipped away with ease by now if you really wanted to. But just in case, why don't you tell me when and where you last saw Celes' brother? Because I swear to Ho-oh, if you gave Celes hope, but then run off without giving us something concrete...well, even Inferna won't be able to protect you from me."

Kuro opened his mouth to retort, but a single glimpse at Sorin's eyes stopped him before he could even form the words. Even if there were aspects of the statement he could pick apart and taunt, it didn't matter, because it was the sentiment itself that Sorin wanted to communicate. It was a message he would certainly take to heart, even if he dismissed it on the surface.

"There's a clearing north of here, surrounding a lake," Kuro answered with a smirk. "He was staying there for a while. I don't think he even knew the clan was here, come to think of it. I know for certain he was there a little more than two weeks ago, but I haven't paid much attention since."

"Ugh...it's something, I guess," Sorin sighed. Kuro chuckled and gazed around the surrounding area. By now, almost all the clan members had settled in for the night, and the majority of those that remained active were the ones assigned night guard duty. "But fine, I'll let it rest for tonight. There's a couple other things I'm going to want to discuss with you tomorrow, if you're willing to indulge me."

"I shall consider it, but no promises. I am a busy illusionist, you know," Kuro answered with a smirk. "Have a good night, Sorin."


	106. Bonding Over Burdens

"I'm fine, really!" Celes insisted stubbornly, although she made no resistance to Aqua leading her away from the other two. Even if she had wanted to, the Vaporeon's tail was partially draped around her, and nudged her forward if she paused her stride. There was something mildly comforting about the Water-type guiding her in this manner, but Celes wasn't sure why.

"I believe you," Aqua replied, speaking in a soft, reassuring tone. "Even so, I feel you may need a little time. I apologize on Kuro's behalf, as I don't believe he intended to upset you, but he can be very insensitive with his illusions."

Celes made a non-committal noise, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. The evening had progressed to the point that it was becoming too dark to see where she was walking, but more importantly, she didn't want Aqua to see the pain and emotion in her eyes, nor the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks.

Nothing about her feelings made sense. All she had been able to think about these past several months was finding her brother. This tiny ember of a wish burned intensely in her heart, even after crushing disappointment and growing despair threatened to snuff it out. Day after day, week after week, that desire spurred her onwards, and yet...

Kuro had emulated Blaze's appearance flawlessly. The dark brown eyes, so like her own, and the familiar features of his face, aged a few months from the last time she had seen them, but unmistakable all the same. Even the idle wag of the Eevee's tail had matched her recollection of Blaze to a tee. Yet as soon as she met the illusion's eyes, overwhelming emotion had welled up inside her. So many conflicting feelings, and her heart ached more painfully than it ever had before.

"Celes?" Aqua's voice called gently, jolting the Flareon from her thoughts, and she realized, with a pang of embarrassment, that they had reached their destination. Aqua had been generous enough to offer Celes sleeping space within the same area that she herself used, ensuring the Flareon the same degree of privacy that the Vaporeon alpha enjoyed. Celes had initially resisted this arrangement, arguing that she hadn't done anything to deserve special treatment.

The Vaporeon's gentle persistence had won out in the end, if only because Celes genuinely preferred not to have the attention of others upon her, least of all when she was sleeping. The clan here had a much better atmosphere than her former home, but the open and spacious areas, combined with the sheer number of Pokemon present, made her feel agoraphobic.

The Alpha Nest, as it was often referred to by members of the clan, was a den formed by a shelter of tall grass, with bedding composed of similar materials. A few paces away was a small body of water, but from Celes' inspection, it was not naturally formed, but rather dug out and filled by rain or, more likely, by Aqua herself. It appeared deep enough to submerge most of one's body, but unlikely to result in accidental drowning if one fell asleep, and probably employed for a private bathing pool, or maybe as a source of drinking water if the alpha awoke in the middle of the night, without needing him or her to walk all the way back to the public grounds. The sheltered nest was well-kept, and seemed specifically sized to comfortably contain two evolved Pokemon, with some extra room. Probably in the event of kits, if Celes had to wager a guess.

During the first night, Celes had adamantly rejected the offer of using the den bedding itself, feeling that she would definitely be overstepping her bounds, even with permission. Aqua had not bothered to press the matter at all, either considering it not worth the effort, or genuinely unbothered by where Celes chose to sleep.

Her hesitation had faded on the subsequent nights, once she had gotten to know Aqua a little better, and understood that there was genuinely no harm in accepting the invitation to share the nest. It felt as if Celes had lived her entire life without ever knowing the value of having a female friend that she could trust, or open up to, like a peer. Back at her home clan, the only Pokemon she trusted completely was Blaze, and she had served a similar role for him, at least up until she had evolved. But that had been a bond between siblings, and he was a male, making it impossible for him to relate to her on the same level that another female could. It was a void in her life that, until recently, Celes had never realized needed filling.

With a quiet sigh, Celes stepped daintily into the center of the nest, and glanced awkwardly at Aqua before stretching, nevertheless taking care to keep her tail curled closely around herself as she did so. The Vaporeon gazed around, either averting her attention for the benefit of Celes' modesty, or simply confirming that they were alone. Once the Flareon had settled in, Aqua followed suit, but to Celes' surprise, the Vaporeon curled her body around hers, rather than curling up beside her like the previous nights.

Celes glanced over her shoulder, noting after a moment that it was mostly just Aqua's tail that was draped around her, offering an added sense of security. The rest of the alpha's body was laying beside hers, but leaning inwards, in a protective, yet undeniably cozy fashion.

"I'm sorry, am I too far into your personal space?" Aqua wondered, her tone sincerely apologetic. Celes hesitated. Her immediate impulse was to answer 'yes', but at the same time, she recognized that she was the addition to Aqua's sleeping space, rather than vice versa. There wasn't anything untoward about the Vaporeon's proximity, but Celes also knew she definitely wouldn't tolerate a male Pokemon moving this close to her.

"Um...I'm not sure," Celes admitted awkwardly. She didn't feel trapped; on the contrary, she felt oddly safe, with both the nest of grass and the Water-type's large tail serving as barriers. Aqua wasn't a complete stranger to her, and it wasn't the first time they had slept in close proximity to one another.

"You're not sure?" Aqua repeated, tilting her head to one side. "Would you prefer if I gave you more room?"

"No, it's..." Celes trailed off, so taken aback by her own response that it briefly slipped her mind what the justification had been. She wracked her brain for a few seconds, before sighing in defeat. "I don't know. I guess I just want to know...why?"

"Why I'm nestling up to you?" Aqua guessed with a faint smile. "For one, it's easier to talk this way. If you're feeling vulnerable, it's difficult to hold conversation with someone from a greater distance. Also, if you whisper or mumble, I won't need to ask you to repeat yourself. Even if you don't really want to talk about anything, my proximity may still offer you a sense of comfort and security."

"Ugh...do you think you're a saint?" Celes grumbled. "I'm not even part of your clan, so why do you devote so much effort to me? Why would you even care how I feel? How does it benefit you?"

She felt guilty the moment the words left her mouth, and she tensed, almost certain that, at the very least, Aqua would withdraw from around her. She doubted the Vaporeon would outright kick her out of the nest, but it was not out of the realm of possibility that her 'good night' might be crisper, as the sole indication that she was upset by the Fire-type's rudeness. Or maybe worse, the Vaporeon might say nothing at all, and give her the silent treatment for the rest of the night.

To her surprise, the Vaporeon laughed, which only made her more uncertain of what was to come. "I see a lot of myself in you," Aqua said thoughtfully. "Well...my younger self, at any rate."

"You do?" Celes blurted, craning her head back to try and read the Vaporeon's face. "Like what?"

"Shh, just relax for right now," Aqua hushed gently, lowering her voice to a soothing whisper. "We can talk in a moment, once we're comfortably settled in, all right?"

Celes frowned, and compliantly tried to settle down again, only to find that she had a niggling dislike at the back of her mind about Aqua occupying too much of her blind spot. She shifted a few times in a futile effort to find a happy balance, only to become increasingly frustrated.

Aqua certainly noticed the discomfort, because after the fourth or fifth ineffective positioning shift, she smiled gently. "Am I too far into your personal space, after all?"

"It's not that," Celes grumbled, her tail lashing in agitation. "It just feels like you're behind me, or that I need to be looking over my shoulder when we're talking, and it's driving me crazy!"

Aqua nodded sympathetically. "I understand. Do you have a preferable arrangement in mind? Or would it be better just to separate?"

Celes considered for a few moments. The embarrassing fact of the matter was that, personal space issues aside, she kind of liked the cuddly and cozy arrangement. It reminded her a little of how she and Blaze used to sleep on cold nights, before she had evolved. She distinctly remembered the larger Eevee curling around her protectively, shielding her from the nighttime air and sharing body warmth. It always made her feel safe and happy...

She shook herself quickly, not wanting to drift into past memories. Then again, when she and Blaze slept cuddled together, they could talk easily enough, so long as their heads were close enough together, like if Celes rested against his shoulder or chest. Glancing at Aqua thoughtfully, Celes spotted an easy solution.

"No, this could still work...but you'd need to move up more, and then I recline against your shoulder," Celes suggested, drawing her paw along the ground as if to map out the arrangement. "That way, you're not in my blind spot when we're talking, and you're still giving me the whole security and comfort thing."

"You're certainly tearing down your resistance to others in your personal space," Aqua noted, the amusement in her voice unmistakable. Celes scowled, but a retort was unnecessary, as the Vaporeon immediately adjusted her positioning, keeping her tail draped around Celes' body, and moving forward so that Celes could lean against her shoulder. "Better?" the Water-type wondered, still sounding thoroughly amused.

"Mm-hm," Celes mumbled. Aqua chuckled and shook her head.

"I really do see a lot of my younger self in you, Celes," Aqua murmured, again speaking in a soft whisper, but Celes had no difficulty understanding her. "I won't claim to understand everything you might be feeling, but I suspect a number of similarities, based on our interactions these past few days, as well as how you've acted around others."

"Like what, though?" Celes pressed.

"One thing that particularly stood out to me was your sense of vulnerability," Aqua said. "From your eyes, it's clear you carry a burden, whether it be an expectation placed upon you, or past regrets, or just the feeling of being alone, without anyone you can turn to for guidance or support. I know that feeling very well."

"You do?" Celes asked, squinting skeptically at the Vaporeon. Nothing she had witnessed over the past couple of days ever suggested that Aqua struggled with feeling isolated or burdened. Whenever Celes saw her, she was either talking to, or observing other clan members. Everyone seemed to respect her, and enjoyed her company or attention, no matter how fleeting, and there was definitely a personal touch to her interactions with the clan, treating each of them, no matter how young or old, with the same level of almost motherly fondness. She was patient, generous, considerate...almost the perfect leader in every way, and well-regarded by those she looked after.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe," Aqua laughed gently, and her tail flicked. "It's not easy to be in charge of a large group of Pokemon. Even if by some miracle, you have everyone willing to obey or cooperate with instructions, the needs of individuals differ greatly. Not everyone will be satisfied with any given solution, to any given problem. Now, I think I heard you mention the other day that your clan operated with a council of leaders, each ranking above the majority, but equal to one another?"

"Yeah, they didn't want an alpha system," Celes answered.

"Now, to be clear, there's nothing inherently wrong with an alternative leadership system," Aqua said. "It can be very effective if handled properly. They would ideally work as a team, dividing up tasks and managing specific areas or concerns of the clan, and work together to find solutions. Even if they functioned as equals, there's bound to have been one or two that carried more authority than the others. A foreman, so to speak."

"I don't know," Celes shrugged. "If so, they never made it obvious."

"That's beside the point, anyway," Aqua conceded. "In your clan's system, the role was divided among several Pokemon, rather than all the weight sitting on one Pokemon, such as in an alpha-governed clan. You see, Celes...if there was a clan leader ranking just slightly higher, even if the rank amounts to seniority and nothing more, there's still someone the others could turn to for support and guidance if they were unsure of something. That's a luxury not necessarily available to an alpha, depending on how they gained the role."

"Like if they inherited it?" Celes guessed. When she and Sorin had discussed her clan as part of their arrangement, the Flareon had speculated the clan had opted not to use an alpha system to avoid the risk of nepotism, and the positions of power passing exclusively to heirs of the current leaders.

"Precisely," Aqua answered, smiling. "If the previous alpha retired, their experience could still be a resource for the successor. And if not...then the transition can be very rough for everyone."

"Is that how it was for you?" Celes wondered, almost certain of the answer, but wanting to hear it anyway. She had learned a lot about the clan over the past few days, but not nearly as much about the one running the clan. Aqua was very open about answering many of the inquiries about how the clan was run, but Celes hadn't really asked about the Vaporeon's personal history until now.

Aqua was silent for several moments, just long enough for Celes to regret asking at all. It swiftly occurred to her that if Aqua had inherited the clan, then the implication that she underwent a rough transition period said more than enough about the subject. Stammering in embarrassment, Celes attempted to retract the question, only for Aqua to softly shush her.

"It's all right," Aqua said, but her smile was a little forced. "Yes, it was a very difficult transition. I was young...probably right about your age. The clan was smaller back then, but many of the members were older and stronger than I was. In truth, I really wasn't suited for the role."

"Did you...have to become the alpha?" Celes asked, phrasing the question carefully. She really wasn't sure how alphas were chosen, and she didn't want to tactlessly start questioning details if it meant uncovering tragic circumstances or similar.

"No, I could have renounced the title," Aqua answered with a quiet sigh. "But I knew that would have just caused infighting. I was expected to lead the clan through a difficult time, with no experience, no guidance, and only the support of those I could rally behind me."

"I...don't think I could have done it," Celes said weakly. She tried to picture herself in the Vaporeon's place, pressed into a leadership role she wasn't suited for, and knowing that she would be judged mercilessly by her subordinates, whether it be to her face, or behind her back. Even the short time at her home clan, post-evolution, had been too much for her to handle. Everyone there was so phony, only coming to her because they wanted something, while also knowing that the clan actively encouraged this behavior in order for individual Eevee to succeed. Aqua probably had to deal with such behavior constantly, without the luxury of being able to reject it as bluntly as Celes had.

"I didn't think I could do it, either," Aqua noted. "I just knew I had to give it my best shot, for the sake of the clan, but those first few weeks...that was a hellish struggle I wouldn't wish upon anyone. It seemed impossible to satisfy everyone, and without any experience behind me, I was constantly second-guessing everything I did or said, out of concern that any misstep might be the last straw for some section of the clan, and result in an uprising."

"How did you get by without going crazy?" Celes wanted to know. "I mean, you seem to be doing so well now."

Aqua smiled briefly, but it was several moments before she answered. Unlike the previous question, however, Celes didn't get the impression she was invading a sensitive manner, so she waited patiently for the Vaporeon's response.

"It wasn't easy," Aqua murmured finally. "For the longest time, I took comfort from waking up every morning, and privately acknowledging that I hadn't been overthrown in the middle of the night. But that wasn't evidence that I was doing 'well', so I still second-guessed myself, or spent hours just stewing in regret over ideas and decisions that hadn't panned out the way I hoped. Now, to be clear, I wasn't afraid of like...being assassinated. Discontent was never so great that it'd turn into a violent, 'kill the tyrant' type of rebellion. And I wasn't that strong, so if someone wanted to usurp me, they'd be able to do so easily, and I think they all knew it."

Celes merely nodded sympathetically. Aqua's past situation certainly seemed a lot more severe than her own, but she also knew that wasn't the point of Aqua telling her this. It wasn't about making her obstacles and accomplishments more imposing or impressive. She wasn't entirely sure what Aqua's intention was, at least not well enough to vocalize it, but she was certain that Aqua was trying to making a point to her somehow.

"After about two or three months, I was approached by a male Umbreon, just a little older than I was, and he asked to speak to me privately," Aqua continued, and her tail flicked again. Seeing the look on Celes' face, Aqua chuckled. "Yes, I was incredibly wary, so I only allowed us to relocate out of immediate earshot of the rest of the clan, but plainly visible."

"Oh, good, I was just about to say..." Celes muttered, prompting another chuckle from the Water Eon.

"He probably noticed how tense I was, because he got straight to the point," Aqua continued airily. "He said that it always seemed like I was wound too tight, and that it was making some of the clan nervous."

"What?" Celes blurted. She wasn't sure what she had expected the past conversation to be about, but a straightforward concern about the fledgling alpha being constantly on-edge had not been at the top of the list.

Aqua stifled a giggle. "I was just as surprised as you, but Dominic explained that my tone was clipped and harsh most of the time, my demeanor was constantly tense, I seemed exhausted, and after a while of seeing me like this all the time, the clan members were getting anxious. If the leader is acting like she's scared out of her mind...the rest of the clan won't feel safe. It's why a parent tries to appear calm in front of their children, even in the face of a crisis. If the child sees their protector is scared...they worry."

"I...wouldn't know," Celes mumbled, looking at her paws. "My clan didn't value parental figures. I wasn't raised by my parents."

"Neither was I," Aqua said seriously. "I wasn't natively born into the clan, but that's a whole other issue that I don't want to get into tonight. The point Dominic was trying to make to me was that my mood was having a negative impact on those around me, the Eevee that were relying on me to look after them. He asked me a few pointed questions about my health, like my eating, sleeping, and exercise habits."

"Did you...actually answer those?" Celes asked, wrinkling her nose. "I'd have said it's none of his business."

Aqua laughed. "To be fair, Celes, he asked these questions one at a time. If someone first asked you if you had much of an appetite, you might consider it harmless enough to answer. Same for the sleeping and exercise bits. Really, anyone showing concern in your well-being is usually appreciated more often than it's offensive."

"I guess so," Celes murmured, not entirely convinced, but willing to drop the point. She was feeling a bit sleepier now, and was running out of the willpower to argue over hypothetical responses.

"Anyway, Dominic recommended that I do more training or sparring exercises to help relieve stress, and I do remember snapping that I didn't have enough time for that, and he countered by saying that I needed to _make_ time for it, and something about how my mental and physical well-being had to take priority sometimes. He added that if I was sick, I would need to take time to recover, so I should treat the problem as if I'm ill, and my recovery required taking more time for exercise and sleep."

"Okay, got to ask now...why was he giving you this sort of advice?" Celes asked, bewildered. "It seems well-intentioned, but I'm not convinced that he was just saying it to be helpful."

"Oh, believe me, I wondered the same thing," Aqua said. "I considered that maybe he was trying to seem like a nice guy, so that he could maybe gain more influence over the clan...but then I remembered that it'd be so easy to wrench the title away from me as it was, and if my health was declining, giving me advice to become stronger and recover was counterproductive to a goal of seizing power and influence."

"Maybe..." Celes said, frowning, but unwilling to argue further. Aqua had obviously overcome whatever hurdle the situation had presented, so doubting the Umbreon's intentions in retrospect was pointless. "So then what happened?"

"If I remember correctly, I stubbornly stuck to my original claim that I had too much going on, and that unless he was going to personally manage my daily schedule..." Aqua trailed off, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Celes squinted up at the Vaporeon in confusion, uncomfortably aware of the incomplete thought. In answer to the Fire-type's look, Aqua smiled with a hint of mischief. "That's all I managed to say. He pounced on that opportunity so fast, one might think I had suggested he tend to me during heat."

"I don't think I really needed that comparison," Celes deadpanned. "But what do you mean? What opportunity?"

Aqua smiled again, unfazed by Celes' quip. "He agreed to personally manage my daily schedule. Which meant he was also going to enforce the recommended changes made. If I was doing something or talking with someone when it was the 'scheduled' time to do exercises, he would politely, but firmly tell the other Pokemon that I needed to leave, or they needed to leave, and essentially escort me to wherever it was I was doing the training. And he'd stand watch so that no one would disturb me. And he did this for everything. Sleep, meals, exercise, discussion with other members, and so on. He was pretty much my bodyguard."

Celes just stared at Aqua incredulously. "Seriously? And that didn't bother you?"

"Well, if I'm being honest...it pissed me the hell off," Aqua said. "It was the most intrusive and uncomfortable adjustment to my daily life that I had ever experienced. I had almost literally no privacy. He even enforced time schedules for BATHS. I mean, he'd be facing the other way, but he stood guard, and dictated when, and how long, they were."

"That's probably around the point I start biting and using fire," Celes growled. "Why did you let him do that?"

"I didn't," Aqua admitted. "After about a week, I told him, in no uncertain terms, that he needed to stop. His response was a cheeky 'Took you long enough'."

"What?" Celes gasped.

Aqua stifled a giggle. "Apparently, he had expected me to get fed up after a day or two, and after it had been three or four days, he started getting curious how long it'd take for me to tell him off."

"So...he was testing you?" Celes asked, bristling slightly.

"Mm...no, not in the way you probably think," Aqua answered, after a moment's consideration. "I mean...he knew I was getting fed up, but he wasn't provoking me or testing my patience. He mostly was testing how much control I was willing to sacrifice before finally asserting myself. We spent some time in discussion after that, where I established clearer boundaries."

"Wait...what?" Celes blurted. Aqua smiled gently.

"My problem wasn't with him managing my daily schedule, but rather how MUCH of it he managed," Aqua explained. "I just needed him to rein it in a little, and then I'd be perfectly happy with letting him continue."

"I don't get it," Celes sighed. "From the moment you met him, he tells you that your mood is a problem, you need to take better care of yourself, then jumps all over the opportunity to manage your life, pushes it too far by also managing your bath and sleep schedule, and when you get mad at him about that and have a disagreement...afterwards, you decide to keep letting him manage and guard your life?"

"Yes," Aqua said, without missing a beat. "He saw I was in need, and offered his help. We butted heads initially, but soon came to an understanding, and the more we interacted with one another, the more we came to understand and trust each other. It's wise to be cautious, but to openly distrust others, without good reason to suspect them, is counterproductive and insulting."

"I know, but-" Celes began, but Aqua shushed her gently once again.

"It's okay, I understand," she whispered. "Your upbringing has shaped how you view social exchanges. It will likely be a long time before you fully shake off the fear of others trying to gain favor or manipulate you. It's okay to be cautious, and consider what the other person's goal may be, but social interactions will only get harder as you get older. Especially when it comes to courtship."

"Ugh...I'm not interested in things like that right now," Celes grumbled.

"Wow, you picked a bad time of year to visit an Eevee clan," Aqua said, although it was clear from her tone that she was teasing. "In all seriousness, even if you're not interested in entering a relationship, being able to interact with male Pokemon on a platonic level will benefit you in the long run. Yes, you run the risk of meeting males who will be attracted to you, but-"

"Oh for the love of-" Celes groaned loudly. "Can we just save the courtship lecture for another time? I'm too tired to deal with this."

"Yes, of course, I apologize. Our talk went on longer than expected," Aqua said. Celes' only response was to yawn widely, and she shifted her head off of the Vaporeon's shoulder and onto her forepaws, closing her eyes and taking deep, soothing breaths. Just as the Flareon was about to doze off, Aqua nudged her gently. "Hey, Celes?"

"Hm?" Celes mumbled sleepily, instinctively curling her tail closer around herself, but keeping her eyes closed.

"Seeing as you're not reclining against my shoulder anymore, would you mind terribly if I rested my head on yours? The fluffy fur is a phenomenal heated pillow."

Celes yawned again. "Do you drool in your sleep?" she mumbled.

There was an awkward pause. "Er...I am a Vaporeon, Celes."

"Oh, right. 'Just water', that's fine, just don't drench me," Celes muttered. There was another awkward silence. "Yes, I know what you meant!" the Flareon insisted. "It's fine, just don't admit it."

Aqua chuckled, and adjusted her position slightly, resting her head against the mane of fluffy fur surrounding the Flareon's neck. "Thank you," she murmured. Celes gave a brief grunt of acknowledgement. "Have a good night, Celes."


	107. Morning Discussion

_April 21st_

 _Violet Eevee Clan grounds - Johto Region_

The world always appeared much more vibrant and lively in the morning, in a manner that even the mid portion of the day could not rival. Within human societies, the morning was when many people were getting up and going to work, where they would then spend the majority of the day. Children would struggle out of bed and get ready for school, or whatever else might be on a child's agenda. Many Pokemon trainers preferred to get an early start, either for daily exercise routines, training regimens, or just to begin the journey towards their next destination.

Pokemon were little different in that regard. At the first light of dawn, wild birds were waking and singing their merry chirps and songs as they busied themselves, building nests, scrounging for food, or simply hoping to impress a prospective mate with their colors, voice, or strength. Springtime was the time of the year when almost every species of Pokemon had similar motivations for their daily tasks. Spring was the time to repopulate and revitalize the region after the quiet dormancy of the winter.

All around the clan grounds, Eevee stirred awake, some more reluctantly than others, and began their day. Light was creeping into the meadow, rousing those that didn't wake of their own accord. Some continued to sleep, but the number of Pokemon taking that option continued to dwindle, as the movements and noise of the awakened Pokemon lifted the veil of serenity that had extended over the grounds during the night.

Lin absently flicked one end of her scarf over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the population of Pokemon as they spread out over the grounds. It was mildly amusing how the clan members clustered into groups during the night, and spread out during the day, like waves rolling on the open sea. Understandable, from a huntress' perspective. Prey Pokemon often banded together for protection when they were otherwise vulnerable.

The Weavile gave a curt nod of acknowledgement when one of the evolved clan members caught her eye. Needless to say, with the majority of the clan's population being Eevee, Lin was treated with wary respect and caution, particularly by the evolved population. It honestly didn't bother her in the slightest that they didn't really trust her; if anything, it pleased her to see that the clan wasn't lax in regards to the safety of their members, and better justified the use of patrolling guards, considering the clan appeared to be so well-hidden that it was doubtful many potential threats wandered into the area.

She had been staying here for the past several days, having arrived with Sorin and Celes. Shortly after Kaito's info-dump of a meeting, the Flareon had announced her intention to depart and resume the search for her brother, and Sorin felt obligated to continue assisting her. More surprisingly, Kaito had almost insisted that Lin accompany them, citing the Weavile's keen sense of observation and formidable battle skills as justification. More specifically, the Togetic was concerned that if Celes wanted to track down his Zoroark rival, it would be wise to bring someone along that would not be easily misled by illusions, and could hold their own if pitted against Inferna.

Lin had offered no objection to the task, as it presented her the opportunity to see more of what Johto had to offer as a region, as well as a chance to interact more with Sorin. He was still the one she was the least familiar with among Kaito's associates, and she got a completely different vibe from him than from others, like Cecilia, Force, and Iris. He undoubtedly carried some sort of burden of his past, but he didn't seem particularly interested in Kaito's goal as a whole.

It had ultimately been Sorin's suggestion to visit the Eevee clan nearest to Violet City, although they took one or two detours before finally settling on this option. The Altaria was evidently on good terms with the clan alpha, and Kuro had grown up there, so even if the clan didn't know anything about Celes' brother, they could maybe point them in the right direction to find the Zoroark.

Lin clicked her tongue, and dipped her paws into the small lake located on one side of the clan grounds. Kneeling, she splashed the water into her face, gently massaging her forehead and cheeks with her claws. The cold water refreshed and sharpened her focus, and after two repetitions, she rose to her feet and strode along the perimeter of the main grounds. Under normal circumstances, being informed that it might be several days before Kuro could be reached might have been a thorn in her side. This time, however, Lin relished the opportunity. It had been over a year since she had left her pack at Mt. Coronet, and although she had traveled to almost every corner of Sinnoh since then, she had not come across many clans or packs that had interested her beyond the simple knowledge that they existed.

Celes and Sorin had likewise decided to make the best of the situation, and during the past few days, Lin occasionally caught sight of the Flareon shadowing the Vaporeon alpha, asking questions and observing the day-to-day interactions that went on. Sorin appeared to be a relatively familiar presence, and spent much of his time either catching up with members of the clan he seemed to know best, or humming various melodies, to the delight of the youngest Eevee that crowded around him and his absurdly soft, cuddly wings.

By contrast, Lin preferred to minimize the time she spent in the public eye. Much of her time was spent in more isolated sections of the clan grounds, either training on her own, or observing those around her. Every so often, she could coax one of the evolved clan members to spar with her, or gave them pointers on their own training routines.

Lin would be lying if she were to claim that there wasn't an ulterior motive to these interactions. Certainly, she relished the chance to test her strength against a variety of different Pokemon with different fighting styles, but her true objective was to create a basic, yet positive, connection with different members of the clan. During the spars, she held back just enough for her battle lust to be satisfied, without completely going easy on her opponents. In the aftermath of the spar, many of her opponents would ask how she got as strong as she was, and even if they didn't, she was not above casually complimenting their ability and asking about their experience, in order to steer the topic where she wanted it to be.

The end result was a small collection of Pokemon that respected her battle ability, and were more inclined to casually chat with her about their respective upbringings, and how the social expectations of a community ultimately shaped their battle skills. If the conversation went well, then it opened the way for Lin to ask more general questions about the clan and how it functioned, or other information that the average Eeveelution would be much warier of answering if Lin had not taken the time to build the basic rapport first.

Social manipulation was an underutilized skill in Lin's repertoire. Sneasel and Weavile were well regarded for their cunning trickery, and often honed these skills against their peers, but outside of her pack, Lin rarely saw much benefit in masking her agenda or intentions. However, as a predator species visiting a community of prey Pokemon, such talents could finally see some use, even in pursuit of information as mundane as how an alpha was selected, the importance placed on battle training, and how courtship protocol varied.

Lin abruptly paused her stride. In an environment almost entirely filled with quadrupeds, different body shapes stood out more prominently, with Sorin far and away the most distinct contrast. The cloud-like wings, the pale-blue body, and the avian-like appearance presented such a unique profile that he inevitably caught her attention, whether she was looking for him or not. On this occasion, the tendency of her eye to gravitate towards him served an additional purpose, as her gaze next shifted to a distinct, bipedal Pokemon with black fur, and an enormously long, red mane trailing behind its back.

Frowning to herself, Lin adjusted her course. As she approached, Sorin's gaze flicked in her direction, alerting the second Pokemon to her presence a few moments before she joined their company. As the Zoroark looked her way, Lin immediately took note of the bright blue eyes the illusion fox possessed. They gave off a mildly eerie vibe, as if they could see something on a different plane of existence that no one else could, but at the same time, they did not naturally emit light. This detail was more significant than most would give it credit for; namely, if the Zoroark had an ability that made use of ethereal vision, it was not active by default.

"Kuro, I presume," Lin stated, making and holding eye contact without an ounce of hesitation. A subtle twitch ran through the Zoroark's body, confirming to Lin that it was exceptionally rare for other Pokemon to unflinchingly meet his gaze. His stance shifted slightly, and his eyes narrowed cautiously, even as his mouth curled into an enthusiastic grin. So many little details within the span of a few seconds, but each a treasure trove of information that Lin could make use of.

Although pinpointing his age was difficult, due to a lack of familiarity with his species, Lin's gut instinct labeled him as roughly five years old, give or take a few months. His stance and the caution in his eyes told her that he immediately recognized her as a potential threat, and he had been shifting into 'flight mode' before consciously overriding the instinct.

"Ah, good morning to you, huntress of the night," the Zoroark crooned, offering a formal bow, complete with a dramatic flourish of his arm. "And you must be Lin," he continued, glancing up and flashing her a grin, as if expecting her to be taken aback by his knowledge of her identity.

Lin showed no reaction, and merely dipped her head in curt acknowledgement of her name. Kuro chuckled, but further posturing was delayed by the arrival of a sleek quadruped with black fur, intense crimson eyes, and yellow bands encircling its legs, ears, and tail.

"Oh, hey Kuro, when did you get here?" the Umbreon asked, his casual tone and relaxed demeanor indicating that the two were familiar with one another, and the Zoroark brightened upon seeing him.

"Just last night, Dom," Kuro answered, perfectly mirroring the Moonlight Pokemon's tone, although Lin wasn't sure if that had been intentional. "Dunno how you managed to miss me, honestly."

"Late-night sparring match," the Umbreon answered, sitting down with a shrug, and Lin nodded to confirm. They had arranged to have the spar just outside the clan grounds, so as not to disturb the Eevee attempting to sleep. As she had hoped, Dominic proved to be a significant challenge when able to use the cover of darkness and moonlight to his advantage.

"Oh? A battle pitting two nocturnal hunters against one another, the arena cloaked beneath a veil of darkness, broken only by the silver radiance of the moon?" Kuro asked, his eyes lighting up with interest. "I lament missing out on such spectacle...so tell me, which of you emerged as the apex predator of the shadows?"

"She did," Dominic answered, and his tail wagged briefly. "But it was a fantastic experience. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked, directing his attention to Lin.

"Yes," Lin answered, idly examining her claws. "A very satisfying challenge that tested my powers of observation and reflexes against an opponent with similar talents to my own, but of a flavor entirely distinct from my past experiences."

"Tsk, and I thought Noblesse gave you a hard time," Kuro sighed dramatically. Lin rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the Zoroark's attempts to insert shocking revelations into the conversation. It didn't even qualify as a secret that the Ampharos kept in contact with Kuro, as Noblesse had already admitted this to be the case after their spar. Kuro knowing about the battle was less surprising than him knowing her name, and even that feat was reduced to the level of cheap parlor tricks, considering that Lin kept a recognizable scarf around her neck at almost all times.

"Does Celes know he's here?" Lin wondered, directing the question to Sorin, who had been observing the interactions with mild interest.

"Yeah, they talked briefly last night, but we're planning to resume the conversation this morning," the Altaria answered. "She's with Aqua," Sorin explained, in response to Lin's curious glance at their surroundings.

"Shouldn't they be up and about by now?" Kuro wondered, gazing around with a thoughtful frown. When no one really responded, the Zoroark focused his attention on Dominic specifically. "Isn't Mom normally an early riser?"

"Not always," the Umbreon answered with a shrug. "She has her routine, yes, but if she needs an extra hour of sleep, and there's nothing more pressing scheduled for the day, she takes it."

"I have an alternate take on this," Lin spoke up, startling the three males into looking her way. "It could be that Celes is the one sleeping in," the Weavile continued, unfazed. "If Aqua's been a pack alpha for several years, I expect her to have developed a consistent sleep schedule. She's probably already awake, but not 'out here' yet because I doubt she'd leave Celes alone while she's sleeping in an unfamiliar environment."

"Hm, that's a good point," Sorin mused, a melodious hum rising from the back of his throat. "Although, Celes doesn't typically sleep late, either. She's always been awake by the time I'm up, for whatever that's worth."

"Don't females take an inordinately long time to finish grooming?" Kuro interjected, the innocent tone of his voice exaggerated just enough for Lin to tell that he knew he was invoking a stereotype.

"Aqua's a Vaporeon," Dominic argued, rolling his eyes. "She doesn't really need to groom."

"Mm...Celes would," Sorin noted grudgingly. "And she's definitely too modest to accept assistance. For that matter, I just assume it'd take her a long time for anything more thorough than running a wet paw over the top."

"While I applaud you boys approaching the subject so matter-of-factly, I really must ask," Lin interrupted, raising a claw to draw their attention. "Would any of you actually talk about this subject in front of the females you're discussing?"

There was an awkward pause, and Sorin glanced over his shoulder, concerned that Aqua or Celes might be standing right behind him. Kuro chuckled quietly, but gave no comment. Dominic just shrugged.

"I thought not," Lin said with a wry smirk. "We just need to be patient, unless someone is able to go check up on things."

The four of them exchanged knowing glances. As Lin knew from her own experience involving an alpha's den or sleeping space, it was strictly forbidden for anyone to venture into that area without permission. The Weavile wasn't personally intimidated by Aqua, but she had a strong, unyielding respect for her role as the clan's alpha, and had no desire at all to violate the Vaporeon's sanctum.

"I'm going to have to go with 'Nope'," Sorin deadpanned. "Even if Aqua gave me the go-ahead, I'm not risking Celes getting upset about me going into her sleeping space."

"And here I thought Inferna was exaggerating when she said you're terrified of Fire-type females," Kuro chuckled. Sorin bristled, but didn't comment.

"It doesn't really matter," Dominic interrupted seriously. "Even if one of you wanted to go there, I wouldn't allow you to."

"Ah, that's right, you're still Mom's personal bodyguard," Kuro mused. "But doesn't that mean you have permission to be near the nest?"

The Umbreon snorted with amusement, before it dawned on him that Kuro was serious. "I'm not allowed there unless Aqua specifically asked me to be there, and even then, it's more for the company than protection. I have most nights off."

The Umbreon's ears perked up, and he broke off the conversation as two familiar Eeveelutions approached. Aqua's majestic form seemed to sparkle in the morning sun, and the blue body struck a stunning contrast to the vibrant orange of the fluffy Flareon walking beside her. Compared to the confident strides of the Water Eon, Celes' composure was more withdrawn, and almost demure, as if she was embarrassed to be seen as a peer to the clan alpha.

"Good morning," Aqua greeted pleasantly, nodding to each of them in turn. "I apologize if we've kept you waiting."

"It's all right," Sorin assured the Vaporeon. Dominic rose to his feet importantly, and Aqua dipped her head towards him.

"I hope you'll excuse the sudden departure, but I have a number of things I need to attend to this morning," Aqua explained with an apologetic smile. "I should see you later this afternoon, but if you cannot linger, please let me know, so that I may at least see you off properly."

"Okay, talk to you later, Mom," Kuro answered. With a final bob of her head, the Vaporeon walked away, with Dominic following at her heels. The Zoroark stretched and sat down on the grass, cross-legged. "So, you're looking particularly well-groomed this morning," Kuro told the Flareon with a cheeky grin. Celes scrunched up her face in confusion, and Sorin shot the Zoroark a dirty look.

"Ignore him. Good morning, Celes," Sorin said. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Slept great, actually," Celes admitted, her tail swishing once before she modestly curled it back around herself. "Thank you," she added, after an awkward pause.

"No problem," Sorin answered, pausing to stretch his wings and adjusting into a more comfortable position on the grass. "So, are we ready to continue the conversation from yesterday?" he asked.

"Just a moment," Lin interjected, touching her claws to her cheek thoughtfully, and looking around at the others. "Has everyone eaten yet?"

"Yeah, we ate with the early group," Sorin answered, with Kuro nodding in agreement. Lin didn't find it necessary to answer her own question, as she had hunted breakfast earlier. As attention turned towards Celes, she curled her tail closer around herself.

"Um...Aqua prepared us something," she explained awkwardly.

"Trout in Sitrus sauce?" Kuro wondered, sounding genuinely interested in the response. Celes shrugged instinctively, but after a moment's consideration, nodded. "Ooh, lucky girl...Aqua's recipe is to die for," he purred, his eyes glazing over.

"It was really, really good," Celes admitted, her tail swishing again. "That's mostly why we were late..."

"Don't worry about it," Sorin insisted gently. "We're not on a tight schedule or anything."

"Speak for yourself," Kuro muttered under his breath, but when Sorin glanced at him, Kuro pretended to be examining his claws.

A pleasant lull in conversation followed, giving them ample time to get fully settled. Sorin was already nestled on the grass, and Celes soon sat down beside him. Lin arched an eyebrow, but made no comment. There was definitely something different about the Flareon's demeanor this morning. She seemed a little more relaxed than usual, her stance was not as rigid, and while she wasn't snuggling up against the Altaria or anything that extreme, she was sitting more closely than usual. If anyone else had acted similarly, it would have been utterly unremarkable, but Celes was so protective of her personal space that her choosing to sit at a more familiar proximity to the cloud dragon was mildly curious.

Lin naturally would have preferred to remain standing, ideally with a tree or similar object to lean against for support, but seeing as they were in an open environment and the others had settled on the grass, she felt awkwardly out of place being the only one of them still standing. If Kuro hadn't already been sitting, she might have justified it as insurance that he didn't try to bolt, and although the possibility remained open, Lin had more than ample experience shifting into an active state at a moment's notice.

"Okay, are we ready now?" Sorin asked, once Lin had sat down, looking around at the rest of them for confirmation. He allowed only a moment for an objection to be raised before focusing on the Zoroark. "I know you already told me this, but just reiterate it for Celes' benefit. You have seen her brother?"

Kuro chuckled and wagged one of his claws disapprovingly. "She never confirmed whether the illusion I produced was actually of her brother, so how would I know?"

"It was definitely him," Celes growled, yet there was no aggression in her stance. The harshness of her tone served only to communicate her absolute certainty.

"Fine, then I last saw him a little over two weeks ago, by the lake just north of here," Kuro said, without missing a beat. "However, I never met with him directly."

"You didn't?" Celes repeated uncertainly. "Then how did you know who he was?"

"Since when have I needed to meet someone to know their identity?" Kuro wondered with a sly smirk. Celes exchanged a frustrated glance with Sorin, and the Altaria scowled at the Zoroark.

"You told me you had been keeping an eye on him, and that he had been staying in that area for a while," Sorin reminded Kuro seriously. "So I think you have plenty of relevant information about him that you need to tell Celes. Now."

The last word was spoken forcefully, and Kuro twitched subtly, not unlike how he had reacted when Lin had first made eye contact with him. Even Lin could feel the tremor of power radiating from the normally unintimidating Dragon-type. Sorin's demeanor appeared calm on the surface, but there was no telling how quickly that could shift if he was provoked further.

Kuro smiled weakly, before turning his attention towards Celes. His smile grew into a more playful grin, yet Lin spotted the tension in his paws. The Zoroark was definitely nervous, but determined not to show it on the surface.

"It was early March when a stranger arrived at the outskirts of town," Kuro narrated, deepening his voice slightly to add a more dramatic tone to his words. "An Eevee that none had seen before, and whose eyes darted about warily, taking stock of his surroundings with every step he took. Eyes that had not seen a friendly face for many months, yet had hardened through acceptance of this fate."

Lin audibly sighed, but Kuro paid no notice. Few things irritated the Weavile more than someone who enjoyed hearing themselves talk, and who couldn't be trusted to provide valuable content in addition to their embellishments. Sorin and Celes seemed to share her mindset, but the Flareon at least had resigned herself to enduring the nonsense if it meant making progress in her search.

"Such a curious Pokemon this young Eevee was, for in spite of the hardness of his gaze, he acted in a whimsical manner," Kuro continued, his grin becoming more natural and the tension beginning to fade from his body as he got more engrossed in his narration. "It was only when he was alone that his true feelings surfaced, in spite of his efforts to repress them. Bitterness gnawed at his mind, and pain clutched at his soul. The levity of his facade was insufficient to truly lighten the burden of hatred contained within-"

"Stop it. Please..." Celes begged, the early hint of tears filling her eyes, and she shielded her face with her foreleg, in a vain effort to conceal her emotional state. Kuro went silent at once, his face momentarily showing a pang of regret. Sorin extended his wing towards the Flareon, but then pulled it back, remembering the Fire-type's aversion to contact. However, it was painfully clear that the Altaria desperately wanted to try and console her.

"So Kaito is telling the truth about you," Lin commented, speaking barely above a whisper. "You are fascinated by the impact of negative emotions."

"And Kaito is not?" the Zoroark retorted, unfazed by the accusation. "The difference between Kaito and I is that he thinks he's righteous in his agenda...and I know I'm not."

"...run that by me again?" Lin said, frowning.

Kuro chuckled, and his eyes glittered. "Kaito is so convinced of his own virtue that he is unable to comprehend that joy and happiness have no meaning in a world absent of their negative counterparts. I am not so blinded by the light that I cannot appreciate the darkness. I play the role of hero and villain alike with equal devotion and enthusiasm. But unlike Kaito, I know when I've been cast as the villain. Let that sink in, noble huntress of the night."

With that enigmatic note, Kuro rose to his feet as if to depart, only for Lin to do the same, her claws flexing. Sorin tensed, distracted from his dilemma of how to comfort the distressed Flareon.

"Hold up, Kuro," the Altaria said sharply, his feathers bristling. "We're not finished with this yet."

"A true shame, but I have matters of my own to take care of," Kuro sneered. "I haven't paid much attention to that area in the past few weeks."

"Why not?" Sorin pressed, his tone becoming more aggressive.

"Mostly because my agenda no longer required a source of rage available," Kuro retorted, flashing the Altaria a smug grin. "Random question, though...if you've asked everyone you've come across about her brother, including Inferna...how is it you've failed to ask any of the three Pokemon who would have known exactly where he was?"

"What?" Celes squeaked, jerking her head up.

"Particularly amusing, if Noblesse is to be believed, as my understanding is that you were literally talking with one of them," Kuro continued.

"Who?" Celes demanded, bristling as she climbed to her feet.

"Hm, maybe it's unfair to consider it 'talking', if she decided to troll you by literally just saying 'Vay-Ree-Por-On', and a variation of it," Kuro mused, visibly fighting back an amused grin. "Noblesse said if not for the fact he needed you to defrost him-"

"Wait, SHE knew where Blaze was?!" Celes practically shrieked, her eyes widening in sudden realization. Kuro winced, clutching one of his ears with his paw, and even Sorin cringed slightly. Several of the clan Eevee glanced over in alarm, but Lin waved her paw to indicate that everything was fine, and after a few moments, they continued going about their business.

"Who are we even talking about?" Sorin asked, bemused.

"A Vaporeon back in uh...Ecruteak City?" Celes ventured cautiously.

"Other than Aqua, the only Vaporeon I know is...oh son of a..." Sorin groaned, burying his head in one of his wings for a few seconds, almost as if he were trying to smother himself. Lin was just starting to get concerned when Sorin lifted his head again, seemingly no worse for wear. "Aureia? Seriously? Aureia knows where Blaze is?"

"She's ONE of the three you haven't asked who do," Kuro said, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully. Sorin stared at the Zoroark, his expression gradually changing from incredulous annoyance to dawning comprehension, and finally settling upon an absolute deadpan.

"Can I kill him? Please?" he asked, directing the question to Lin. The Weavile rolled her eyes. Sorin's tone lacked any true murderous intent, so a response was deemed unnecessary. "Ember? She knows, too?" Sorin guessed, without changing his tone at all. Kuro grinned widely. "Of course she does...Adrian's whole team probably knows. Adrian himself probably knows!"

"That's all the information I have for you," Kuro crooned, his eyes glittering. "Surely you don't object to my departure now?"


	108. Igniting a Blaze

_April 21st_

 _Solaceon Town Outskirts - Sinnoh Region_

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Blaze awoke feeling at ease. It seemed so foreign to him, waking up without his heart pounding, or his body tensing in anticipation as his eyes and ears strained to locate a potential danger nearby. Words could scarcely describe the incredible difference this had on his mood. Instead of fear and aggression pumping through his blood, he felt only the warm cozy feeling of a good night's rest.

He remained still for several moments, basking in the feelings of contentment before finally shifting his body and stretching, allowing energy to race into his limbs and dispel the haze of sleep from his mind. He even allowed himself the luxury of a wide yawn, his tail swishing happily as he completed the stretch and sat up.

A vast meadow extended all around him, with a large tree standing nearby to offer the prospect of shade and shelter if he so desired, and the meadow had a number of boulders of varying size for him to climb on if he wanted a different vantage point, or even to occupy him for a few moments. Just a short walk away was a small stream, and the sound of running water was a pleasant source of ambience.

Aureia had explained to him that a trainer's Pokeball contained a simulated environment suited to the tastes of the Pokemon inhabiting it, as opposed to the Eevee's initial concern that it was a prison with bare, silver-steel walls surrounding its captive on all sides. In his defense, that was exactly what the inside a Pokeball appeared to be whenever Blaze caught a glimpse of one opening. It was only after Ember had been called into the conversation to confirm the Vaporeon's claims that Blaze allowed Adrian to call him into the sphere.

The simulated environment was not quite as realistic as the outside world, which Blaze initially found a little unnerving, but after spending a little more time within his own little world, he started to take a liking to it. The vague sense of falseness actually did wonders to put his mind at ease. It reassured him that no rivals or predators were going to be sneaking up on him. The main downside was the sense of isolation. Part of Blaze wished there was some sort of a duplex ball or something, that could harbor two Pokemon together, but after a little while, he reconsidered that notion. A Pokeball was clearly designed to be a Pokemon's personal 'haven', a place where they could rest and relax with absolute privacy, without any sense of danger or unease to plague their mind. He felt safe and comfortable.

The Eevee was just starting to wonder whether Pokemon ever had to worry about getting hungry while inside a ball, when a tingling sensation ran through his body. This was followed by the simulated environment shimmering and distorting, alerting him to what was about to happen a moment before he felt himself gently pulled from that environment and released into the real world.

A variety of different scents bombarded his nose, and he spun around quickly to try and get his bearings. It didn't take him too long to discover that he was standing in what appeared to be the same clearing where Adrian and Marcus had had their battle two days ago. The sun was already up, and judging by its height in the sky, it was roughly mid-morning. The grass was slightly damp with the morning's dew, and a small fire crackled from a pit, surrounded by rocks, with a bundle of twigs nestled in the center and gradually becoming consumed by the flames. The two humans were seated around the fire pit, one of them suspending a long stick over the fire, with a number of different food items speared upon its point. Not far from them were a pair of small shelters made from some sort of waterproof fabric, just large enough to comfortably house one human, with maybe a little extra room.

"Hey there, little guy," Adrian greeted, smiling at Blaze. The Eevee cocked his head inquisitively, not really sure how to respond, if one was even necessary. He cast another look around the campsite, and soon spotted Ember sitting near the fire, the Charmander nurturing the flame whenever it started to die down. Continuing to look around provided no further clues as to what was going on. As if aware of what he was thinking, Adrian smiled reassuringly. "If you're looking for Aureia, she's swimming," he explained, pointing towards the far end of the clearing, where the streams were located. "But you should probably let her be for right now, okay?"

"Oh, okay," Blaze mumbled, sitting down and looking around awkwardly. It wasn't like he needed to always be around Aureia, but he still wasn't sure what was going on. He had never expected to be under a trainer's care, even if it was just supposed to be a temporary arrangement, so he had no idea what to expect at any given time.

"You hungry, Blaze?" Adrian ventured gently, pivoting his body so he was facing the Eevee directly, and held out his hand, exposing a number of berries in his palm. Blaze hesitated for only a moment before cautiously approaching, keeping most of his attention on the human's face. Once the Eevee was close enough, Adrian opened his hand more, providing easier access, but without dropping the berries on the grass. Blaze hesitated again, his heart starting to beat a little faster, but he steeled himself and stepped closer, cautiously seizing one of the ripe fruits between his teeth, and then retreated a pace or two to eat it.

Adrian didn't move, and smiled patiently, his hand still extended towards the Eevee. Once Blaze had finished with the first berry, he approached again to seize another, repeating the process as before. Once he went back for the third berry, he retreated only a single pace. By the fifth berry, he didn't bother retreating at all.

"See? I'm not that scary," Adrian chuckled. Blaze cocked his head inquisitively. He understood what the young man had said; his confusion was more directed inwards. Now that it had been pointed out, he _had_ started noticing that he wasn't as on-edge around humans ever since he had allowed himself to be registered to a Pokeball the other day. Not to the point of happily approaching them, but he didn't feel as anxious around them. More bizarrely was that this extended not only to Adrian, but to other humans, like Marcus, or even other human travelers. Seemed like a bit too much of a shift to naturally occur in just a little over a day's time.

Shrugging it off for now, Blaze refocused on simply filling his belly. The different berries that Adrian had offered had a variety of flavors to each of them. Some were sweet, others a bit more dry, and at least one or two of them were sour. Once he was satisfied, he retreated again and used his paw to wipe his muzzle clean of any juice and residue that had missed his mouth.

"You know, Adrian, I still can't decide whether I'm doing something wrong, or if you're just getting lucky," Marcus commented, lifting his cooking utensil from the fire and carefully sliding the cooked foods into a container.

"What do you mean?" Adrian wondered.

"I mean, I know you take in Pokemon with special circumstances, but you've been able to raise Aureia, and now you're starting to get along with a wild Eevee," Marcus explained. "Meanwhile, I've come across that shiny Espeon twice, but both times, I've gotten attacked, either by a psychotic Leafeon, or a super-strong Glaceon. And other than those times, I haven't seen ANY other wild Eevee."

"I really don't think they're that common or widespread in Sinnoh," Adrian remarked. "They probably cluster in groups or packs, so you'll almost never find them by themselves."

Blaze fidgeted slightly, even though he knew the humans weren't really talking about him. From his own experience, he had never seen other Eevee wandering around on their own. If an Eevee was by themselves, they were either being looked after by a stronger Pokemon, or they belonged to a trainer camping in the area. It was even rare to see the evolved forms in groups of fewer than two or three.

Marcus shrugged, and started eating the small meal he had cooked for himself, distracting him from making further replies. Adrian chuckled to himself and turned his attention back towards Blaze. When the Eevee didn't immediately shy away, the human slowly extended his arm towards him, making the approach as non-threatening as possible. Blaze watched him warily, but did not retreat, even once Adrian's hand was almost directly above him. Just as slowly as before, Adrian let his hand descend until his fingertips gently stroked along Blaze's ears.

Blaze's ears twitched at the contact, and he flinched briefly before relaxing and allowing Adrian to repeat the motion, sending a ripple of delight through the Eevee's body. He inched a little closer to Adrian, permitting him to stroke from the tip of his ears down to the top of his head. After a few moments, he began purring softly, closing his eyes partially just to bask in the gentle touch.

"Oh, you like being pet, huh?" Adrian asked playfully. "I half expected you to try to bite my fingers."

Blaze smirked a little at the comment, in spite of himself, but made no effort to contradict the trainer's statement. Adrian shifted position again and knelt on the grass beside the Eevee. Cautiously, he continued to stroke along Blaze's ears and head, watching his reactions closely, and moving slowly enough to not startle the Eevee.

"So here's something else I've been wondering," Marcus said, between bites of food, and Adrian paused the petting to look over, to Blaze's disappointment. "How have you gotten so good at understanding your Pokemon? I mean, I'm making progress, but you seem to pick up on things so fast."

"Experience, little man, not much else to it," Adrian laughed. "It comes from time and practice, more than just having a 'gift' for something. When it comes to Aureia and Ember, I've worked with them long enough that I have a pretty good understanding of how they think and feel. Just takes some time and sticking with it. You must be doing something right, if you've got a Lopunny on your team already."

Marcus grinned from ear-to-ear, his cheeks flushing at his older brother's praise. "Thanks, but uh...do you think you could watch me when I train later, and maybe, you know, give me some pointers?"

"Yeah, I'd love to, little man," Adrian answered. "I'll be free in about an hour, once I finish up a few things and pack up the tents."

"I'll take care of the tents!" Marcus said, jumping to his feet and going over to the shelters. Adrian chuckled, but offered no objection, instead refocusing on Blaze.

"I don't know how you feel about battle training, little guy," he said, rubbing the Eevee's ears again. "No pressure, but if it's something you're interested in, let me know, okay?"

Blaze nodded, and Adrian paused, rummaging around in his pockets until he located a red, handheld device, the same object he had consulted during the other day's battle. The Eevee cocked his head inquisitively, and tensed when the human pointed it towards him.

"It's all right, it doesn't hurt you," Adrian reassured him, pressing one of the buttons, and then turning the display towards the Eevee to show him the results. Blaze blinked a few times. The screen had the image of an Eevee upon it, and then several lines of text. "This is a Pokedex," Adrian explained. "It scans a Pokemon and then displays information about it."

He flicked his finger across the screen, and the image rotated around, showing different angles, as if they were circling around the displayed Eevee.

"I mean, an Eevee is a bit more ordinary, but if I tapped a section of its body I wanted information about, like a Charmander's tail flame, or an Espeon's forehead gem, it would display that information," Adrian continued, demonstrating by tapping on the screen. "It also lists basic information, and if I scan a specific Pokemon, I can get more detailed information about its abilities."

Adrian again tapped a button, and the display changed to a printed list of attributes. Peering closer to the display, Blaze did his best to read the details, and Adrian, seemingly aware of what he was trying to do, merely smiled and read them aloud for him.

"Male Eevee, Normal-type, estimated three years of age, standard height and weight, movepool...huh, that's interesting..."

"What is it?" Marcus wondered, looking over as Adrian squinted at the Pokedex display.

"I mean, it's mostly the basic stuff that most Pokemon can do, like Tackle, Bite, Growl, and Quick Attack, but this little guy also knows Charm, and more surprisingly, Wish," Adrian said seriously, pointing at two lines of text that were displayed in a different color than the rest, as Marcus looked over his brother's shoulder to see. "Kind of like how Ember knows Dragon Dance...Wish isn't a technique most Eevee know naturally. It's usually inherited. Lucky guy."

"I don't know Wish," Blaze protested, bewildered. "What's Wish?"

"He just means your genetics have access to a rare technique, and not that you actually know how to do it," Ember explained. "It's not like I knew how to use Dragon Dance fresh out of the egg, but my body naturally could use it, I just had to be taught how."

"Oh," Blaze muttered. That made a little more sense than being told he knew a battle technique he had never heard of before. His next question was what 'Wish' actually did, but something told him that Ember had no idea. Because if he had the power to have his wishes granted or something, then it wasn't working. Everything he ever wanted from his life always seemed to turn out badly for him. Back at the clan, he had wished desperately for a means to change the system, or to finally be able to lash out against the bullying and injustices...and then one day, he had found a glittering orange stone radiating with energy.

The Eevee clenched his jaw, willing himself with all his might not to start crying at the memory of fate's injustice. He had found the stone, and had been convinced it was a gift from above, a blessing bestowed upon him...only to have it stolen out from under him, and his dreams destroyed in an instant. That was the day he decided that his fate would only change if he made it change, not by wishing or waiting, but by shedding everything else about his life, and beginning anew.

"Oh, there you are, Aureia," Adrian said, drawing the Eevee's attention back to reality. The Vaporeon was walking over to them, her body glistening with water droplets catching the morning sun. "How was your swim?"

"It was fine," the Vaporeon replied dully. "What did I miss?"

"I was just showing your friend how the Pokedex works," Adrian explained, holding up the device for her inspection. "I also checked his movepool, in case he wanted to join our battle training today. In addition to the basics, he knows Charm and Wish."

"And I know Fake Tears and Attract," Aureia replied promptly, without altering her flat tone in the slightest. "That's fantastic news, assuming you're mentioning it because our future goal is to spawn an Eevee genetically equipped to become the cutest sociopath."

"If it's going to be that cute, which parent is it taking after?" Blaze wondered aloud. Aureia just stared at him, and Ember stifled a snort of laughter. Blaze grinned innocently at the Vaporeon, and after a short pause, an amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and her rigid stance loosened slightly.

"Why do I find this endearing?" Aureia lamented, shaking her head in an effort to conceal her amusement, even as she sat down beside the Eevee. Blaze immediately seized this opportunity to affectionately nuzzle against her foreleg, but Aureia promptly pushed him back. "It's not that endearing," she chided him blandly. "Don't overplay it, or I'll start doubting whether you know when I'm being sarcastic."

"I just assume everything you say is sarcastic," Blaze replied brightly.

"To be fair, you'd be right more often than not," Ember noted. Aureia shot the Charmander a look, but it lacked venom, and Ember merely smirked in response. At about this time, Adrian got to his feet and started to move about the campsite, gathering together their various belongings, and talking to Marcus as the latter continued disassembling their fabric shelters. Aureia watched them for a moment, then shook her head.

"Whatever," Aureia sighed, and turned her attention back to Blaze, the Eevee's tail wagging in spite of himself. "Did you actually plan to join the battle training today?" she wondered.

"Um...I don't know," Blaze answered, shifting his weight from side to side. "I mean, I could if you want me to," he added quickly. Aureia fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she was smiling faintly, amused by his response.

"No, that's okay," she said slowly, averting her gaze, but undeniably still talking to him. "I think I've gotten my thoughts together now, so I'd like to finally have that word with you."

"Oh...right," Blaze said, feeling a sense of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't forgotten about the Vaporeon's request to talk to him, following the spar between the two humans, but it had been over a day since Aureia had last mentioned it, and considering how their last attempt for a personal conversation had gone, back in Johto, he didn't have much reason to be optimistic.

"Oh, relax," Aureia griped, seeing his nervous expression. "I won't put you in a tail bind this time."

"And you won't start acting like a passive-aggressive b...beautiful female?" Blaze asked, nearly fumbling the last words, and grinning playfully in a desperate effort to hide the near-slip. Ember and Aureia exchanged glances.

"That was a pretty smooth recovery, actually," Ember admitted, not even trying to hide her amusement.

"Yes, bravo, Blaze," Aureia deadpanned. "We're off to a great start already."

"I hadn't called you 'beautiful' yet!" Blaze explained earnestly, but he could tell that Aureia hadn't been offended. Her stance was still relaxed, and although her tone was its usual, near-constant deadpan, her eyes and voice lacked the coldness more typical of a guarded state. She seemed almost as amused by the situation as Ember was, even if her facial expressions did little to reflect that mood. Lukewarm responses were still a good sign.

* * *

Further chance to develop the conversation was limited by the announcement that the two humans had finished packing up the campsite and were ready to move on. What followed was a short disagreement over the ideal location for the training session to be held. Adrian felt that the present area would probably suffice, but Marcus disagreed. The bantering went back and forth for several minutes before Adrian finally conceded that since it was supposed to be Marcus' training session, with the older trainer primarily acting as an observer, it was only fair for Marcus to select the venue.

Blaze had no idea where the younger trainer was planning on taking them, but he knew that the trip involved passing through Solaceon Town entirely, only to do an abrupt change in direction and navigate through a small forest, hop over a few precarious ledges...and that was all Blaze knew, because Aureia 'noped' out of that arrangement so fast it almost made his head spin.

"Seriously, Aureia?" Adrian asked, when he glanced back to see that the Vaporeon had outright refused to traverse the first ledge. She responded by turning her nose up. "It's like...a six inch drop, girl...you really wouldn't get hurt."

Blaze glanced between the Water-type and her trainer uncertainly. He was also still on top of that ledge, and while his hesitation to drop over the ledge was more understandable due to his smaller size, he was genuinely baffled by Aureia's reluctance.

"I could carry you in your ball if you...wait, you just don't want to come at all, do you?" Adrian asked, realization dawning on his face.

"I heard Marcus say where we were going," Aureia retorted. "I'm not going anywhere NEAR another place with the word 'Ruins' in it."

Adrian seemed slightly frustrated, because he scratched at the back of his neck, turning to look over his shoulder at Marcus, who was looking perplexed by the situation. Finally, he sighed. "Okay, you don't have to come. But stay in the area, and behave. Sinnoh isn't as big on Pokemon wandering freely, like in Johto, okay?"

Aureia shrugged, and Adrian checked the time, before turning to talk with Marcus for a few moments.

"We'll come back and get you in about a half hour to forty-five minutes, all right?" Adrian asked. Aureia replied with a curt nod, and almost immediately turned on her heel and began walking back the way they had come. Blaze hesitated for a fraction of a second before going after the Vaporeon, jogging to keep pace with her larger strides.

Neither of them spoke until they had emerged from the small forest, and back within the town limits. After a moment's consideration, Aureia opted to go north, through the gate in the opposite direction of last night's campground.

"Where are we going?" he wondered, looking around as he followed her along the faded dirt path leading away from the human town.

"Just over here somewhere," Aureia answered dully, her eyes scanning the area. After a brief silence, it occurred to Blaze that he probably wasn't going to get a better answer than that, and it really wasn't worth nagging her to elaborate.

Compared to the humid and marshy terrain after Pastoria, and the streams and meadows between Hearthome and Solaceon, this route had open, sprawling fields with clusters of trees dotted around the area. The dirt road seemed to stretch on for ages, even branching off and forming a whole different road. With fewer obstacles to block out the sky, Blaze could even see the looming shape of a massive mountain in the distance.

He had seen mountains before, but the great titan of Sinnoh seemed to dwarf them all, and he couldn't even begin to imagine the fear and awe that it might inspire if they were much closer. The spires of the mountain reached above the clouds themselves, so that even the sun seemed in range of its summit.

"May I ask you something, Blaze?" Aureia abruptly asked, and she stopped walking, which resulted in the distracted Eevee colliding with her rump. The Vaporeon shot a poisonous look over her shoulder, even as he backpedaled, apologizing nervously. Once satisfied that he was appropriately cowed, Aureia's expression softened, and she moved off the path, and sat down on the grass. "Do you have any battle training or experience at all?" she wondered, gesturing for him to sit down beside her.

"Um...a little, I guess," Blaze answered, tiptoeing nearer to the Vaporeon. "I'm just...not very strong."

"Oh, that's right," Aureia murmured thoughtfully, as if she had only just remembered this tidbit of information. "You said you used to have a trainer, but were released because you weren't strong enough."

Blaze cringed, and his stomach churned with guilt. As much as he wished he could tear his memories from his mind and cast them aside, the reality was not so simple. In order to distance himself from his past, he had tried to fabricate a new life for himself. Other Pokemon he had encountered during his months of travel had been suspicious of this wayward Eevee that refused to say where he came from, and what he was doing. It was impossible to truly start at ground zero, as long as a single stone of the past was left at the foundation.

So rather than try to eradicate his origins, he disguised them instead. To justify his lack of roots, he told inquisitive Pokemon that he had been released by his trainer, and he had nowhere to stay. This seemed painful enough that he rarely received questions beyond that, and if any justification was ever needed, he said it was because he hadn't been strong enough. He had always been a lamentable fighter, so quick to anger and possessing all the grace of a Spinda. Claiming weakness added credibility to his backstory, and made him appear less like a threat, as someone unworthy of fighting.

And if fighting was ever an issue, he could always just lose.

Losing came naturally to him. So long as his life was not at risk, a loss was just a formal display of submission to the other party. Sometimes, it cost him a meal, by forfeiting the scraps he had found. Sometimes, it cost him a warm place to sleep. But none of that really mattered, because by losing, he stayed alive. He stayed safe. He only had to endure the victor's gloating, and then it was over. His heart burned with hatred, and thirsted for retribution, but that was the story of his old life, and he had cast that story, and that life, aside.

Until he had met Aureia. After getting to know the Vaporeon better, and developing genuine affection for her, Blaze never forgave himself for using his fabricated backstory. As hoped, hearing that he had been released by a trainer who only wanted Pokemon strong enough to win battles had discouraged the Vaporeon from prying deeper. And after spending time together, she had told him her own circumstances. She had been captured as an Eevee, and evolved into a Vaporeon. That in spite of caring deeply for her trainer, she was eventually replaced on the team, and set free. Perhaps it had been the trainer's idea of compassion, to allow Aureia to live in freedom, rather than confined to a Pokeball or similar...but it had shattered her heart. Even the mention of her second trainer, a second-rate criminal who had been arrested in short order, always seemed like an afterthought of her tale...she met Adrian through those circumstances, but it was the first trainer that had left the most impact.

There were times when Blaze longed to retract his tale of woe, and admit that he had fabricated it, but he always stopped himself. Aureia only tolerated him most of the time, and he felt certain that if she knew he had lied about his past, that tolerance would be broken in an instant. Yet the closer he grew to her, the more he hated himself for telling her that story, and there were nights when he lay awake, worrying that maybe she only cared as much as she did because she thought he could relate to her own past. That they weren't so different, and that they could provide a sort of comfort to one another.

The more time that passed, the more Blaze dreaded the inevitable revelation of his true origins. The closer they got, the more he feared that the truth would make her feel betrayed and deceived. The more uncomfortable it would be to finally be honest, and face judgment and wrath.

He didn't have the heart for this type of deception. She at times seemed to seriously consider him as more than just a male acquaintance. Someone she might finally be able to open up to...and if she learned everything had been built on a lie...he was terrified of how this might hurt her. He had promised himself, that if there was ever a point where Aureia might return his affection sincerely, he would need to tell her the truth before then. He knew the spring months brought their species' courting season, and although he sincerely doubted Aureia would be quick to act physically affectionate towards him...the possibility existed. There was no way he could risk things ever going that far without first coming clean.

"Um...Aureia?" he squeaked out, his mouth abruptly feeling very dry. The Vaporeon glanced at him. His entire train of thought had lasted merely seconds, although it had felt like a real-time retelling of the past several months of his life. She likely had no idea what he had been thinking about, or even aware of how much he was agonizing over these next few words.

"Hm?" she murmured inquisitively. Blaze hesitated, uncomfortably aware of the thundering of his heart in his chest, coupled with the clawing of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He was starting to feel slightly nauseous.

"I have to tell you something, but I'm scared you're going to be really mad," Blaze choked out, his eyes stinging with emotion. In spite of his brain screaming at him not to do it, he inched closer and desperately nuzzled against her leg. It wasn't his usual show of affection, but some sort of pathetic obsequious behavior, akin to groveling for leniency.

"Are you cheating on me with Avis?" Aureia deadpanned, lifting her leg away from him and stepping back.

"What? No, I...why would you even-?" Blaze stammered, bewildered.

Aureia shrugged. "Because that would probably piss me off more than anything else ever could," she answered dully. "If you're going to go that route, at least have the decency to choose Ember."

"...why is your first instinct that I'm after someone else?" Blaze demanded, distracted from his original train of thought.

Aureia shrugged again. "I couldn't think of anything else that might warrant so much pre-emptive tail-kissing," she deadpanned. "Just spit it out if you need to say something."

Blaze cringed. "I...never had a trainer. I made that up."

Aureia stared at him. The silence seemed to drag on for hours, and Blaze squirmed beneath her gaze, looking at the grass beneath his paws. "Is that it?" she asked finally.

"What?" Blaze looked up indignantly.

The Vaporeon's response was interrupted by the sound of excited squealing, and both of them turned in the direction of the source. A small ball of brown fluff had bolted over to their location, showering their ears with a mixture of high-pitched squeals and chirps.

Once Blaze had focused his attention, he could see that it was another Eevee, but female, and far younger than he was. Probably around three or four months, tops, if it was still communicating with chirps, yet was this energetic.

The young Eevee had bright, curious eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, and it was excitedly trying to get their attention, its bushy tail wagging with such enthusiasm that it brought a legitimate smile to Blaze's face.

"Hi there!" Blaze squeaked playfully, crouching his body to put his face on the same level as the little Eevee's, and wagging his tail in the same manner that she was. It was so much easier to bring out a happy, playful demeanor when interacting with younger Pokemon than for fellow adults. The same mindset was how he often managed to force a cheerful exterior, even when feeling moody.

The Eevee kit giggled, poking her paw at Blaze's nose. Blaze grinned, then gently poked her nose right back, making a 'boop' sound with his mouth when he made contact. The smaller Eevee squealed in delight. Aureia blinked several times, her eyes darting between the two Eevee with a confused expression, as if she wasn't sure whether this was really happening.

"I'm presently debating whether I'm in a living nightmare," Aureia remarked dryly. "Because the last thing I need right now, when Adrian is playing matchmaker while pretending he's not doing that, is for him to randomly come by and see you getting along well with kits."

"I like kits," Blaze protested. "They're cute, and playful, and innocent, and don't get off on tormenting people."

"I imagine many parents might disagree on that," Aureia muttered. The young Eevee looked up at her curiously and greeted her with an adorable chirp. When this received no reaction, the kit repeated the sound, her tail wagging adorably.

"She's so cute!" Blaze whispered gleefully, his own tail wagging again.

"Glacia!" a male voice whined, and the smaller Eevee's ears perked up, as a second quadruped hurried over. Its body was covered primarily in tan fur that vaguely resembled the shade of the dirt path, with vibrant green sprouts growing along its body, and a leafy appearance at the ends of its ears and tail. "Don't run off like that, Frost's going to get mad at me," the Leafeon scolded the smaller Eevee, who chirped obliviously.

"Hi!" Blaze greeted brightly. It was a little more difficult to judge the Grass Eon's age, due to being an evolved species, but it was smaller than average and the whining so clearly resembled a kit-age Pokemon that he was able to roughly estimate it as being just a little older than the female Eevee, probably by a few months.

"Oh, hey," the Leafeon replied, smiling apologetically, but Blaze immediately sensed a guardedness in his stance. "Sorry if we got in your way."

"It's fine," Aureia replied, speaking more gently than she normally did, which seemed to reassure the Leafeon a little bit, because he relaxed and began speaking to the Eevee quietly. "Are you siblings?" the Vaporeon wondered.

"Huh? No, just friends," the Leafeon answered with a smile. "We were just playing over there, and I guess she saw you guys and ran over. She moves really fast..."

"Which is altogether unsurprising," a male voice stated unexpectedly, and another Pokemon stepped into view. It was a quadruped with light-blue fur that stood out vividly against the lush green of the surrounding meadow. Upon its head was a tri-sectioned crest of fur with two teal dangles framing its face, like the flaps of an arctic cap. "She was raised around snow for her entire life, so grass poses little obstacle to her mobility."

As the newcomer drew nearer to the group, Blaze noted that its fur was frozen into needle-like quills, and an icy mist escaped its mouth with every breath. The Ice-type carried himself with an air of smug confidence that immediately made Blaze hate him. Glaceon were exceptionally rare Pokemon to see back in Blaze's clan, but he knew of them by reputation.

At the sight of the Ice Eeveelution, the Eevee kit squeaked and she dashed over to him, rubbing up against his leg and side affectionately. For some illogical reason, the sight made Blaze's insides tighten, and he averted his gaze, hoping that no one had noticed his reaction.

"Sorry, Frost," the Leafeon said, his ears drooping apologetically. "She kind of got away from me for a second..."

The kit squeaked indignantly, and she puffed her cheeks into a resentful pout directed at her playmate.

"I warned you, Leaf, she's a handful," Frost chuckled, reaching down and stroking the Eevee kit fondly. "I intended to supervise your playtime, regardless, and this situation is precisely why such supervision is required. No harm done."

The Grass-type nodded, and started walking back the way they had come, only to pause when he realized that no one was following him. A few seconds passed in awkward silence, yet no one moved from their places. Finally, the Glaceon's dark eyes flicked up to meet theirs, and his gaze was as frigid as his fur.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"No, we were just passing through," Aureia deadpanned, not the least bit intimidated by the Glaceon's condescending manner. Blaze, meanwhile, was grinding his teeth, and glaring at a specific strand of grass in front of him. He hated when people talked like this, as if he were a nuisance that hadn't gotten the hint that he was unwelcome, or, at the very least, someone undeserving of attention and respect.

"Splendid," Frost noted with a wry smirk. "Then I trust you don't need directions. Good day."

"Is this your territory?" Blaze demanded. The Glaceon seemed momentarily surprised by the question, but swiftly recovered his composure, and silently considered the Eevee in front of him.

"Mine? No, but we're just outside a den belonging to a friend. I'm chaperoning my daughter's first playdate, so it shouldn't be too much to ask that strangers continue on their way, rather than linger suspiciously in the area," Frost stated, gesturing to the Eevee cuddling against him, before looking Blaze straight in the eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"You don't have to be such a condescending jerk about it," Blaze growled, his fur bristling.

"Nor do you have to be so obstinate," Frost countered smoothly. "My request is rather simple and inoffensive, so why don't you just step back, and be on your way?"

"Why don't you bite me?" Blaze snapped back. The Glaceon raised an eyebrow incredulously, before his focus shifted briefly to Aureia, and then back to Blaze.

"Hm, this is one of more pathetic efforts I've seen of someone picking a fight, only worsened by my awareness that you're picking a fight you have absolutely no hope of winning. If your aim is to impress a prospective mate in time for the season, you're going about it in the worst way possible."

"Why, afraid I'll kick your tail in front of your daughter, you stupid wuss?" Blaze snapped.

Aureia inhaled sharply, her eyes widening in disbelief. Frost arched both eyebrows, and after a moment, he chuckled quietly.

"Oh dear...you poor, sad little Eevee. At this point, I'm not convinced thrashing you wouldn't be a show of mercy, if only to keep you from recklessly crossing a line that would justify homicide," Frost murmured. "Very well...I accept this inane challenge."


	109. Fatuous Diversion

Leaf found it kind of annoying that he and Glacia had to give up their playing field so that Frost could have a sparring match with the adult Eevee, but he knew complaining wasn't going to get him anywhere.

It just wasn't fair, but since when did anyone care whether something was 'fair' to Leaf? Glacia probably wasn't even going to be around very long, since her mom lived up in the mountains and was just visiting A/C for a day or two. This was the first chance Leaf had gotten to play outside with another Pokemon close to his age, and now that was being taken away from him for a stupid reason. Even Frost felt this fight was stupid.

Well, if it was so stupid, then maybe he should go somewhere else, so that Leaf and Glacia could keep playing. Shadow could probably watch them, unless he found the conversation between the other adults more interesting than letting Leaf play with a new friend. Then again, knowing Shadow, he probably did.

"First, a few ground rules," Frost stated pleasantly, his tail flicking idly as he stood across from his Eevee opponent, who had identified himself as 'Blaze' a few moments earlier. The other Pokemon were sitting on the sidelines, with the soft-spoken Vaporeon sitting further away from Leaf and Glacia, her expression dull and unamused, as if the entire situation was a pointless inconvenience. Well, at least someone agreed with Leaf.

Glacia fidgeted restlessly from beside Leaf, and he moved nearer to her, curling his leaf-like tail around her. She squeaked inquisitively, looking at his tail curiously, and then nipped the leafy part.

"Ow! Glacia, that's not food," Leaf complained. The Eevee giggled, releasing his tail from her teeth, and then making little spitting sounds, as if she had tasted something unpleasant, before grinning up at him mischievously. "Oh yeah? Then let's see how your tail tastes, huh?" Leaf growled playfully.

"Excuse me?" Frost demanded, turning his head towards them, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Leaf flinched at the glare, before pointing his paw at Glacia.

"She bit my tail!"

The female Eevee squeaked indignantly, and widened her eyes innocently, while pointing her paw at Leaf, as if he had started the whole situation. Frost was unfooled, and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Both of you, just behave, and stop tasting each other."

Leaf noticed that the adult Eevee and the Vaporeon exchanged equally bewildered looks, as if neither were sure whether they had heard correctly. If anything, they seemed slightly concerned, as if this sort of conflict was somehow really weird. They probably just didn't have siblings, or friends close to their age when they were younger.

"What are the rules?" Blaze asked quickly, eager to get back to the sparring match. Frost continued to fix Leaf with suspicious, narrowed eyes before turning back to his opponent.

"First off, this battle must be conducted in a sporting manner," Frost stated, returning to his pleasant tone. "Keep language kit-appropriate, refrain from unnecessary insults and taunting, and accept the outcome without griping or gloating."

"So, you're just not going to talk all fight?" Blaze wondered.

"You're adorable," Frost muttered under his breath, but continued speaking as if there had been no interruption. "Secondly, in the interest of fairness, I will grant you a handicap and refrain from using any of my Ice techniques, including weather-based abilities such as Hail. You have no such limitations."

Leaf blinked in surprise. Frost wasn't going to use his Ice abilities? Even during sparring matches, the Glaceon almost always used at least one of his Ice techniques, even if it was something basic like Ice Shard. Why would he choose not to use his best attacks?

"Fine, whatever. Can we get on with it already?" Blaze growled.

"As you wish," Frost murmured, shifting smoothly into his battle stance. Glacia looked up at Leaf and squeaked inquisitively, pointing her paw towards her father.

"They're having a battle," Leaf explained, his tail flicking with enthusiasm. It was a really cool feeling to be the older one for a change, and have someone looking to him for answers or advice about things they didn't know much about. "It's playful fighting," he continued, when the Eevee still seemed confused. "It's a lot of fun, just watch and see," he assured her.

Come to think of it, Leaf was a little surprised that Glacia didn't know anything about battling yet, if Frost was her father. Maybe she was still too young to learn? That might be why, since Shadow had only started teaching him about a month ago, and Leaf was a few months older than Glacia, at least according to Frost.

Encouraged by her Leafeon friend's words, Glacia sat up straighter, and tilted her head slightly to watch as the two battlers stared one another down. Blaze seemed tense, yet oddly determined, whereas Frost seemed completely at ease, as he usually was. Leaf had sparred enough times with the Glaceon to recognize when Frost was completely in control of a situation. This fight was no different to him than a sparring match against Leaf, in spite of how riled up his Eevee opponent might be.

Blaze was the first to break the staring contest, and he charged forward in a straight line, picking up speed, but not bothering to dart from side to side like a normal Quick Attack. It was brief, but Leaf saw Frost raise an eyebrow right before his mouth curled into a confident smirk.

Just when the Eevee seemed about to connect with Frost's chest, the Glaceon nimbly side-stepped out of the way, and then immediately kicked off the ground to slam his weight into the Eevee's side, knocking the unevolved Pokemon to the grass. Blaze sprang back to his feet at once, as if recovering from a fall was something he did so often it was second nature, and pounced upon Frost, sinking his teeth into one of his ears, and latching onto one of the dangling fur flaps.

The reaction was instantaneous, as tears of pain flooded the Glaceon's eyes, and he immediately dropped himself low to the ground, ensuring that Blaze's weight did not cause him any further pain. Leaf cringed sympathetically, as Frost had emphasized many times during their spars just how sensitive those were to rough handling. From beside him, Glacia giggled, her tail swishing enthusiastically, completely engrossed in the battle before her.

Frost growled in a mixture of pain and rage, yet the Eevee's grip on his fur flap kept him from attempting to shake his opponent off him, and Leaf could already see a problem with Frost's promise not to use his Ice techniques. Normally, he would easily be able to force an opponent back by exhaling a gust of icy wind at point-blank range, but with such options limited, he had to use a different approach while distracted by pain.

The Glaceon twisted his head sideways, bringing his ear lower to the ground, and then snapped his teeth at his opponent's neck and shoulder, seemingly forgetting that an Eevee was protected by a surprisingly thick collar of fluffy fur that rendered such attacks ineffective. Blaze likewise seemed to realize this error in judgment, because he tugged on Frost's bitten ear, then released his bite and slammed his head forward, delivering a fierce headbutt to the Ice Eeveelution's face.

Frost staggered backwards, growling and massaging the dangling flap Blaze had latched onto. The smug amusement in his face had vanished, replaced by an expression of cold contempt.

"There's no honor in your style at all," Frost growled, and for a moment, Leaf felt a gust of cold air sweep around the field, sending a shiver through his body. Glacia noticed his discomfort and chirped in concern, then immediately cuddled against Leaf's side, as if sharing her body warmth with the Leafeon. He smiled a little, and draped his tail around her, in a silent show of gratitude for her consideration.

"No ice!" Blaze reminded the Glaceon, and Frost scowled, only to give a firm nod immediately afterwards.

"That's right. No ice," he said quietly. And just like that, the cold chill in the air dissipated. Frost's dark eyes narrowed upon the opposing Eevee. "I hold to my word, no matter how dirty my opponent fights."

"I don't fight dirty," Blaze spat, his eyes narrowing as a mirror to the Glaceon's expression. "You just thought if you kicked me, I'd stay down. This is just what happens when the victim refuses to lay down and take it."

"You challenged me," Frost countered incredulously. "Are you calling me a bully now, because I accepted?"

"Why not? You're calling me a cheater, just because I got the jump on you," Blaze retorted. "You think you're better than me, so you're holding back to mock me, but when you start losing, you cry foul...I hate guys like you...it's always comes down to being my fault. My fault for being a victim, my fault for standing up for myself, my fault for everything..."

Leaf shuddered, and Glacia again squeaked her concern. It wasn't about being cold this time, though, but rather the bitterness and venom contained within the adult Eevee's voice. He was speaking barely above a whisper, yet the words carried over the field easily.

"Oh? Is that your reason for fighting me, then?" Frost scoffed. "You just want to feel like you won against some kithood antagonist of yours by standing up to someone who is confident and has the ability to back up that confidence. How childish. Makes me wish you were just trying to woo the pretty Vaporeon over there, because I could at least _respect_ that motivation."

"Bite me," Blaze retorted, and Leaf squinted in confusion. What did that even mean? Why would he want Frost to bite him? Leaf made a mental note to ask Shadow about that later, because he somehow doubted Frost would explain what it meant.

Frost merely smirked in reply, and then darted towards Blaze so swiftly that Leaf only saw a blur of blue, and in the next moment, Blaze was tumbling across the grass. Without giving the Eevee a chance to recover, Frost launched two spheres of purple energy from his mouth, each one striking the ground just below Blaze's paws and exploding with enough force to propel him backwards. Grass stains clung to his fur as he rolled to a stop, and a number of fresh scrapes had appeared along his side.

Growling quietly, Blaze pushed himself back to his feet, swaying a little, but his eyes burning with determination. "I won't stay down," he warned the Glaceon. "No matter how many times you knock me flat, I won't stay down!"

"That's fine, I applaud your willpower," Frost commented dismissively. "But I take no pleasure in abusing you. For this battle to continue, you have to fight back. Simply rising to your feet infinitely does not equate to a stalemate."

Blaze growled and charged towards Frost again. A small smirk tugged at the Glaceon's mouth, and he launched himself towards the Eevee, his tail glowing white before he spun to strike Blaze with it. The smaller quadruped abruptly tripped over his own feet, offsetting his timing enough that the Iron Tail merely grazed his cheek, and the near-miss caused Frost to lurch off-balance.

Whether caused by happy accident or purposeful planning, Blaze seized the opening by hurling his body at Frost, using his momentum to knock the Ice-type's legs out from under him, and both of them crashed to the ground in a heap. The Eevee was faster to recover from the fall, and he immediately began biting and clawing at the Glaceon, as the latter fought to dislodge him. It was increasingly obvious to Leaf just how little experience Frost had with such basic, close-range tactics, because he was lashing out more from desperation and confusion than his usual calm, methodical tactics.

Glacia whined nervously, and prodded Leaf with her paw, begging for his attention. He smiled down at her, and gave her a reassuring nudge with his head. "It's okay," he told her gently. "It's still playful," he added, although this was just as much to reassure himself as it was for her.

There was a loud crunching sound, and Blaze yelped, recoiling from Frost, clutching his muzzle with his paw, and Leaf cringed, seeing blood spilling from the Eevee's nose. Frost staggered back to his feet, his dark eyes narrowed with distaste, and he was clutching his forehead with one of his paws, suggesting that the uncomfortably loud sound had been the product of the respectively injured areas colliding.

"Are you okay?" the Vaporeon asked Blaze, a note of alarm evident in her tone. She started forward, ignoring Blaze's attempts to wave her off. "Let me see it," she practically growled, when Blaze continued to resist her efforts to examine the injury.

"Get back, Aureia!" Blaze snapped. "The battle's still going!"

"Shut up," the Water-type retorted, yet the words lacked the hostility or frustration that normally accompanied the phrase, and she curled her large tail around the Eevee, pulling him close to her. "Call it a draw or whatever, but it's done now."

"Um...no, I'm not accepting a draw with him," Frost scoffed. Aureia fixed the Glaceon with a cool glare, but Frost was unfazed. "He started this fight for petty reasons. Like hell should he be absolved of the consequences."

There was a long silence as the Vaporeon simply stared at Frost.

"Oh wow, you're actually serious," she stated blandly. "A fine example to set for your daughter." Frost narrowed his eyes, and Aureia rose to her feet, unraveling her tail from Blaze. "Fine, I'll take his place. Go ahead and use your ice attacks if you want, it makes no difference to me," she said, without a hint of emotion in her voice. She even started to walk towards the Glaceon, only to pause when Blaze touched a paw to her side to stop her.

"Aureia, wait..." he pleaded. "I need to fight my own battles. I can't just sit back and let other people face the penalties owed to me."

"You can if they volunteer, which I have," Aureia countered. "This entire conflict is stupid, and I feel I shouldn't have indulged it for as long as I have. There's no need for you to get hurt further just to satisfy his ego. If he won't accept you withdrawing from the fight, then I will finish it in your place."

"But-"

"Blaze, if you make me spell this out for you, I'm going to spend the next month exclusively giving you mixed messages until you go crazy," Aureia deadpanned.

"No, I get it," Blaze insisted, a bit of blood still dripping from his nose. "But that's why it's so important to me. I've always been kicked around and treated like crap...almost no one stuck up for me, and even if they did, I still felt like less than dirt, because I needed someone else to fight my battles for me. I'm a weakling and a burden...and I want that to change...for my own sake."

Leaf blinked, lifting his head to study the Eevee, his ear twitching. Although the Eevee's situation sounded more miserable than his, he could actually relate to his situation. Shadow was always fighting to protect him from danger, and putting himself at risk. While it felt wonderful to have someone who cared looking out for him, for the longest time, he had felt useless...a burden that had to be protected, because he wasn't strong enough to protect himself. Even now, Shadow and Frost preferred to do the majority of the heavy battling, and constantly seemed to prioritize his safety over their own. He hated that feeling of uselessness.

"So what do you want to do?" Aureia asked Blaze blandly. "You want to keep fighting and get your tail kicked, or more of your face all bloody, and I'm just supposed to sit by and pretend it doesn't bother me? You want me to support you being a reckless idiot?"

Blaze was silent for a long time, just staring at his paws. When he finally spoke, the words were whispered so softly that Leaf barely heard them.

"Would you do that?"

"Can I support you while repeatedly emphasizing how stupid it is?" Aureia retorted. Blaze's next response was inaudible, but the Vaporeon rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'd greatly prefer if you just NOT do stupid things at all."

"Noted," Blaze replied with a hint of a grin, and his tail wagged a little as he stepped forward, with the Vaporeon reluctantly returning to the sidelines. Frost raised an eyebrow, a smirk of amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"A curious dynamic you have with your love interest, there," he noted pleasantly. "But in all seriousness, let's wrap this up. Rather than chip away at one another again and again, how about we declare that the first to pin the other for three seconds claims the win?"

"Fine," Blaze growled, shifting into a crouched stance. Glacia's ears perked up, the younger Eevee seemingly aware that the battle had returned to a more playful format, but Leaf wasn't so sure.

He couldn't quite explain why, but he was getting the strangest feeling about the situation. There was a subtle tickling sensation in the very back of his brain, but whenever he started to notice that sensation, he would abruptly see a connection or detail he hadn't noticed before. He even remembered the same sort of thing happening just a few days ago, when he and Shadow had been fighting with the poisonous spider back in the forest, before Bee-Bee had intervened. Soon after the spider had disappeared into the shadows, Leaf had experienced the tickling sensation within his mind, and had suddenly felt completely at ease, no longer worried about the threat preparing to ambush them. It had been as though his senses had transcended normal limitations, and pinpointed the opponent's location long before Shadow or Renard had.

No one had commented on the shift back then, but Leaf hadn't forgotten about it. Right now, he was beginning to experience the mental sensation again, but he had no idea what it meant.

Further introspection was paused by Blaze advancing on Frost. Unlike before, the Eevee was not charging forward, but inching nearer cautiously, like how Shadow used to sneak up on Starly before he had evolved. Frost didn't take his eyes off the Eevee, and was likewise shifting his stance in preparation of the fight concluding with a pouncing maneuver.

Even Glacia was starting to get into a pouncing stance, her tail swishing with innocent enthusiasm, although Leaf found that he was getting his thigh smacked a little too frequently for comfort. For a few moments, he toyed with the prospect of playfully nipping at her tail, not only because the young Eevee was presenting the opportunity without realizing it, but also to get some belated revenge for her doing the same to him earlier.

It wasn't until the Leafeon started to absently lick one of his fangs that he remembered Frost's admonishment on the subject, and he shook himself to clear his thoughts. He'd get her back later.

Blaze abruptly lunged towards Frost, and the Glaceon instinctively lashed out with his paw to swat the smaller quadruped aside, only for the Eevee to shift direction at the last moment and dart around the Glaceon. Frost pivoted hastily, trying to keep himself facing the Eevee at all times, but Blaze shifted direction again, this time circling around Frost in a counterclockwise direction.

The frustration and confusion in Frost's eyes was undeniable, and Leaf had to fight back a grin. The Eevee's movements were so...random. It was as though the Eevee had no idea what he was aiming for, and was just following whatever impulse entered his mind at that exact moment. Frost stumbled in his effort to keep his eyes on the Eevee's movements, and to cover his momentary weakness caused by his loss of balance, he spun wildly, his tail glowing white.

Blaze ducked away from the defensive Iron Tail, and his eyes lit up right before he pouced into Frost's side, his weight combining with Frost's misplaced momentum to bowl the Ice-type over, and they tumbled across the grass together. Frost writhed in a vain effort to dislodge the Eevee, and then expelled a flurry of star-shaped bolts of light from his mouth, which struck Blaze repeatedly in the chest, dazing him enough for Frost to roll out from under him.

Glacia chirped her support, bouncing excitedly on the pads of her paws, stopping only to nudge Leaf excitedly and point towards the battle, undoubtedly asking whether he had seen what had just happened. Leaf grinned and nodded, his own tail flicking. This was the type of battle he liked to see more than the rough pummeling the two Pokemon had been doing earlier.

Frost and Blaze retreated a few paces, the Eevee breathing more heavily than the Glaceon. Both of their eyes were alight with a competitive glow, which was beginning to spread to the rest of their bodies.

Leaf did a double take, only to discover he really wasn't imagining it. A subtle black aura was forming around the Eevee's body, so faint that it was almost imperceptible. Across from him, a pale white aura was surrounding Frost's body, but unlike with Blaze, Leaf had seen such a thing happen before, and he instinctively cringed, expecting the surrounding area's temperature to plummet. The last time such a white outline had formed around the Glaceon was back when he had been fighting the armored insect back in the Eterna Forest. His memory of the incident was rather foggy, due to how rapidly he had been sapped of energy at that time, but he definitely recalled that white glow.

Chancing a glance at the other Pokemon, Leaf found that no one else was visibly reacting to the battle auras. Was he the only one who could see that, or was it just not a strange sight to see from battling Pokemon? Aureia just might not be the type to show much outward emotion, since her heart was so closed...wait...

Leaf was starting to feel a bit light-headed, as if he had suddenly fallen ill with an intense fever. Was he going completely crazy? How would he know anything about a Vaporeon he had only met briefly, mere minutes ago? Speaking without much passion and emotion wasn't an odd occurrence, because Shadow tended to use a similarly flat tone when he was annoyed or tired, and Frost often made sarcastic remarks in a similar tone. So why would he be labeling anyone as one thing or another?

Shaking himself once more, Leaf took a deep breath, hoping that he wasn't really getting sick. Even after blinking and rubbing his eyes, he discovered that the black and white auras had not faded, and the odd tickle in the back of his mind was growing more incessant, like a feather tapping his brain repeatedly.

"I almost got you," Blaze whispered. Frost smirked in response, his eyes glittering in the sunlight.

"Bet you can't do that twice," he retorted, and the white aura surrounding his body flared up briefly. There was something vaguely different about the Ice-type's tone now. Despite the setbacks of the last few rounds, he was standing with more confidence and self-assurance than ever before. Not a doubt existed within Frost's mind that he would win this match.

"We shall see," Blaze murmured, and his body glowed for a split second. Frost raised his head, perplexed. There was an unnerving sense of confidence radiating from the Eevee, a sharp contrast to the emotionally driven and impulsive personality he had shown earlier. "What do you wager?"

"Beg your pardon?" Frost asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You bet that I can't do it again," Blaze explained with a grin. "What do you wager?"

Frost shrugged indifferently. "I don't know. What do you want?"

Blaze smiled subtly, and Leaf felt another shiver run through his body. "How about giving a taste of humble pie? If I pin you, you bow down and kiss my feet."

Frost's eyes widened incredulously, losing his composure for a second, but the self-assured grin returned immediately afterwards. "And likewise for you when you lose? I agree. But I don't see what you hope to gain by embarrassing yourself."

"Merely the honor of paying homage to someone of your caliber," Blaze murmured. "Weighed against the pleasure of watching your ego deflate."

"I feel like you're just stalling now," Frost chortled. Blaze smiled again.

"That's right. I am."

"What?" Frost could not hide his surprise, which only grew as the sky directly above the Eevee filled with sparkling, twinkling lights. One by one, the lights descended upon the Eevee, showering him with sparkles.

As the light touched the Eevee's injuries, they mended in an instant. The blood from his nose disappeared, as if it had never been spilled, and the scrapes and grass stains upon his fur vanished, until the light faded to reveal the Eevee in pristine condition. Even his fur seemed freshly washed and groomed.

"I see. You cast Wish?" Frost murmured. "How pointless. Those injuries were hardly debilitating, and the win condition of this fight no longer relies on staying in peak condition. Even stalling the fight long enough for it to resolve feels inelegant, as it could have restored your strength at a critical time and turned the tide in your favor."

"It wasn't pointless," Blaze countered, his smile widening slowly. "All for the sake of gaining peace of mind."

 _Peace of mind..._ something within Leaf's mind registered a connection with that phrase, and something else, something that seemed just out of reach of his understanding, yet the more he focused upon it, the more it started to click in his brain.

"Solace," Leaf spoke aloud, yet the moment the word left his mouth, he had no idea why he had said it, or even what it meant. At the same time, he felt incredibly clever and smug, to the point that when he grinned, it wasn't out of sheepish embarrassment, but out of genuine delight.

It might have been his imagination, but Blaze seemed to shoot him a suspicious, resentful glare before immediately refocusing. Frost likewise glanced towards Leaf, but didn't seem to have any particular reason for doing so.

"Fighting causes so much stress, you see," Blaze continued, making eye contact with Frost. The Glaceon tensed, refusing to drop his guard for even a moment. "An Eevee's stress response is more often to flee, rather than fight, and to avoid conflict entirely. When one's mind is free of anxiety and fear, finding a solution to reach their goal becomes easier. So, let's end this fight with as little conflict as possible."

"What are you-" Frost began, but stopped as the black aura dissipated from around the Eevee's body, and instead, the Eevee's entire body became engulfed in white light.

Leaf let out a gasp and sat up straighter, his eyes widening, despite the uncomfortable intensity of the light. He knew exactly what this was, even though it felt like forever since he had last seen it happen.

When the light finally faded, the Leafeon's mouth fell open. Standing where the male Eevee had been just a few moments before now stood a quadruped with pale cream fur, but the ends of its paws, its tail, and its ears were pink. A white and pink bow sat upon one of its ears and another lay beneath the new Pokemon's chin, with four strange, fluttering ribbons extending from these bows.

Blaze blinked, now possessing vibrant blue eyes with silvery pupils. He seemed completely disoriented, and not helping matters was the way that everyone seemed to be gawking at him. Frost had completely stopped in his tracks, staring uncomprehendingly at the newly evolved Pokemon, and even Aureia seemed in awe. Glacia was squealing with such curious enthusiasm that Leaf nearly had to physically restrain her to keep the kit from running over to the pink and cream-colored Eeveelution.

"Okay, I know I'm cute, but when even the guys are staring at me, it gets a _little_ weird," the fairy Pokemon noted.

He must have spotted one of the fluttering ribbons attached to his ear bow from the corner of his eye, because he turned his head, only for the ribbon to continuously dart just out of his line of sight. This went on for far longer than the former Eevee probably would have wanted to admit, before he finally noticed that his paw pads were pink.

"Wait...is this how normal Espeon look?" he wondered, using his paws to physically examine his body, eventually coming across one of the ribbons. He stared at it blankly for a few moments. "Okay, no idea what I am, but...shouldn't I be an Espeon, if I evolved during daylight hours?" he asked.

All he received in response were blank looks, and he scowled in annoyance. He started to take a few steps forward, only to immediately lose his balance. Two of the ribbons snaked out and stopped his fall before he face-planted on the ground, and after a brief struggle, Blaze managed to climb back onto all fours.

"Ooh, handy," he marveled, watching as one of the ribbons flicked and gestured in front of his face. "And I can control these like limbs!" he practically squealed, looking around before noticing that Frost was standing the closest. With a mischievous grin, he extended one of the ribbons and caressed Frost's cheek with it.

To everyone's surprise, Frost's reaction was to simply shake his head, as if an insect had landed on his nose, and then to give the fairy Pokemon a bewildered look, like he couldn't believe that Blaze had just done that. Intrigued by the absence of a hostile response, Blaze waved the ribbon in front of Frost's face, and the Glaceon retreated a pace, his eyes distractedly following the fluttering appendage.

"Okay, that's kind of weird," Blaze noted thoughtfully. Leaf could practically see the wheels turning in the fairy Pokemon's mind as he looked between his ribbon and his Ice-type opponent. With a grin, Blaze simply pounced upon the sedated Glaceon and near-effortlessly pinned him to the grass. "Yay! I win!"

"...what the hell just happened?" Frost demanded dully from the grass.


	110. Dysfunctional Bonds

**Phew, finally got this one done to my liking.**

 **Hope everyone had a good holiday, and a great New Year!**

* * *

Blaze had never felt so happy in his entire life.

Unfortunately, that really wasn't an exaggeration, considering how much his life sucked up until now, so he felt entirely justified in basking in the moment. His heart was racing, but for once, it wasn't caused by fear and anxiety. His legs were shaking so badly he thought for sure he was about to collapse where he stood, but despite these physical ailments, Blaze's face was beaming, his tail was wagging, and he felt ridiculously giddy.

Normally, he might have insisted that the Glaceon acknowledge losing before letting him up, but in his current mood, he honestly wouldn't even have cared if the Glaceon had griped about the win being a fluke and refused to accept the loss. There were witnesses present, so the Sylveon wasn't even worried about Frost attacking him once his back was turned.

Nothing in the former Eevee's life had ever made him feel so fulfilled and accomplished as much as winning this fight did. Maybe it wasn't even the win itself that was to blame, but the fact he had evolved in the process. Choosing to stick to his guns, even in the face of certain defeat, had paid off in a way that Blaze had never expected.

Right now, the only concern on his mind was wanting to see what his evolved body looked like. He knew he hadn't touched a Fire, Water, or Thunder Stone, and he doubted there was a Moss or Ice Rock in the immediate vicinity, so that logically left him evolving into either an Espeon or an Umbreon, and since it was daylight, he _should_ have become the former. That said, he had never heard of either species having these curious feeler ribbons, or even the pink paw pads, so he must have evolved into something else.

Frost rose to his feet, the motion drawing Blaze's attention. The Ice-type had a sour expression, but Blaze could see in his eyes that he was trying to regain composure and appear dignified. After a short pause, the Glaceon gave a curt nod of acknowledgement.

"Congrats, you won," he said, and then winced, leading Blaze to suspect the Glaceon had literally bitten his own tongue to keep from adding a comment undermining the victory.

"Thanks!" Blaze squealed, his tail wagging with renewed enthusiasm. He felt like his heart was going to burst from happiness. Every inch of his body felt warm and fuzzy, and he wanted nothing more than to share this incredible feeling with everyone around him...even if that desire made no sense at all.

"And you evolved, so congratulations for that," Frost continued, his tone sounding infinitely more sincere now that he was no longer praising Blaze for besting him in a sparring match. Blaze wasn't even sure why losing would upset the Glaceon so much, considering Frost had made a point of giving him a handicap. It wasn't like he had actually outsmarted or overpowered the Ice-type. Still, he couldn't deny that knowing Frost's ego had taken a blow gave him a warm feeling of vindictive satisfaction.

"Thanks," Blaze said again, looking himself over the best he could. Most of his body was covered in thin, cream-colored fur, a little paler than the fluffy collar he had as an Eevee, yet it still seemed just as soft. The ends of his paws and his tails were pink, and the feeler ribbons matched the rest of his fur, except for three stripes of pink, blue, and a lighter shade of blue at the tips. "Just one question...what exactly am I?"

"Sylveon," an unfamiliar male voice answered, and Blaze jumped, turning towards the speaker. Even after seeing who it was, the Fairy-type had to blink several times to confirm that he wasn't just seeing things.

A feline Pokemon was approaching the small group, its entire body covered in jet-black fur, like an Umbreon, but there was no mistaking its sleek figure, dainty paws, and forked tail, nor the glittering gemstone upon its forehead, as belonging to anything other than an Espeon.

Blaze glanced around at the rest of the group, wordlessly judging their reactions. The young Leafeon's ears had perked up at the sight of the ebony feline, whereas Frost spared it a glance, seemingly unfazed by its atypical appearance. Aureia was blinking at the new arrival in evident confusion, but Blaze couldn't help but notice her attention was lingering a _little_ more than he would have liked, and he had to bite back a growl of annoyance before shaking himself and taking a soothing breath. The Vaporeon was not likely to shift interest so quickly after starting to warm up to him. He had no reason to feel defensive or jealous.

"Sylveon?" Blaze repeated, his tail wagging again, delighted to receive such a prompt answer. From the way that Frost, Aureia, and the young Leafeon had been looking at him, he had started wondering whether he was an undiscovered evolution of Eevee. Doubtful, but not impossible. There were probably several evolutions where the conditions simply hadn't been discovered yet, or that could only occur in a different part of the world.

"Ah, just as I thought," Frost mused. "I have never seen one myself, but I have heard of its existence. The Fairy-type evolution, if I'm not mistaken."

"Something like that, yeah," the Espeon confirmed, drawing level with Frost and sitting down, his forked tail flicking with lively energy. Blaze was mostly just relieved that the Psychic-type didn't act as condescendingly formal as his Glaceon companion did, nor did he speak with the same eternal deadpan that Aureia used. "They evolve by having a trusting, affectionate bond with others."

There was a brief pause, during which Blaze glanced towards Aureia again, relieved to see that she was no longer staring at the black-furred Espeon. One of the reasons he had originally thought he was going to evolve into an Espeon was because she had made it clear, without outright saying so, that she liked him. She had been willing to take his place in the spar, when Frost had refused to accept a draw, yet stood down when the Eevee had insisted on continuing on his own. Although he still wanted to know why she seemed completely indifferent to learning he had lied about having a past trainer, it had really touched him to know she had such sincere concern about his well-being.

"Okay, Shadow, I'll bite. How on earth did you know that?" Frost demanded, bemused. "Knowing the species existing is one thing, but I've never seen one, nor have I been able to do any research on the subject. Meanwhile, you had literally no idea how Psychic abilities work, yet you know how a Sylveon evolves?"

"Maybe I've seen a Sylveon before," Shadow retorted, with all the air of a child stubbornly arguing that he knows something, while at the same time being unable to explain it.

"Really?" Frost said, raising his eyebrows skeptically. "Who, and when?"

"You never met her. It's complicated," the Espeon insisted.

"You guys are setting a bad example for us," Leaf complained. Glacia squeaked in evident agreement, prompting the arguing adult Eeveelutions to give the kits incredulous looks.

"Why are we still here?" Aureia deadpanned, speaking more to Blaze than anyone else. The Vaporeon had walked over to the Sylveon, and was presently looking him over. While Blaze privately wanted to believe she was checking him out, he sincerely doubted she would do so openly, especially not with others nearby. Then again, Aureia seemed fond of claiming plausible deniability, and it would be easy to say she was merely interested in seeing what his evolved form looked like, especially since she probably hadn't seen other Sylveon before.

"Uh..." Blaze hesitated, trying to recall whether there was a specific reason for them lingering in the area now that the spar had concluded, apart from his curiosity regarding his evolution. "Oh! Because Frost still has to pay up on our wager!" he recalled brightly, looking towards the Glaceon expectantly.

The Ice-type's expression soured, but he made no effort to renege on their agreement, instead stepping towards Blaze with quiet dignity. It did not escape the former Eevee's notice that even Frost's approach seemed careful and deliberate, neither too fast, nor too slow. It was confident, yet humble.

"I hold to my word, as I said," Frost stated plainly, once he was standing before the Sylveon. With clear reluctance, he lowered his head and placed a single kiss upon each of the Fairy-type's forepaws, and retreated afterwards, keeping his head lower than Blaze's until he was several paces away, and only then did he raise his head to full height. There was obvious distaste concealed behind the Ice-type's dark eyes as he made eye contact with Blaze, but the rest of his face revealed little of the thoughts or feelings the Glaceon was experiencing. "Satisfied?"

"Shouldn't you have to do all four?" Blaze wondered teasingly.

"No," Frost answered bluntly, and the Sylveon grinned, his tail wagging briefly. "Although, Shadow, I can't help but wonder what brings you out here," the Glaceon mused, turning back to the rest of the group.

The Espeon shrugged in response. "Just a weird vibe," he answered, his silver eyes darting around the clearing, as if he expected to see something amiss around them. "It was brief, and it's gone now."

"Hm, very well," Frost murmured, evidently used to such vague answers, because his expression showed obvious disinterest when he turned his attention back to Blaze and Aureia. "I'm still going to insist you depart, but before that, I'm curious as to the extent of your battle training. Your movements were astonishingly uncoordinated and-"

"I don't have any formal battle training," Blaze interjected bluntly, unwilling to listen to the Glaceon prattle on about the flaws in his form or whatnot. He was only taught the absolute basics for self-defense back at the clan, and it had never seen much use when he had lived there. Any efforts to fight back against his tormentors usually involved him outnumbered or outmatched, so there hadn't been much opportunity to get practice or useful feedback. He got more 'practice' in the past few months than he had in the two or so years he had lived among his peers, and even that was because he was constantly being pit against rival scavengers. The greatest skill he had learned was how to lose a fight in a way that made him seem unworthy of further attention afterwards.

"Ah, beginner's luck, then," Frost murmured with a smirk.

"I'll bite you," Blaze warned, baring his teeth threateningly. Earlier, he had flicked his tongue around in his mouth when trying to figure what he had evolved into, and he had noticed the fangs set in his upper jaw, a sure indication that Sylveon could be capable hunters.

"Trust me, he totally will," Aureia noted blandly, but her tail twitched in amusement. Frost glanced her way.

"And what's the extent of your training, if any?" he wondered.

Aureia returned the Ice-type's gaze with dull, unfeeling eyes. "I'm far stronger than I look," she answered simply.

"Is that so?" Frost mused with a chuckle. "Forgive my wandering gaze, I merely wish to try and gauge your aptitude-"

"No," Aureia said firmly, and the Glaceon blinked.

"Beg your pardon?"

"No," Aureia repeated, her tone as icy as the Glaceon's fur. "I will not permit you to study or examine my figure."

Frost's eyes darted from side to side, bewilderment written across his face. He chuckled awkwardly, as if convinced that the Water-type was joking. "I assure you, there is nothing untoward about my-"

"I don't give a damn," Aureia snapped, and Blaze shivered. It was rare that the Vaporeon ever lost her temper enough to sound angry, and one of the few times Blaze had ever witnessed it had been the time she had lashed out at him during their first meeting. It had nearly driven him to tears back then, and even now, a couple months later, her snappish tone foretold danger whenever he heard it.

Frost furrowed his brow, yet seemed to recognize the severity of the situation, because he averted his eyes from the Vaporeon. "I apologize...but it perplexes me that you claim to be stronger than you look, but you won't allow someone to simply look at you?"

"I don't have to indulge you," Aureia hissed through clenched teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are? I don't owe you the privilege of examining my body, regardless of your intentions. I told you I didn't want you to study my figure, and you actually had the _gall_ to try and argue with me. You're a despicable, self-centered, egotistical piece of slime that views the world through the lens that strength and confidence are the only desirable traits in the world, and take every opportunity to shove that viewpoint in the faces of those who don't abide by your standards. Shut up! I don't want to hear another word from you. Do you understand?"

Frost looked deeply shaken by the unexpected tongue-lashing, and Blaze was cringing. Even though he was not on the receiving end of the outburst, he felt his eyes stinging with tears. Aureia was truly scary and vicious when she got worked up like this, and she pulled no punches with her insults. What often made it even more shocking and hurtful was how rarely she spoke like this. She kept such a tight leash on her emotions that she usually expressed annoyance and dissatisfaction with sarcastic comments and blunt criticisms. Even though the Sylveon agreed with most of what she said about Frost, he felt an intense pang of sympathy for the Ice-type.

"Yes...I understand," Frost said, speaking clearly and hesitantly, understandably concerned that he was about to set the Vaporeon off again by speaking right after being told not to speak. "I'm sorry."

"Aureia," Blaze whispered. He inched closer to her, terrified that even the slightest contact might set her off on him instead, but as he tentatively moved one of his ribbon feelers closer to the Vaporeon's shoulder, the aggression seemed to slowly leave her body, although her eyes continued to glare coldly at the Ice-type. "Aureia!" Blaze repeated, more urgently.

"What, Blaze?" she demanded, and he flinched. A flicker of guilt passed across her muzzle, and she sighed quietly. "What?" she repeated, this time looking over at the Sylveon.

"Um...w-we should go," he said, glancing nervously at the other Pokemon. The ebony Espeon had tensed, taking a defensive stance in front of the young Leafeon, who in turn had taken a defensive stance before the young Eevee. Frost, meanwhile, was refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

Aureia turned on her heel so swiftly that her tail whipped around and knocked Blaze's hind legs out from under him. The Sylveon let out a startled yelp, struggling to recover his footing, but he had not yet adjusted to his evolved form's center of gravity, and his efforts only ensured that he toppled over in an undignified heap. Whining quietly, Blaze started to push himself back up, only to tense when he felt teeth nipping at the scruff of his neck.

"Ow, ow, that hurts!" he complained, swatting at the offending source with one of his ribbons. It was almost amusing how quickly he had adjusted to using the peculiar appendages as a substitute for a paw, although they seemed far too frail to have any combat potential. They certainly seemed ineffective here, because he was soon lifted up by the scruff of his neck enough to regain his footing, although he massaged the back of his neck with a ribbon the moment he was released from the bite, and he fixed Aureia an indignant look. "That really hurt," he whined.

"Suck it up, I was trying to help," Aureia retorted, already starting to walk back towards Solaceon Town, and the Sylveon hastened to keep pace. "Besides, I didn't want you to think I knocked you over deliberately."

"I know you didn't knock me over on purpose," Blaze protested, wincing as he stumbled over his own feet. "Um...can we walk slower?"

To his surprise, Aureia immediately slowed her pace, and even moved a little nearer, so that he could lean against her as a crutch if necessary. The sudden show of charity was a little disconcerting, but it wasn't the top priority on Blaze's mind.

"Is everything okay?" he ventured nervously. "You got pretty riled up back there..."

"I hate hypocrites," Aureia growled quietly, and her tail lashed in agitation. Blaze looked over at her in surprise. He had actually expected a response more in line with a clipped 'I'm fine' or other evasive response downplaying her loss of temper, so hearing her confirm the foul mood was a twist in itself.

"Um...do you want to talk about it?" the Sylveon wondered, his mouth twitching to present a nervous smile. Aureia cast him a deadpan look, and he raised his ribbons placatingly. "I'm just asking!" he hastily added.

"Why would I want to talk about something that makes me angry?" Aureia asked, her tone thankfully more incredulous than anything else.

"Because bottling up your emotions all the time doesn't make them go away," Blaze explained earnestly. "They just get stronger inside you, so having the opportunity to vent to someone you trust can do wonders for you. And...well, I'm willing to listen."

"I know how venting works," Aureia grumbled, her eyes flicking around restlessly as they passed through the Solaceon Town gate, taking note of every human and Pokemon in the vicinity. "I've been close to Ember for ages, and she vents to me."

"Do you vent to her?" Blaze wondered, but the Vaporeon shrugged, a definite indication that no, the Water-type rarely confided her emotions to the Charmander. "You could try it...see if it helps at all," the Fairy-type suggested gently, knowing that if he continued pushing the issue for much longer, the Vaporeon would close up entirely.

"Ember doesn't need to be weighed down by my thoughts," Aureia said, with a definite edge in her voice, a signal that she wanted to drop the conversation.

"Uh, I was, er...suggesting you vent to me," Blaze reminded her, fumbling his words a little as he tried to correct her interpretation without pressing the matter too far.

"No, you suggested someone I _trust_ ," Aureia said, placing blatant emphasis on the last word, and Blaze blinked, feeling like he had just received a slap in the face, his ears drooping.

"Y-you don't trust me?" he asked, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice. The Vaporeon winced a little, and the flicker of a guilty expression passed across her muzzle, before it was once again concealed by her unfeeling demeanor. "But, I thought y-you..." he stammered, before biting his lip to keep it from trembling, his eyes stinging with tears.

"What are you doing to me?" Aureia demanded, squinting at the Sylveon warily. The abruptness of the question, coupled with the Water-type's demeanor, sent a spark of bewilderment through Blaze's mind, distracting him from his dispiriting thoughts.

"I'm not doing anything," he insisted.

"You might be messing with my emotions somehow, and just not realize it," Aureia muttered, stopping and turning to face the Sylveon properly. "I don't know anything about your evolution or its abilities," she admitted, her gaze running over the Fairy-type's form.

Sudden anxiety and anger clutched at the Sylveon's heart, and Blaze hissed in response to the attention, his ribbons coiling around his own body, as if he was hugging himself, and he flashed Aureia a glimpse of his species' rather impressive teeth. Aureia blinked at his reaction, genuinely perturbed.

"I don't want you studying my body like that," he growled, his pupils dilating.

"What?" the Vaporeon blurted blankly, and she frowned. "Are you serious?"

"You just said you don't trust me," Blaze snapped back. "So why would I trust you?"

Aureia rolled her eyes, and Blaze responded by darting closer and immediately biting her foreleg, prompting her to yelp and recoil from him, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief.

"Ow, what the-! Blaze, I was just being a bitch, okay?!" she cried, wincing and examining her bitten leg. She almost immediately shifted into a defensive battle stance, indicating that, at the very least, she was taking his aggression more seriously than back in Johto.

"No, it's not okay!" the Sylveon snapped. "You can't just emotionally or physically slap me in the face, and then brush it off as you just being passive-aggressive, or moody, or whatever! Things like that hurt...and I'm sick of being hurt!"

Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he did nothing to stop or hide them. He just glared into her eyes, letting all his negative thoughts pass through his mind. He had evolved now...so he was never again going to put up with the abuse and bullying he had suffered all his life as an Eevee. It didn't matter who inflicted such pain upon him, whether it be his peers at a clan, or his sister, or some random Glaceon, or even the female he cared about the most. He was fed up with being mistreated. From now on, he would stand up against it, every time, even if it meant fighting a battle he was doomed to lose, or creating tensions between him and Aureia.

"I'm sorry," Aureia muttered, averting her gaze.

"No, you're not," Blaze growled.

"What?" she demanded, lifting her head and glaring at him. Her stance was more rigid now. She was withdrawing emotionally, whether in anticipation of a fight breaking out, or just in response to his hostility.

"You're not sorry. You just feel guilty," Blaze said bluntly. "What are you sorry for?"

Aureia stared at him for a moment. "This is childish," she sighed, but took a moment to compose herself before saying, "I'm sorry for acting like a bitch."

"And that's how I know you're not sorry," Blaze sighed, sitting down.

"What did I do wrong?" Aureia demanded, slapping her tail against the ground in frustration. "I was completely sincere!"

"You don't get it," Blaze whispered, moisture leaking from the corners of his eyes. "An apology is to show you regret something you've done wrong. But all you're doing is self-depreciation. It's not remorse, it's just guilt."

"Blaze. Please spell this out for me, I don't get it," Aureia said, massaging her forehead with one paw.

"I'm sorry for being mean," Blaze replied. Aureia stared at him blankly. "I'm sorry for being rude. I'm sorry I'm a jerk. I'm sorry I'm useless. I'm sorry for whatever trait I have that upsets you."

"This isn't explaining anything," Aureia said seriously.

"Those are examples," Blaze insisted. "They're all 'apologies' that do nothing for the person that was wronged, because it just criticizes the person making it, rather than acknowledging WHAT they did. It's easy to self-depreciate because it justifies you continuing to act that way, because you view it as a flaw YOU have, rather than thinking about how the behavior hurts someone else."

"Fine, now give me an example of a real apology," Aureia deadpanned.

"I'm sorry I lied to you about having a trainer before we met," Blaze whispered. Aureia blinked, visibly taken aback. "I was trying to bury my past so that no one would ask about it. I understand if you're mad at me..."

"Blaze, I..." Aureia shifted, visibly flustered.

"That's the difference between apologies," Blaze stated, wiping his eyes with his paw. "I did something to wrong you, and I acknowledged that those actions were hurtful. Forgiveness is up to you."

There was an awkward pause as Aureia digested the Sylveon's words, only to numbly nod in response. Blaze continued to wait in silence, until at last it clicked with the Vaporeon that a verbal answer was needed.

"I can forgive you, because I know you didn't mean any harm," she mumbled, but then lifted her head to make eye contact with him. "But you can't expect an apology to just undo the damage," she pointed out.

"I don't, but that's not the point," Blaze insisted. "I'm willing to try to fix the damage, and sincerely apologizing is the first step."

"So now I have to apologize for being upset that you lied to me?" Aureia deadpanned.

"Are you being serious right now?" Blaze demanded, his fur bristling. "Because I will bite you again."

"Blaze...I don't understand what I did wrong," Aureia sighed. "I mean, I know what it was, but I can't explain why it was wrong. I said I didn't trust you...why is that something I have to apologize for?"

The Sylveon stared at her for several seconds, too dumbfounded to even be angry. It was incredible just how little the Vaporeon seemed to grasp how her words, behavior, or attitude affected those around her.

"Aureia...why did you say that?" he asked. The Vaporeon shrugged weakly, and he growled. "No, actually _think_ about it before answering! Why did you tell me you don't trust me?"

"I...don't know," Aureia stammered, her cheeks flushing, and she draped her tail closer around herself, her eyes darting around the area, as if concerned that passerby were watching them. "I was being passive-aggressive and..."

"And...?" Blaze prompted, twirling one of his feelers to gesture for her to fill in the blank.

"...trying to be a bitch," Aureia muttered.

"Okay...now explain what that means," Blaze asked, biting back a sigh of exasperation. Now it was just astonishing how she could get right into the heart of the matter, yet still miss the point.

"Um..." Aureia faltered, scrunching up her face in thought. "I was trying to be harsh?"

Blaze slapped his forehead with his ribbon feeler. "We're going to be here all day," he sighed. "Aureia...listen closely...you were _trying_ to hurt me. That was your goal. You wanted to hurt me. You wanted to upset me. You wanted me to be insulted, because I was annoying you when you were upset. The problem wasn't that you were being passive-aggressive or rude. The problem is that you deliberately tried to hurt me. And I'm not okay with that."

Aureia cringed slightly, and Blaze could read in her eyes that she had finally grasped the underlying problem. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"I accept the apology," Blaze said flatly, before fixing her with a serious look. "But it doesn't fix everything. You still need to put in some effort, just like I do."

"I know," Aureia muttered. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, before Blaze managed a small smile.

"That'll take a little time, so no need to stress out about it now," Blaze reminded her, his pink tail wagging a little. "So long as we made up, right?"

"Mm," Aureia murmured, then glanced at her foreleg. "You bit me, though."

"Yeah, we had a little fight, but we're done fighting now, and we're not keeping score," Blaze insisted. "Let's just kiss and make up. Er...cuddle and make up?"

Aureia rolled her eyes and heaved a small sigh. "Fine," she stated, after a lengthy pause.

"Which one?" Blaze asked playfully, getting up and carefully walking over to the Vaporeon, mindful of his unsteady legs. She answered by leaning forward and giving him a brief peck on the cheek. The gesture was just as awkwardly executed as all her other little shows of affection, but the Sylveon wouldn't have minded even if she had bumped noses with him. He just stared at her with a wide grin, his tail wagging so hard it was a pink blur. He reached up with one of his feeler ribbons and absently touched the warm spot of his face where her mouth had rested. Aureia's cheeks flushed crimson, the Vaporeon uncomfortably aware of his dreamy gaze.

"You're too cute," she muttered.

"Thanks," Blaze murmured. Although consciously aware of his heart pounding in his chest, urging him to return her gesture, his head was still in charge, and he doubted she'd be particularly open to the idea. Instead, he brought his ribbon feeler to his mouth and kissed it gently before extending the ribbon and placing the indirect kiss upon Aureia's cheek. Her cheeks flared up so intensely her skin looked more purple than blue, and she shifted her weight self-consciously, her gaze never leaving his face.

The Fairy-type then slunk nearer to the Water Eon, nuzzling against her shoulder and neck, privately delighting in the fact his evolved form was tall enough to easily reach her upper body, because it also lent access to her neck or ear if he ever desired to lick or nip those areas. To do so now would probably be coming on too strong, however, so he simply cuddled close and rested his head on her shoulder, and absently coiled one of his ribbons around the Vaporeon's foreleg, as if to wordlessly apologize for the earlier bite.

A sense of weariness and fatigue was settling over his body, and he closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of the Vaporeon cuddled against him, the sound of her breathing, and unless his ears were deceiving him, the rapid thumping of her heart, though it might have been his own, the line was kind of blurred at this point.

"...you're falling asleep on me, aren't you?" Aureia deadpanned, but Blaze didn't answer. She sighed in his ear. "Of course you are. Well, I guess you _did_ just evolve..."

The last thing the Sylveon became aware of before drifting into blissful unconsciousness was the feeling of the Vaporeon's tail loosely draping around him.


	111. Icy Mood

A stunned silence fell over the group in the wake of the Vaporeon's outburst, and continued even after she had left. No one seemed to want to speak, and there was a general sense of unease hanging over them, like a looming storm cloud.

Frost was grateful for the silence, if only because it gave him the chance to reflect on his thoughts. He could feel Shadow's uncertain gaze upon him, but he ignored it, turning away from the others and gazing intently at the grass below his feet.

Frustration was the most prominent emotion at the forefront of his thoughts. It gnawed incessantly at his chest, as it had when he had been defeated by Lin. Defeat always felt shameful, and in spite of giving Blaze a handicap, Frost could not comprehend how he could possibly have lost that battle.

No, that wasn't quite right. He knew a major factor in that defeat was his inexperience with close-range combat. In spite of being trained by a mistress of claw combat, Frost's training had only covered the basics before focusing almost exclusively on mastering his ice abilities.

However, the battle with Thresher back in the Eterna Forest had demonstrated to the Glaceon that he was prone to abusing and relying on the sheer firepower of his ice abilities when focused on winning at any cost. The callous disregard he had shown for Shadow and Leaf's wellbeing back then was a mindset he could not afford to slip into again. Restricting his Ice-type techniques when facing an unevolved opponent, particularly in the presence of Leaf and Glacia, had been an effort to prevent that side of him from surfacing again.

Still, it wasn't right to claim the handicap was the only reason he had been beaten. Lin had warned him last time that he lacked a purpose to motivate him to keep improving. Even now, weeks later, Frost was ashamed to discover that he still had not found this purpose. He still wanted to aid Shadow and Leaf in their endeavors of becoming strong and independent, but his own skill seemed to have stagnated, while they had grown so much in such a short span of time. They had to have, if Shadow had the confidence to return from the Eterna area back to Solaceon Town, his brother in tow, without an escort.

Perhaps the root of Frost's frustration stemmed from his own lack of growth. Or maybe the Vaporeon had even been right in verbally assaulting him like she had. Her words still stung, as if they had physically struck him, and he struggled to explain why he couldn't simply dismiss them. Part of his mind seemed aware of how easy it would be to label her as a moody bitch, possibly experiencing heat symptoms early, and her outburst an extension of such an unstable mood.

Or maybe, he could instead take the time to properly reflect on what she said, and determine whether there was any element of truth to be found in her words. However, a proper reflection would require the absence of distractions, and the awkward gazes of the Pokemon around him were nothing if not distracting.

"Would you mind taking over my chaperone duties for a little while, Shadow?" Frost asked abruptly, lifting his head and looking over at the Espeon. Shadow tilted his head inquisitively, but slowly nodded. "Thank you. I'm taking a short constitutional, and should not be long," Frost stated, rising to all fours and walking away from the other Pokemon.

The Glaceon didn't really have a destination or course in mind, but the walk would suit his needs in isolating himself from others for the time being. The area set before A/C's den was mostly open space, but further down the route leading away from Solaceon Town were a number of trees under which he could find shade from the sun, and cover from prying eyes.

His dark eyes scanned his surroundings as he walked, seeking out the ideal location to settle down and reflect on matters. The presence of wild Pokemon was all but unavoidable, as most Pokemon living at the outskirts of a human town were far less skittish around humans and Pokemon, but he didn't want to unknowingly infringe on marked territory. He wasn't in the mood to get into another fight if it could be avoided.

The sound of running water nearby caught his ear, and he changed course to follow the noise. A small stream would be almost ideal, as he had once heard that natural sounds like bubbling water was soothing for the mind and body, although his opportunities to personally observe such a phenomenon was limited considering he was born and raised on Mt. Coronet.

It did not take Frost long to locate the stream, and he was delighted to discover that only a few Pokemon were lurking among the nearby trees, or gathered around the water. He received several glances as he approached the stream, but he pointedly ignored them, presenting a non-threatening demeanor. A number of the Pokemon still found an excuse to disperse, but those that remained appeared satisfied, and went about their business as normal.

The Glaceon drank briefly from the stream, before settling himself down on the grass and gazing idly around. He had no doubt that he was a strange sight to see, an Ice-type quadruped nestled in an area of fresh grass and spring flowers, but he didn't really care.

Frost allowed his thoughts and attention to wander for a few minutes, the gentle bubbling of the stream distracting him from focusing too intently upon the negative emotions welling up inside him, and he took slow, cleansing breaths as he idly observed the Pokemon moving about the area.

What was it that he lacked? Before leaving his parents' den up in the mountains, he had been so certain of his goals and objectives. He wanted to see and explore everything the region had to offer, and improve his battle skills by facing a wide variety of challenging and skillful foes that would push him to his limits. He expected, nay, _wanted_ to face opponents who would defeat him and force him to continuously improve and grow, and adapt his strategies.

Yet the taste of losing was such a bitter pill to swallow. Raze had been a delightfully challenging sparring opponent, despite knowing him for such a short period of time, but the Buizel had never been able to overcome him. Lin besting him had been according to his expectations, but the advice she left him with continued to baffle him. He lacked something to properly drive him, and if this most recent defeat was any indication, his current path was going nowhere.

The Glaceon's gut tightened with frustration at the thought, and he narrowly resisted the urge to lash out his paw at the nearest stalks of grass. But no, there were still other Pokemon in the area, and it would not do for them to see him acting in such a way, like a child throwing a tantrum over nothing.

Was battle not the path he was supposed to be going down? He enjoyed a thrilling spar more than almost anything else he had ever experienced, yet his most recent battles had left him so unsatisfied. The majority of foes were dispatched with little to no effort, and those with greater skills felt too far beyond him. To lose to an utter amateur like Blaze was unacceptable in his mind, but to deny the outcome felt even more petulant.

Then there was the matter of the Vaporeon's outburst. It should be so easy to dismiss it as the side effect of an unstable emotional state, but Frost couldn't seem to convince himself that her words meant nothing. Perhaps a bit blown out of proportion, but not meaningless. What was it that she had said? The Glaceon wracked his brain a little, wanting to recall not only the gist of her rant, but the specific wording employed. Admittedly, when provoked, people rarely spoke in a perfectly comprehensible manner, and may use sloppy wording, but if he could at least pick apart her thought process, it would be sufficient.

He recalled, after a moment's thought, that he had been asking about their battle training, with the newly evolved Sylveon admitting to having no formal training at all. An impressive feat, to defeat him with so little experience. Truly an example of beginner's luck at work. Then Frost had turned his attention to the Vaporeon, and she merely answered that she was stronger than she looked.

But then refused to allow him to so much as look in her direction for the purpose of analyzing the core of her training. Frost supposed this was a semi-logical objection, if he was correct in thinking she was undergoing mood or hormone shifts earlier than usual, but she really ripped into him when he expressed confusion on the matter.

Despicable, self-centered, and egotistical, she had called him.

Yes...those were the words that seemed to sting the most. He was no stranger to being called arrogant. Lin had done the same, when they fought within the Solaceon Ruins, by criticizing his tone and attitude. The memory alone sent another jolt of frustration through the Glaceon's body, and he scowled privately.

Maybe the Vaporeon was right to say such things to him, because Lin had told him the same thing, weeks earlier. She had told him that his dismissive and arrogant tone reflected poor self-esteem, and that he force-fed others a sense of confidence he didn't truly have.

And mere minutes ago, the Vaporeon had snarled that Frost took every opportunity to shove his views about strength and confidence in the faces of those he believed fell short of his standards.

Frost's breath caught in the back of his throat. He really had forgotten all about the tongue-lashing Lin had given him, just before their battle. He had focused so intently upon her parting advice, that he had neglected to consider the criticisms she had given him originally.

 _"Confidence in itself is an indicator of strength. If you are confident towards your strength, you are becoming conceited...it's unbecoming and limits your growth."_

Frost gritted his teeth, feeling the sting of angry tears forming behind his eyes. He was really goddamn stupid sometimes. Lin knew him better than anyone ever could. She had warned him of the trouble his attitude could get him into, but he had dismissed it from his recollection, until it was jolted to the forefront of his brain by someone else giving him a similar scolding.

 _"You rush into battle over a petty wound to your pride. Is your ego really so fragile that you'd rashly misjudge your opponent's strength?"_

Despite the Weavile's scolding, Frost had fallen into that trap again and again. Thresher had dismissed his significance back in the Eterna Forest, and the desire to prove him wrong had awakened a morbid and twisted mindset. And just today, Blaze's pathetic efforts to provoke him had spurred Frost to accept the challenge, only for him to then refuse to let the Eevee concede the match. In spite of never wanting to fight Blaze in the first place, the Glaceon's pride had brought about a situation that reflected badly on him, and still resulted in defeat.

Lin was right all along. Frost's attitude towards strength revealed just how weak he really was. Her disappointment had hurt more than any insult could. She was right to doubt her judgment of his potential, because even after being told of his flaws by someone he respected, he had done nothing to correct them.

The Pokemon that intimidated him illogically...they were all Pokemon who were truly strong, and confident without flaunting their power. Renard, Astrid, even Blizzard...their strength was real, and he was a fool with low self-esteem, desperate to claim respect from opponents who recognized he was a fool.

Well, Blaze probably hadn't noticed, but Aureia almost certainly had, if she had picked out his flaws so easily. Maybe she really was stronger than she looked. Frost couldn't ignore the possibility, seeing that she had initially wanted to sub in for Blaze, and had even offered to lift the handicap. Then again, she was a bulky Water-type, and unlikely to be fazed by Ice-type techniques.

Frost scowled again. It didn't really matter whether she was strong or not. The real crux of the matter was deciding what he was going to do from here. He hadn't found a purpose, he hadn't honed his skills sufficiently, his attitude seemed to need a face-lift, and he still had an obligation to Glacia that he could not ignore.

The Glaceon male had never felt so overwhelmed and emotionally stressed in all his life. He had never expected leaving home to be an easy venture, and knew there would be challenges and roadblocks for his future along the way, but for the first time, he felt the full weight of these burdens upon his shoulders.

He was struggling in every aspect of his life. He had a kit, but it had essentially been born out of wedlock. He wasn't in a relationship. He had almost no friends, no networking connections, no reputation to speak of, had underperformed in almost all of his recent battles, and had just gotten bitched out by the equivalent of a complete stranger. He wasn't even fit to be a role model or mentor to the closest thing he had to friends.

He wasn't sure if he could even justify staying with Shadow and Leaf to continue aiding them in their training, not only because of his shabby performance, but because they knew about Glacia now. Shadow had taken on the burden of raising his younger brother alone, out of necessity, in the wake of their parents' death. Even if the Espeon said nothing, Frost knew Shadow would disapprove of the Glaceon reneging on his parental responsibilities, and Leaf had bonded with Glacia almost immediately, being the first Pokemon he had probably ever met that was close to his own age. Leaf was a much more complicated individual to read, so Frost wasn't even sure how he would respond to the notion of Frost leaving Glacia to be raised by Blizzard alone, but he doubted it would be positive.

"There you are, Frost."

The Glaceon nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice speaking almost directly into his ear. He scrambled to try and turn around, completely forgetting that he was laying down, so the swiveling motion only resulted in him rolling onto his back, which was no more a dignified response than a startled yell might have been.

Silently cursing the inattentiveness that had gotten him into this mess, Frost found himself looking up at Blizzard, the female Glaceon looking down at him in bemusement. A bit flustered by his graceless reaction, Frost scrambled to right himself, but Blizzard swiftly pressed a paw into his stomach, halting his movements.

"No, no, stay like that for a second," she said, with a teasing glint in her eye. Frost complied, but raised an eyebrow slowly. "Wow, you _are_ submissive around me," the female Ice-type giggled, withdrawing her paw and gesturing for him to rise. Nonplussed, the male Glaceon got up and glanced around, secretly hoping that none of the lingering Pokemon happened to witness that interaction.

"What are you doing out here?" Frost wondered.

"Looking for you," Blizzard answered simply, sitting down beside him, seeming far less concerned about what bystanders might think or assume. She was so close that Frost could actually feel the pleasant chill of her breath on his fur.

"Wait, how long was I gone?" Frost asked, craning his head at the sky, as if he expected it to be approaching nightfall. "Or did Shadow just go back into the den and announce 'Frost went for a walk, heading north', and you raced out after me?"

"Closer to the second one," Blizzard admitted. "He might have let slip that you seemed a bit upset."

"Just a lot on my mind," Frost muttered, averting his gaze.

"Would it help to talk through things with someone?" Blizzard wondered gently.

Frost heaved a small sigh. It honestly came as no surprise that Blizzard would suggest such a recourse, and while he appreciated the sentiment, he was hesitant to accept. He already felt lower than dirt, and he doubted that talking about those feelings would do anything to improve his mood. On the other hand, if he had to pick anyone to freely discuss his vulnerabilities with, Blizzard was easily at the top of the list. The female Glaceon had a kind heart, not to mention very open and upfront about her thoughts and opinions. It was one of the many things he admired about her.

"I feel like my life is at an impasse," Frost stated blandly. Blizzard tilted her head inquisitively, but didn't interrupt. "I don't know...it just feels like I'm not growing stronger, or accomplishing anything at all," he sighed.

"Isn't it a little early to judge your progress?" Blizzard asked kindly. Now it was Frost's turn to give her a wordless, inquisitive glance. She smiled a little. "You spent the majority of the winter stranded in my den, remember?" she explained. "So while your journey may have started five or six months ago, you've really only been active for two or three months, and that gap of inactivity is more costly than you might think."

"Hmm...doubtful. The majority of my battle opponents posed little challenge to me at all," Frost sighed, shaking his head. "And the ones who did far outmatched me. There is no middle ground."

Blizzard weighed over his answer for a few moments, then looked at him curiously. "How do you approach battle training? Do you have a daily routine you run through?"

Frost blinked, a little taken aback by the question. "I used to, before I left home," he confessed. "Most days, I preferred to spar with the local Pokemon, but in the absence of such adversaries, I had a routine in place."

"And now?" Blizzard pressed. Frost shifted uncomfortably.

"No...I've neglected to design one since leaving the mountain," he muttered. In his defense, he had routinely met up with Raze for a sparring match once the spring weather had improved, and soon after, he had focused his time and effort into Leaf and Shadow's training. Even during the days they traveled, he nudged them into sparring with one another or local Pokemon. This may have come at the cost of his training regimen at times, but the negligence hadn't bothered him until now.

"So how do you keep in practice?" Blizzard asked, sounding genuinely surprised by his confession. "Do you just spar with every available opponent? Well, that at least explains why you abruptly wanted to spar with Astrid last week," she mused.

"More or less," Frost conceded with a shrug.

"But how does that help you?" Blizzard pressed gently. "Like you said, most opponents don't provide a satisfying challenge, and more experienced foes are too strong for you. Are you at least asking for feedback after a match?"

Frost opened his mouth to reply, only to freeze in place as the impact of her words sank in. He had technically asked Lin for feedback, which she had provided, but he hadn't made any effort to get the opinion of any of his other opponents, strong or weak alike. Perhaps, on a subconscious level, he had just assumed most of the Pokemon he defeated couldn't possibly offer him any advice of merit, and Thresher wasn't exactly someone Frost expected feedback from.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Blizzard said, stifling a giggle at the sight of his expression, and her tail flicked. "And you had wanted to spar with Astrid's Mega Evolution? Have you even faced her normally before?"

"No," Frost muttered. He had almost immediately realized that wanting Astrid to demonstrate the power of her Mega Stone had been a foolish venture when he still had yet to witness the strength of her basic form, and he hoped Blizzard wasn't about to point that out.

"You might want to give that a shot first. I can ask her to give you feedback on your style or techniques," Blizzard suggested. "I think she's planning to stick with your group for a while, so it's a great opportunity to seek her advice."

"I don't want to go to her," Frost mumbled.

"Why not? She's a very good battler," Blizzard protested. "She took me under her wing when I was new to Brian's team, and once you get used to her tone-"

"No, you misunderstand," Frost sighed. "I don't want to stick with the group."

Blizzard blinked several times. "I think you're right. I don't understand," she admitted finally. "Haven't you, Shadow, and Leaf been traveling as a group?"

"We were, but they don't need me," Frost answered dully. "Besides, they know about Glacia now."

"What difference does that make?" Blizzard asked, sounding slightly hurt. "Leaf seems to really like her, and Shadow was kind enough to agree to kit-sit her so I could come and find you."

Frost was silent for a several seconds, debating whether to actually voice his thoughts on the subject. With a heavy sigh, he looked over at the female Ice-type. "Leaf is only a little older than Glacia, and Shadow's been shouldering the responsibility of caring for his younger brother since their parents' death."

"Yes, I know," Blizzard said quietly, and Frost winced. It hadn't taken long from the initial introduction for Blizzard to discover that Shadow and Leaf were Echo's kits, and the Glaceon had already learned of her former teammate's untimely death, although Frost wasn't sure when that subject had come up. If he had to guess, Astrid had filled her in when he had been napping on the first day of the most recent visit.

"What must they think of me?" Frost blurted, before he could stop himself, and he stood up and began pacing in a tight circle, his fur bristling in agitation. Blizzard followed his movements with her eyes, making no effort to stop him from his restless movements. "Shadow's a year younger than I am, yet has taken on a responsibility he was never prepared for, and at the age when he otherwise might have started gaining independence from his family. They needed my assistance at first, but are growing steadily, whereas my growth is as stagnant as the Great Marsh! I have my reasons for being absent, but they might think of it as me abandoning my responsibilities to my daughter...and then how can I ever hope to have their respect?"

Blizzard digested his rant in silence, and Frost flopped back into a seated position, breathing more heavily, and avoiding the female's gaze. Despite her claiming to understand and accept his decision, he suspected she felt the same way about the situation as he feared Shadow or Leaf might. It was very difficult to claim that he wasn't shirking his responsibilities as a father, and not helping matters was that Blizzard very clearly still harbored romantic or affectionate feelings for him.

"At the end of the day, Frost, it's your life," Blizzard reminded him gently. "They don't decide how you live, whether they approve of your decisions or not."

"Normally, I'd agree, but they're invested now," Frost lamented, his ears drooping. "Leaf hates being separated from his friends, and Glacia is the closest thing to a friend his own age he's ever had. Shadow taking on a parallel responsibility gives him more right to voice disapproval than anyone, aside from you or Glacia."

"So what do you want to do, Frost?" Blizzard asked.

The question came as a bit of a surprise, and Frost took a deep breath, hoping to dispel some of the troubling thoughts still drifting around in his mind, and uncover a clear answer. His present course was going nowhere, and sticking to the original path was undesirable at this time. Blizzard had brought up a number of good points in how he could be better tackling his training, and although she had suggested Astrid as a possible resource, another idea was emerging from amidst his inner turmoil. An idea that could possibly cover both bases.

"Can you help me?" he asked.

"Help you?" Blizzard echoed blankly. "With what?"

"With my training," Frost clarified, shifting awkwardly. He had never really thought of Blizzard as being a capable battler, even after learning she used to belong to a trainer. She had even mentioned the fact just the other day, yet he had thought little of it. Now it seemed like an obvious solution to his problems. If he could get some sort of training or pointers from the female Glaceon, it would provide the perfect reason to stay with her and Glacia, instead of vainly traveling across the region without a clear purpose.

"I suppose...but why me?" Blizzard wondered, although the tell-tale flick of her tail indicated her true feelings on the subject.

"We're the same species, for one, so I can adapt more easily to your approach and techniques than an alternative," Frost pointed out. This was definitely true. While Lin had been a phenomenal mentor, the difference in their battle style and body shape made it a little trickier for her to teach him specific tactics and maneuvers. "Furthermore, I admire your confidence and independence, and would like to understand how to improve my own attitude and mindset. You are one of the few I can trust to give honest feedback, and offer criticisms that I won't take personally. Also...such an arrangement gives reason for me to stay with you and Glacia longer."

Blizzard studied him closely, evidently not yet convinced of the merits of his proposal. "You understand that caring for Glacia is only going to get more difficult in the coming weeks as she gets more independent, don't you?"

"I'd be sharing the weight of the responsibilities," Frost said defensively, but Blizzard shook her head.

"I mean that I won't always have the time or energy to devote," she explained seriously. "Also, while I previously accepted your decision not to stay full-time...if you genuinely want my assistance with your training, I will need you to make an equally significant commitment."

"Uh...what do you mean?" Frost asked, a little alarmed by the shift in her tone.

"I don't mean a permanent arrangement, but I cannot accept a sporadic visitation schedule," Blizzard explained firmly. "I simply can't afford to make my life revolve around your whims, nor will I allow you to take advantage of my kindness."

Frost swallowed nervously. "I understand...what kind of commitment do you require?" he asked.

Blizzard thought about it for a few moments. "A minimum ratio of three-to-one," she stated. Frost looked at her blankly. "A commitment of three weeks for every one week away," she clarified seriously.

"Is this negotiable?" Frost wondered.

"Yes. You could find someone else to get training from," Blizzard suggested crisply. Frost resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She certainly drove a hard bargain, yet he was hard-pressed to label it as unfair.

"I'll have to think about it," Frost said finally. He had no intention of haggling over the details in the first place, but he was reluctant to commit to any arrangement without at least taking the time to weigh over alternative options.

"Of course. You don't need to make a decision now," Blizzard said, returning to her softer speaking tone. "I came looking for you to see if I could help your mood, not to pressure or manipulate you."

"I know," Frost said, managing a small chuckle. "You've been a great help already, thank you."

Blizzard nodded, and gazed around the area for a few moments. "Is there anything else I can do, or would you prefer to have more space?" she wondered.

"The opposite, actually. I relish your company," Frost answered, moving closer and nuzzling the female affectionately, as a small gesture of his sincere gratitude. "Besides, I believe this is the first time since her conception that Glacia is being looked after by someone other than one of us. I imagine you'd want to take advantage of such a rare opportunity, and just relax and enjoy yourself for a while."

"Are you trying to be subtle?" Blizzard wondered, visibly amused.

"No, I'm just in the exact same boat," Frost replied. "More freedom and flexibility, perhaps, but the base situation is the same, and foul moods usually come about as the result of stress and frustration piling on top of each other. Besides, I'm leaning towards accepting your offer, so this really is a rare moment of both of us being free, even if just for an hour or so. We could have a private luncheon and then head back."

Blizzard mulled it over for a few moments and then smiled, her tail flicking with enthusiasm. "Sounds fantastic. I'm open to that."


End file.
